Second day of the 2013 Puerto Escondido Open

Translation: Heido Sundstrom

The conditions improved on the second day of competition, with waves of 2 – 3 feet and up to 5 feet when a big set would come in, making the ride longer. The Puerto Escondido Open is an annual tradition that has been going on for the last thirty years or so and is the longest running event in Mexico.

During the past few years, many talented, young competitors have been coming out of the woodwork that surf well and aren’t afraid of going against the “pros”. Such is the case with Jafet Ramos, who placed second at last year’s event at just 14 years of age and withstood waves of over 9 feet.

This day also welcomed pleasant surprises... Yoni Corzo and Mike Velasco passed first in their second-round heats, advancing them to the quarterfinals.

During the third heat, the four competitors battled it out but it was Angelo Lozano who took the lead and held on. Second place was a super close call, but thanks to the tubes that “Pawi” Chino managed to surf, he made it into the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile in the fourth heat, Julio Quiñones went with everything, placing first and leaving a hard fight for second place, which finally went to Tehuen Petroni, eliminating the favorite, Jose Manuel “Yuco” Trujillo.

The brothers, Jorge and Daniel Diaz, advanced to the finals, as did Edwin Morales and the current National Champion, Ulises Rodriguez. All are considered favorite candidates likely to win the competition.

In the women’s category, Asaya Brusa is the favorite, while Soledad Fernandez and the experienced Lili Giron and Roxel Perez are all set to face off in the “heat of death”; anything can happen.

At three in the afternoon, an homage was paid to the National and World Cup Champion, Jesus “Chuy” Silva, and both family and friends gathered at Playa Zicatela to honor his memory as an athlete and as a person. His family thanked everyone for this noble gesture.

In his speech, Roxel Perez proposed that this event forever bear Silva’s name, as his father was a surf promoter in Puerto and Silva himself was a great champion. Jose Ramirez also stepped up and told a wave story about Silva, which was followed by applause and a minute of silence. Finally, his friends entered the ocean with flowers in hand to make the traditional surfer’s circle and offer up good vibes to Chuy Silva.