Solomon Ortiz advances in Volcom Pipeline Pro

Surfers live for days like today in Hawaii, and over 150,000 online internet spectators live to watch them. Images of Oahu's famous North Shore and thrilling Pipeline surf were webcast in high-definition around the world today and the Volcom Pipeline Pro became one of the Association of Surfing Professional's (ASP) most successful surfing events, overnight.

Surfers like Jamie O'Brien (Hawaii), Rob Machado (CA), Solomon Ortiz(Hawaii), and Reef McIntosh (Hawaii) spend years putting in their time for days like this when the famous, hollow tubes of Banzai Pipeline are firing. For Volcom, sponsors of this event, it was a magical foray into the world of professional surfing. Wave face heights of over 20 feet marched in at daybreak and continued to reel off with machine-like consistency throughout the day, offering the full experience from perfect 10-point tube rides to injuries and shattered surfboards. What better stage to launch surfing's first complete, top-to-bottom high-definition webcast experience?

A $120,000 5-star event of the ASP World Qualifying Series, the Volcom Pipeline Pro is open to the world's best surfers. But more often than not, it's the locals and legends of Pipe who emerge as the stars of the show.

The Volcom Pipeline Pro will continue over two more days between now and the end of its holding period: February 5. Each day of competition will be broadcast live on the internet at Volcom.com/pipelinepro. In Hawaii, watch live on Oceanic Time Warner Cable channel 250 and 1250.

For exclusive Volcom Pipeline Pro video, photos and more, go to Transworldsurf.com.To check out the forecast for Pipeline tomorrow, go to Surfline.com.

This is Volcom's first ever ASP event and is a critical component of the 2010 ASP Hawaii season, offering valuable points towards World Tour qualification, as well as wildcard berths into the December Pipeline Masters.

FUEL TV will air a 30-minute wrap up show in America, Australia and Portugal at the conclusion of the event.

Check out Solomon's profile here http://www.volcom.com/flash/pipepro/warriors/soloman_ortiz.html

Solomon will surf tomorrow in the round of 32.

RESULTS:
Round of 64 1st & 2nd advance. Listed in order of 1st through 4th;
Ian Walsh; Solomon Ortiz; Hank Gaskell; Cory Lopez

Round of 96 1st & 2nd advance. Listed in order of 1st through 4th;
Jonah Morgan; Solomon Ortiz; Charlie Carroll; Liam McNamara