Some 3 foot consistent waves with nice barrels greeted surfers for the second day of competition in Cacimba do Padre Beach. The best wave score so far in the 2008 Hang Loose Pro Contest belongs to ex-top ASP World Tour surfer Brazilian Peterson Rosa, who scored a 9,87 points in a big barrel to the right. Another ex-top WCT surfer Brazilian Raoni Monteiro posted the highest heat score of the event with 17.66 points out of possible 20. Raoni won over the current ‘QS leader American Patrick Gudauskas.

“I got two great scores in the begining of the heat, here there is just one way, get a tube or nothing” said Raoni Monteiro, one of the three Brazilians who lost their place in Men´s World Tour last year. “I think start the year with a great result give me more confident and motivation to keep surfing and competing in the tour. This last heat was great for me and now i will try to give my best in the rest of the Event”, wish Raoni Monteiro, who got two excellent scores (9,33 and 8,33) and posted the highest heat score (17,66) of the 2008 Hang Loose Pro Contest.

In the second place was American Surfer Patrick Gudauskas, followed by Brazilian Sávio Carneiro and by the only surfer from Morroco in the Tour, Abdel El Harim. Gudauskas won the first Event of the year in Florida and now is the current WQS leader. “Raoni surfed really well, was a hard heat for me, the waves get a little bit better during my heat and i was very lucky to find some good scores” said Patrick, that has two brothers (Dane and Tanner) also competing in the 2008 Hang Loose Pro Contest.

FAVORITES SEEDS – In the seven heats of the second round of this Wednesday, the seeds almost won all the heats. The only exception was Brazilian Márcio Farney, who eliminated the South-African Damien Fahrenfort to finish in second place in the heat won by another Brazilian Odirlei Coutinho. Also moved to next round of the 48 best surfers of the 2008 Hang Loose Pro Contest: Marlon Lipke from Germany, Spanish Surfers Gony Zubizareta and Eneko Acero, French Surfers Patrick Bevan and Eric Ribiere, beyond the Brazilians Simão Romão and Leandro Bastos.

“This Contest is very important for me, last year i finished in second here, my best result in the ‘QS, and i am very happy to move on in this great and expect Event” said Leandro Bastos, who finished in second place in the last year Hang Loose Pro Contest. “The goal here is search for the tubes, i got two good barrels in my heat. Right now i feel more confident and i will try to make my second final here” said Leandro, who is competing in Fernando de Noronha without a sponsor.

HIGHEST SCORES – Another great perfomance of the day was from the surfer from Porto Rico, Brian Toth, who got a clen barrel to receive 9,70 points right in the end of the heat. Them Brazilian Peterson Rosa who needed a 9.73 wave score to advanced and who also won two times the Hang Loose Pro Contest, one in 1995 at Guarujá and another in 1999 at Maresias, caught a clean and a big barrel to the right and scored 9,87, the best wave score of the Event so far.

“I cannot believe, everyone is getting 7, 8 wave scores, and them i got this wave. When i looked this wave i knew it would be a big barrel, i stayed inside the barrel for a long time and finish with two nice turns, was a incredible wavel” said Peterson Rosa, who finish with 14,64 points with Brazilian Ricardo dos Santos winning the heat with 14,93.

The 23th Edition of Hang Loose Pro Contest has Hang Loose as main sponsor, with co-sponsor of REEF, Supatech Tecidos, Brisbane and Santa Inês, with the important partnership of Pernambuco Government State and Fernando de Noronha Island Administration, apart from support of Gráfica Formag’s, Fluir Magazine, Waves/Terra Web-Site and surf shops Star Point, Uluwatu, Central Surf, Overboard, Bleat, Hot Water, Sthill, KYW, WQSurf, 900 Graus, Bali Surf Shop, Surf X-Press, Star Surf, Pro Esporte, Tchuk Thones e Surfstore. The Event is sanctioned by ASP South America with the support of Pernambuco Surfing Federation and Northeast Surfing Association (ANS) and web coverage by www.hangloose.com.br and www.aspsouthamerica.com.br.