SUN, surf and international sports stars will grace Margaret River from April 2 until April 13 for the 2014 Drug Aware Margaret River Pro.
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The Augusta-Margaret River Mail will be providing provided comprehensive coverage of the event which was held for the first time as a World Championship Tour event last year.
Click back to this page for all the updates.
TAHITIAN Michel Bourez has won the 2014 Drug Aware Margaret River Pro after defeating Australia's Josh Kerr in the final and Kelly Slate in the semi final.
Bourez's fluorescent green legs had become notorious before the event had even started as he free-surfed two weeks ago, throwing some massive airs and dominating the steep faces of the right-hand Margaret River Point waves, and they are now synonymous with his victory at the event.
Read the full story and see photos from the final day of surfing action here.
We've put together a gallery of all the best photos from the Margaret River Pro doing the rounds on social media.
Another lay day was called for the Margaret River Pro on Friday morning.
Event organisers will make the next call at 7am on Saturday.
Margaret River Pro organisers decided to postpone the Men's Quarterfinals on Thursday due to surfing conditions going awry.
The next call will be made at 7am on Friday.
Video: Spectators relaxed on Thursday:
KELLY Slater has been drawn to battle against Joel Parkinson in the Margaret River Pro Men’s Quarterfinals.
Round 5 heats were done by noon on Thursday and just eight surfers remained in the competition, advancing to quarterfinals.
Read more here.
Quarterfinals competitors:
Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs Jordy Smith (ZAF)
Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs Josh Kerr (AUS)
Kelly Slater (USA) vs Joel Parkinson (AUS)
Nat Young (USA) vs Michel Bourez (PYF)
Though the swell was building on Wednesday afternoon, it did not pick up in time for the Margaret River Pro Men's Round 4 to take place.
The next call will be 7am on Thursday.
Comments of sexism in the surfing industry and media have been taken on board by Tracks surfing magazine.
In a letter levelled at “The Surfer’s Bible”, but first printed in Melbourne’s The Age, 13-year-old Olive Bowers criticised the lack of representation for women’s surfing in the magazine.
However, Tracks magazine writers are in Margaret River for the 2014 Drug Aware Margaret River Pro, and editor Luke Kennedy told the Mail they have not taken the comments lightly, and will seek to act on them.
Read what Mr Kennedy had to say here.
The competition in the men's Margaret River Pro will have to wait another day to get underway again following a second consecutive lay day.
Event organisers will reconvene at 6:30am on Wednesday to re-assess conditions. The lay days were called because of small swell in Margaret River.
Hawaii's Carissa Moore has defeated Australia's Tyler Wright in the Margaret River Pro Women's Finals.
In four-to-six foot waves at Mainbreak, Margaret River on Sunday, the eager opponents took turns holding the lead, tangling back and forth in "a seesaw battle", according to event commentators.
Final result: Carissa Moore (HAW) 15.73 def. Tyler Wright (AUS) 14.10
Read the full report here.
Meanwhile, the Men's Margaret River Pro was still underway with Round 3 being contested on Sunday afternoon.
Australian surfer Tyler Wright has made it to the Margaret River Pro Women's Finals to revisit the same match she desperately wanted to win in last year's competition.
Wright was defeated by tough conditions in last year's final, leaving Hawaii’s Carissa Moore to take the glory.
This year, the two surfers have again edged their way out of the pack to repeat their battle for the title.
Carissa Moore (HAW) vs Tyler Wright (AUS)
Read the full report here.
Saturday arrived with light offshore winds and clean swells, building throughout the day to ensure round two of the men's competition at the 2014 Drug Aware Margaret River Pro went ahead.
Hundreds of spectators gathered on the beach and around the Surfers Point precinct to watch the action and chase surfers for autographs as they returned from the water, celebrating or commiserating.
Inconsistent waves on Friday caused the Margaret River Pro to be put on standby.
Read more here.
Nametags and complimentary wine allowed Margaret River business professionals to socialise with ease at the Shire President’s Sundowner on Thursday.
Held at Surfers Point, the event aimed to celebrate the Margaret River Pro and acknowledge all those who have helped make it a success this year.
See our gallery of photos from the event here.
Four Australian surfers have made it into the line-up for the Margaret River Pro Women’s Quarterfinals.
The women faced sloppy conditions at Mainbreak during their Round 4 heats on Thursday but made it work nevertheless, with Sally Fitzgibbons scoring the round's highest total of 15.37 points. Read more here.
Women's Quarterfinals line-up:
Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) vs Courtney Conlogue (USA)
Carissa Moore (HAW) vs Malia Manuel (HAW)
Laura Enever (AUS) vs Tyler Wright (AUS)
Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) vs Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)
Local wildcard Laura Macaulay bowed out from the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro in the second round of competition on Thursday morning.
