Dylan Southworth and Ivan Gonzalez Crowned Champions of Acapulco Pro Surf Open 2013

Translation: Heido Sundstrom

At noon this past Saturday, the Acapulco Pro Surf Open came to a close, culminating in the awards ceremony held at Playa Peninsula (formerly Copacabana) and bringing with it the final results for the Champions of the two top categories: Shortboard Open and Bodyboard Open. Nayarit surfer, Dylan Southworth took home first place in the Shortboard category, while Ivan Gonzalez took first in the Bodyboard Category, both having had to face Mexico’s surfing elite, as well as previous environmental conditions, like the strong current and choppy waves.

Dylan, with two second-place and two first-place finishes in his qualifying heat, managed to make it into the final and ended up winning. In the second round, he faced a heavy heat against David Rutherford and Raul Medina, eventually eliminating both. In the quarterfinals, Dylan defeated his fellow countrymen, Diego Cadena and local Coby Hernandez. In the semifinals, he surpassed local Julio Contreras and Mike Velasco of Puerto Escondido, who proved to be the revelations of the contest. Velasco is under 18 years of age and in the final, the wind began to make its presence known and the experience of this competitor was instrumental in beating Angelo Lozano of Puerto Escondido, local Oscar “Pawi” Chino and his other countrymen, Adrian “Gatito” Rodriguez.

The Bodyboard final also saw a dramatic finish, leaving a few of the favorites eliminated. Ivan Gonzalez of Sinaloa took home three first-place finishes and one second-place in his qualifying heats. In the quarterfinals, we saw none other than the current National Champion of bodyboarding eliminated, Hector “Motor” Santiago of Puerto Escondido, as well as another local favorite, who was eliminated in the semifinals, Jorge Diaz.

SURF OPEN

TABLA DE CUERPO

After the finals, the women surfers put on a show that included: Pamela Verboonen (National Runner-up), Leila Takeda (current National Champion), Lorraine Castro, Ana Pau Castillo and Yanis Fabre, among others.

At the award’s ceremony, Javier Aluni, Secretary of Tourism Promotion for the state of Guerrero, pledged his support as a representative of the State Municipal Government, to participate in professional events taking place around the world, to be ambassadors of a tourist destination and elevate the level of surfers in the state of Guerrero. Different authorities accompanied him, including: Wulfrano Salgado, Regidor and Alfons Aquino, Director of Municipal Sport Development.

The party kicked off with a selection of bands performing on the beach, headed by Acapulquito Reguee and Allien. Then, for the final farewell, it was off to the balcony of the Palladium Discoteque to celebrate the closing party.