World’s Best Water Athletes dive into San Francisco Bay for Red Bull Heavy Water

October 15, 2019

Athletes Contribute to Ocean-Positive Event, Green-Lit to Run Friday, October 18

San Francisco, Calif. (Oct. 15, 2019)– Red Bull Heavy Water, a highlight on the pro Standup Paddleboard circuit, today announced a 5-day green light for the competition weather window, as forecasting indicates that Friday October 18 will be ideal conditions. Red Bull Heavy Water welcomes 24 male and 12 female athletes to the third annual SUP competition, an integral stop on the 2019 APP World Tour circuit.

These athletes, who are the best of the watersports world, will challenge a grueling 12km (7.5 mile) course from Aquatic Park that passes below the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and finishes at Ocean Beach.

Red Bull Heavy Water has partnered with Bay Area-based Sustainable Surf, committing to ‘wipe-out’ the carbon footprint of the event – including all athlete travel with its ocean-positive SeaTrees program. For every mile traveled by the 36 athletes attending Red Bull Heavy Water, Sustainable Surf will plant and protect SeaTrees in coastal ecosystems, including mangroves forests in Indonesia and kelp forests off the California coast.  This positive action also provides sustainable employment for local communities and creates critical habitat for countless species.

Athletes who will be competing in Red Bull Heavy Water, and contributing to SeaTrees, are as follows;

Men:

Current World #1 Michael Booth (Australia), Arthur Arutkin (France), 2017 Red Bull Heavy Water Champion Casper Steinfath (Denmark), 2018 Red Bull Heavy Water Champion Connor Baxter (Hawaii), Mo Freitas (Hawaii), Lincoln Dews (Australia), Zane Schweitzer (Hawaii), Travis Grant (Australia), Danny Ching (USA), Itzel Delgado (Peru), Slater Trout (USA), Tyler Bashor (USA), Christian Anderson (Denmark), Kai Lenny (Hawaii) Martin Vitry (France), James Casey (Australia), Bernd Roediger (Hawaii), Ryan Funk (USA), Kody Kerbox (Hawaii), Fernando Stalla (Mexico), Kenny Kaneko (Japan), Riggs Napoleon (Hawaii), Chuck Glynn (USA), Mark Alfaro (San Francisco, USA).

Women:

Yuka Sato (Japan), Annie Reickert (Hawaii), April Zilg (USA), Terrene Black (Australia), Fiona Wylde (USA), 4x Surfing World Champion APP World Tour Izzi Gomez (USA),  Annabel Anderson (New Zealand), Jordan Mercer (New Zealand), Andrea Moeller (Brazil), Shakira Westdorp (Australia)

“It will be exciting to see the strong competitive field of female athletes step up in 2019 to take on what is without doubt the most challenging race course in the World for the sport of Stand Up Paddling.” said Red Bull Heavy Water Race Director and CEO of the Waterman League Tristan Boxford. “You might think that while it is likely a grueling race, especially given the calibre of the athletes, it should be manageable.However, this is not at all the case, with multiple in-and-outs through the surf, rough conditions, and with a 10ft minimum surf height required for the event to run.”

These optimal conditions are required within the weather window, which for 2019 is from October 15^th– November 7^th. Ideal forecasting suggests that the 5-day green light alert has been activated, with Friday October 18th the likely competition date. The race begins mid-morning from Aquatic Park, ending at Ocean Beach.

Red Bull Heavy Water is held in San Francisco, California and all interested parties can visit https://www.redbull.com/us-en/events/heavy-water for more information.

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About the APP World Tour and the Waterman League:

The APP World Tour is the Professional World Championship Tour for the Sport of Paddlesurfing (also known as SUP / Stand Up Paddling / Paddleboarding), officially sanctioned by the IOC recognized Federation for Surfing Sports, the ISA (International Surfing Association). Re-branded in 2017 as the APP World Tour (previously known as the Stand Up World Tour and Series) the APP has been crowning the sport’s World Champions for both Men & Women across Racing and Surfing since 2010.

The APP World Tour produces a complete inventory of programming, including live and post produced broadcasts from its events, with distribution to over 100 countries worldwide via premier global networks such as CBS Sports and Fox Sports Asia & Australia. More Information is available at www.appworldtour.com and fans can follow events @appworldtour on Facebook & Instagram. For more information on the APP’s City Paddle Festivals please visit www.citypaddlefestivals.com

About Sustainable Surf and SeaTrees

California-based non-profit, Sustainable Surf, protects and restores ocean health by shifting people and brands to a highly desirable, low-carbon, ocean-positive lifestyle.

Their latest program, SeaTrees, is the first blue-carbon ocean-focused platform for people & brands to take direct action on climate change. By planting and protecting coastal-ecosystems all around the world, SeaTrees sequester carbon emissions, provide sustainable employment to local communities and create critical habitat for countless species.

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https://www.redbull.com/us-en/events/heavy-water
Press Contact: Jess Smith | jess@outsidepr.com | 415-565-9530 |

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