Bruce Irons, a Hawaiian pro surfer who once defeated the legendary Kelly Slater at the Billabong Pipeline Masters, will be in Costa Rica next month for the Airborn Huck & Hack Tour.

The surfing event will be a first for Costa Rica in terms of how the heats are scored. The venue will be Playa Hermosa, precisely on the breaks in front of Backyard Bar, a spot that is dubbed “Costa Rica’s National Surfing Stadium.” Playa Hermosa is not far from Jaco Beach.

As its name suggests, Airborn is a surf brand devoted to the evolving world of surfing. Airborn surfers are not bound by the restrictions of yesterday but are constantly pushing the limits of creativity and athleticism with their ability to catch air, or HUCKS, and massive power moves, known as HACKS.

Here are the details of this unique surfing event in Costa Rica:

LOCATION: Backyard Bar, Playa Hermosa

DATE: July 9-10 | Two-day event – live webcast

TIME: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

• Number of Contestants: 96
• Four man, 20 minute heats
• One hour long expression session at 4 p.m. – sunset (open)
• After party at Backyard Bar
• Registration online: $100
• First come, first surf

PRIZES: Starting $10K Purse

“Uniting the surf Rebels together as they launch HUCKS and laydown HACKS using a new, innovative per maneuver scoring system.”
– Jeff Crego

The HUCK & HACK TOUR Heat Breakdown

• Each heat will be 20 minutes long.
• Surfers will be judged based on per maneuver scoring.
• Surfers can get two scores per wave. This will allow the surfer to always have a chance to come back into the final closing seconds of the heat. This will also make it more exciting for the surfers and the fans alike.
  Each surfer must get a HUCK AND a HACK to get two scores.
  If a surfer does not complete both a HUCK and a HACK, the contestant will only be scored by the single HUCK or HACK – but can still advance if his score reaches the highest total.
• Top two contestants will advance.
• Normal interference rules apply where the judges establish which surfer has the inside track to the peak. (No priority system.)
• What are the judges looking for? The surfer pushing the limits the hardest, doing these HUCKS and HACKS in the most critical part of the wave, while throwing the most spray.

The HUCK
{aka: tweaked ariel, fin ditch.}
The HUCK is when a surfer launches the board and fins out of the water and above the lip of the wave. It has various twisting names, technical grabs or no grabs and ALL are considered HUCKS.

The HACK
{aka: power turn, gouge, lip bash.}
The HACK is when a surfer lays down a power turn on its rail, while the board stays in the water. There are various ways of doing this including: a cutback, slash, layback, a closeout bash, and a vertical off the top that uses the rail work from the bottom of the wave to the top. ALL are considered HACKS.