hiya wa howa aswat

The 2014 Drug Aware Margaret River Pro will gather the world's best surfers in the Southwest of Australia, between 2nd-13th April.

Margaret River is a special place. A long-time staple on the ASP Qualification Series, this year is the first time in over 20 years that Margaret River has been an elite stop for both the men and women.

The women's event regained World Championship Tour status in 2013 having last featured in 1996, while this year sees the men's event upgraded to become part of the Dream Tour for the first time since 1990.

Surfers will battle it out at Margaret River Main Break, a consistent left-and right-hand reef break that can produce excellent waves from two to 20 feet, with infamous right-handers, The Box and North Point offering secondary locations.

Expect steep drops and bumpy rides. There's one man that knows the place very well. Taj Burrow, 35, was born in Busselton, just 30 miles away from Margaret River.

Mark Occhilupo was originally scheduled to compete in the Trials but has withdrawn following a back injury.
Gabriel Medina travels to Western Australia controlling the number one spot in the rankings. He wants to do well, but it won't be easy for the talented Brazilian.

"I've never done well there but Western Australia has great waves. I have never been in the ratings' lead before, so I'm just going to focus on surfing my best and getting some more experience in Margaret River before the event starts," explains Medina.

The trailer of the event is not available due to the fact that ASP World Tour has disabled Youtube sharing.

Drug Aware Margaret River Pro Round 1 Matchups:

Heat 1: Nat Young (USA), Filipe Toledo (BRA), Aritz Aranburu (EUK)
Heat 2: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Sebastian Zietz (HAW), Raoni Monteiro (BRA)
Heat 3: Taj Burrow (AUS), Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Tiago Pires (PRT)
Heat 4: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Adam Melling (AUS), Brett Simpson (USA)
Heat 5: Kelly Slater (USA), Bede Durbidge (AUS), TBD*
Heat 6: Mick Fanning (AUS), Matt Wilkinson (AUS), TBD*
Heat 7: Julian Wilson (AUS), Jeremy Flores (FRA), Dion Atkinson (AUS)
Heat 8: C.J. Hobgood (USA), Miguel Pupo (BRA), Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 9: Josh Kerr (AUS), Adrian Buchan (AUS), Alejo Muniz (BRA)
Heat 10: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Owen Wright (AUS), Jadson Andre (BRA)
Heat 11: Kai Otton (AUS), Michel Bourez (PYF), Mitch Crews (AUS)
Heat 12: Gabriel Medina (BRA), John John Florence (HAW), Kolohe Andino (USA)