A handful of other female pros were eliminated throughout the morning, while the men's competition was on standby.
With the men finished for the day, the attention turned to the women's event which started as soon as the final men's heat finished.
Courtney Conlogue comfortably won the first heat from Coco Ho and Alana Blanchard with a score of 13.83.
The first three rounds of women's competition for the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro were highlighted by a local wildcard entrant on Wednesday.
Read more and see photos from the women's heats here.
The men's Round 1 heats in the Margaret River Pro have wrapped up with local favourites Taj Burrow and Yadin Nicol both making it through to Round 3 with heat wins.
Nicol thrilled the home crowd by defeated 11-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater and countryman Bede Durbridge in Heat 5 while Burrow outpointed Brett Simpson and Freddy Patacchia Junior in Heat 3
The other men to progress to Round 3 of the event with a win in their heat were Filipe Toledo (Bra), Jordy Smith (Zaf), Adam Melling (Aus), Mick Fanning (Aus), Julian Wilson (Aus), Miguel Pupo (Bra), Josh Kerr (Aus), Kai Otten (Aus) and Gabriel Medina (Bra).
All of the other competitors will compete in Round 2 tomorrow to try and avoid being knocked out of the competition.
The highlight of the men's opening salvo was saved for the final heat of the day where Medina beat John John Florence and Kolohe Andino in an aerial shootout.
The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) have interviewed Kelly Slater about his split from sponsor Quiksilver.
Watch what Slater had to say below.
The first of the men's heats are underway in the 2014 Margaret River Pro and local favourite Taj Burrow is through to the next round.
Burrow won Heat 3 with a score of 10.77 from Brett Simpson (9.50) and Freddy Patacchia Junior (7.60).
Others to progress to the next phase so far are Heat 1 winner Filipe Toledo from Brazil and Jordy Smith from South Africa.
Conditions were ideal for the event. Find out more here.
Yadin Nicol and Nathan Hedge are through to the main event of the men's Drug Aware Margaret River Pro after smashing today's trials event.
Nicol has drawn 11-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater and fellow Australian Bede Durbidge in his first round heat while Hedge will take on reigning ASP World Champion Mick Fanning and Matt Wilkinson.
Meanwhile Laura Macaulay will also surf in the main event of the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro after winning the women's trial.
Macauley will face reigning ASP World Champion and last year's Margaret River Pro winner Carissa Moore and Alessa Quizon in her first round heat.
VIDEO: Check out the official teaser for the 2014 Margaret River Pro below
Local Margaret River, Cowaramup and Yallingup surfers pitted themselves against each other in hope to win a spot in the Margaret River Pro in the trials on Tuesday.
Two males and one female from the trials were able to go on to join the ASP World Top 34 and Top 17 surfers in the Pro, completing the field for the event.
Margaret River’s Josh Burke, Jacob Willcox, Jack Robinson, Dino Adrian and Jerome Forrest, Cowaramup’s Yadin Nicol, who was on the ASP World Championship Tour last year, and last year's winner Jake Paterson from Yallingup competed.
Read more about the trials here.
Margaret River Pro organisers are confident the water will be safe for contestants this year with shark spotters on board for the competition.
Site manager Tim Thirsk from Surfing WA said there would be two jet skis on shar patrol plus a spotter in the judge's tent.
"We'll have two jetskis in the line-up on shark patrol plus a spotter up in the judge's tent."
Find out what else Mr Thirsk said about Surfer's Point and the Margaret River Pro here.
THE Margaret River Cultural Centre will be transformed in to a mecca of surfing appreciation next week as the second annual Foam Lust surf exhibition gets underway.
Run in conjunction with the end of the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro the exhibition is a showcase of the region’s rich surfing history and the surfboard shapers who have crafted the boards best suited to local waves.
Read more here.
AUSTRALIA had a chance at winning two titles at the 2013 Margaret River Pro however, Hawaii swept in to claim victory in both the men’s and women’s finals.
Carissa Moore and Dusty Payne of Hawaii defeated finalists Tyler Wright and Josh Kerr respectively in solid six-foot-plus surf and unpredictable conditions.
Read the full report here.
Click here to see a full wrap of all the action in the 2013 Drug Aware Margaret River Pro.
WATCH: A video of Carissa Moore's win in last year's event.
VIDEO: Highlights of Dusty Payne's win in the 2013 Margaret River Pro.
It was a close contest between 11-time world champion Kelly Slater and Joel Parkinson on Sunday at the Margaret River Pro.
However , Slater held the lead for most of their Quarterfinals heat and finished with a 15.53-point win over Parkinson's 15.44, eliminating the Australian from the competition.
Slater will verse Michel Bourez in the Semifinals, while Bede Durbridge will battle fellow Aussie surfer Josh Kerr.
Stay tuned for results.
