Probable Friday Start for 2009 Xcel Pro Presented by Honolua

Solid Northwest Swell Forecast for Sunset
HALEIWA, OAHU, HAWAII – OCTOBER 28, 2009 – The North Shore’s winter season is likely to get underway within the next few days, as the 2009 Xcel Pro Presented By Honolua returns to Sunset Beach with competition-worthy conditions forecast for Friday, the event’s first holding period day.

SSurfline, the world’s leading surf forecast company and official event forecaster, is predicting a good northwest/north-northwest swell to show on Friday, setting up solid Sunset for a likely Xcel Pro kickoff. Forecasts also show potential for an even larger, long period west-northwest/northwest swell to build over the weekend, as former West Pacific Typhoon Lupit goes extra-tropical in the West Pacific.

The Xcel Pro will run 2 full days of competition during its holding period of Friday (October 30) through November 10.

Should the contest be called ON for Friday or this weekend, the first day is expected to begin and run through the Round of 80.

This year’s Xcel Pro champion nabs a healthy share of the $25,000 prize purse and a trip to Tahiti, plus automatic entry into the VonZipper Teahupoo Trials in 2010, whose winner is wild-carded into the WCT Billabong Pro Tahiti.

The event is supported by presenting sponsor Honolua Surf Co. and associate sponsors VonZipper, Kustom, and Surfline. Surf News Network, Oahu’s local surf forecasting service, also supports the event as the official contest hotline (808-596-7873).

For updates on the Xcel Pro contest status and more, please visit xcelpro.xcelwetsuits.com.

About the Xcel Pro
Celebrating its 26th anniversary this year, the 2009 Xcel Pro Presented by Honolua is a 2-Star ASP WQS event with a $25,000 purse, drawing pros and amateurs alike to world-class Sunset Beach along Oahu’s North Shore.

Honolua Surf Co. is the presenting sponsor of the event and is joined by associate sponsors VonZipper, Kustom, and Surfline. Surf News Network, Oahu’s local surf forecasting service, also supports the event as the official contest hotline (808-596-7873).

For more, please visit the contest Web site at xcelpro.xcelwetsuits.com.

About Xcel
Founded in 1982, Xcel International, Inc. (Xcel) is a global wetsuit brand distributed throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific Rim. Headquartered on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, Xcel’s core wetsuit business focuses on the cutting edge of material and design development. Xcel’s primary markets include surf, dive, wakeboard, paddle, and sun (UV protection). In addition to its North Shore office, Xcel has retail locations on Oahu, Kauai, and Maui; and a warehouse/repair facility in California.

To learn more about Xcel, please visit www.xcelwetsuits.com.