In this year’s Red Bull Heavy Water competition, arguably the most intense standup paddling event in the world, women will finally compete.
Red Bull’s Heavy Water is notorious for rough waves and wind — and even tougher competition. This year, the competition is about to get tougher with the addition of female competitors. The Red Bull Heavy Water competition started in 2016, and while female competitors were invited last year, no race occurred due to bad weather.
Each October, Red Bull welcomes paddlers to San Fransisco for a challenge that includes a 12km ocean course and surf battle on the Californian coast. The 2017 event saw 15-foot tall surf. And after the cancellation of the 2018 event due to weather, the stoke for this year’s race is even higher.
The Red Bull Heavy Water comp this year is part of the APP World Tour circuit. The APP (Association of Paddlesurf Professionals) hosts the tour, which has over 60 competitors competing in sprint, distance, and surf for the world title.
Female Paddleboarders Pushing the Limits
“Red Bull Heavy Water has such a unique and compelling contest and course structure. The conditions are guaranteed to be challenging,” said Izzi Gomez, former APP World Tour Surfing Champion.
Currently, American paddleboarders hold the first-, second-, and third-place world champion rankings for women. For men, even the top 10 rankings don’t include any USA athletes. At Red Bull Heavy Water, this means national pride will focus on the female competitors, who have been itching to compete since last year.
In order for Heavy Water to successfully run next week, Red Bull needs to give the conditions a green light, which means good surf of at least 10 feet. The event has a big window to run between October 14 and November 7, during which it needs 7 days of good conditions.
Hopefully some consistent waves will roll in during that period, giving athletes to the chance to hit the water. To follow the competition, check out the Red Bull Heavy Water event page. Update: Red Bull Heavy Water has been given a green light and will run on October 18.
