Special coverage presented by Surf City - El Salvador Travel 

After passing through Huntington Beach, United States and Bells Beach, Australia, the third stage of the first division of the world Longboard tour will arrive at El Sunzal where the Surf City El Salvador Longboard Classic will be held between September 19 and 25.

Below are some key aspects to keep in mind when following the event:

1: The wave: El Sunzal

Known by some as the Malibu of Central America, perhaps because it served as a double wave for filming scenes in John Millius' famous film, The Big Wednesday, El Sunzal is a friendly right-hander when it's small, although it always has a lot of power in the pocket of the wave.

The wave connects from the outside to the shore with sections ideal for walking and connecting curves, allowing you to use the entire longboard, which is what the classic judging criteria requires.

2: The forecast

Classic longboard fans will love to see that the sea will not be big but rather small and fun throughout the week of the waiting period.

Whether you like it or not, during the ISA World Championships the sea became too big for classic longboarding and more than one surfer opted to use 2+1 boards to have more control on a wave that becomes very powerful when it has size.

With good conditions and waves of half to one metre, the best in the world will have a good lead-up to Malibu.

3: Who is competing?

The top 24 men and top 24 women in the world are comprised of the top eight from the 2022 rankings and the qualifiers from each of the five WSL regions around the world: Asia, Africa, South America, North America, Oceania, Hawaii/Tahiti and Europe, plus two event wildcards.

4: Beloved and Sindy?

Among Salvadorans and Latin Americans, there are high hopes that the locals who qualified and are the flag bearers of El Salvador in the Pan American Games in Santiago 2023, Amado de Jesús Alvarado and Sindy Portillo, will be invited to the tournament.

Both have shown throughout the year that they have a strong level to compete against the best, especially if it is at home. Portillo was a medalist in the Pan American surfing competition in Santa Catalina and Amado managed to be in the top 10.

5: Key stage for the new format

A round 1 is held with eight series of three people with no losers; the one who places first goes directly to the round of 16 or round of XNUMX. Those who place second and third have one more chance in the elimination round which is hand to hand.

Those who advance will face the previous qualifiers directly to the round of 16. Then it is the normal bracket format with round of XNUMX, quarterfinals, semis and the grand final.

Key event for the definition of the world champions
Starting this year, the world longboard champion will be decided in a single-day event at the traditional longboard beach, Malibu, in California, United States, between October 3 and 13.

Only the top eight men and women will participate in this tournament and, as in the WSL finals, the eighth-placed team can be world champion in just one tournament.