Three-time windsurfing world champion Ricardo Campello is among competitors from England, Germany, and Italy, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, The Cayman Islands and Venezuela who will be featured in the deAction Waterman Festival in Barbados from June 7 to 9.
Hosted by Brian Talma, the event, with over $8 000 in prize money, will see competition in windsurfing, surfing, kiteboarding and SUPing at deAction Beach Shop, Silver Sands, on June 7 and 8.
It will climax with the grand finale Naish NISCO Championship on Browne’s Beach, Carlisle Bay, on June 9 when there will be sprints, long-distance races and relays as part of a huge beach party with all-day music.
Apart from Camello, who competes on the Professional Windsurfing Association (PWA)? tour, professional kiteboarder Hope Ve Lin, who was crowned the women’s Beach Culture Tour overall champion at this year’s Tobago Carnival Regatta, in March is also expected among the overseas participants.
Other invitees are 2X freestyle world champion on the windsurfing PWA tour, Josh Stone; Kevin Pritchard, an 8X world champion on the windsurfing PWA?tour, and Kiri Thode, the reigning freestyle world champion on the PWA tour.
“The major goal is to stimulate action water sports visit to Barbados during the summer, as the winter months are really busy.
“It’s also to strengthen Barbados’ destination tourism to windsurfing, surfing, kiteboarding and SUPing,” said Talma, who is celebrating 30 years of successfully promoting Barbados through his beach culture.
“These visitors normally come to Barbados for a week and spend most of their holiday doing these action water sports,” added Talma.
There will also be conch shell blowing competitions, an obstacle course race and beach cricket featuring Tino Best and other celebrities.
The entertainment will see live performances by Biggie Irie, Simon Pipe, deAction Man and beach culture music.
This is part of the Beach Culture World Tour where Talma travels around the world promoting and competing for Barbados.
Talma has just finished doing a professional invitation Beach Culture World Title event in Tobago as part of the Tobago Carnival Regatta.
The top six Trinidad and Tobago competitors from that event have also been invited.
Barbadian kiteboarders Jonathon Boyce and Akeem Grant as well as one of Barbados’ best conch shell blowers, windsurfer Reynold “Full Moon” Price, will also be part of the Waterman Festival.
