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This was released before the "event/contest".....

Surfline and Quicksilver are taking over Barra de la Cruz in Southern Mexico near Puerto Escondido. They are going to close it down and have their own private surf trip. No contest. A private little surf trip. They say they are donating $20,000 to the community so that their 15 surfers can surf there for 5 days during a big swell without the riffraff (you an me and the locals who don’t have a car to go someplace else). We all know that $20,000 is chump change for these corporations and millionaire surfers and all they are doing is paying for an exclusive surf trip to one of the best point breaks in the world. It’s the point where they had the Rip Curl Search contest last summer. You saw the photos and the unbelievable waves. Just think if they decided to rent Steamer Lane or The Hook or Rincon or Trestles or Malibu for five days during a big swell for $20,000 and throw a few bags of cement to the local homeowners (that is what they are doing). Do you think the community of surfers would stand for it? Surfline and Quicksilver are tossing a few pesos to a poor community down in Mexico and think that it is just fine. If they were giving the community $200,000 then maybe they could call it goodwill but as it is it is just a rip off of the surfer community for chump change. How much do they charge to join Surfline Premium? They are using these fine people in Southern Mexico as chumps for their own selfishness. Now think about this. If you had your trip planned to Huatulco/Puerto Escondido and spent $5000 and pulled into Barra de la Cruz and were told to not bother getting out of your rental car because Surfline will not let you surf because they have bought the point for five days how would you feel? Five days they picked out of a window of 3 weeks. You go try to do that with a few of your friends. Who do these guys thing they are. How pissed off would you be if your trip was paid for and you arrived and the waves were 8 feet and perfect and could not surf because these guys bought off some Mexican officials? Pass this along to everybody you know. Let them know what these slime balls are doing. This is not a contest. This is a private surf trip and you could be aces out.


And these are the emails sent after the "event/contest"....

Dear sponsors/supporters of the Surfline ´Goodwill´ Tour,On the 25th of this month (June), two friends and I arrived in Barra de la Cruz on a much anticipated surf trip after vigorous planning and hard work. There was also the obvious financial burden in which one experiences when travelling all the way from Australia. As my friends had been in Mexico for a week prior to my arrival, they had surfed the waves of La Jolla just as any travelling surfer would. However, when they returned with myself on the 25th of June, we were greeted by a sign to the entrance indicating that there would be a competition taking place for the next five days and that only professional surfers had exclusive access to the waves. This sign was NOT up when they were surfing the week before (thus, we would not have bothered travelling there to surf). We were later informed by several sources (who live in the village) that the sign was erected TWO days before the event. Firstly I ask you, how does one plan their international surf trip with two days notice? It also seemed quite a coincidence that the ´Goodwill´ tour took place at the same time as the best swell of the season was upon us. As we had already booked and paid for our accommodation (that was actually closer to the beach than where the sign was posted), we decided that we would get up before first light and get a surf in before the competition commenced (as with any professional surf competition, with clear intentions of heading in when competition began). Upon our arrival to the beach, we saw the partially assembled tents in which had also been there the day before. We also encountered approximately five mexicans that were taping off the area as you walked towards the point to paddle out. There were also a few people in the water, with the waves being flawless. As we started walking towards the point we were greeted by two mexicans that could not speak english and were indicating (with hand gestures) that we could not enter the ´site´. We asked if any of the organisers of the event were present, and clearly there wasn´t. Not wanting to enter the site, we decided that we would paddle from the beach out to the point until someone from administration had arrived. Clearly, we were not causing any problems as there were only a few fellow ´gringos´out there surfing. Soon after reaching the line-up, we noticed two Mexicans on the point screaming at us. Soon after, we noticed that rocks were being thrown at us from the cliff by both hands and sling-shots. Not knowing what was going on, the only choice we had was to hang around on the shoulder and wait for someone to paddle out and tell us what the problem was (obviously not paddling to the beach as we were unsure of what would have awaited us there). With rocks the size of tennis balls being launched at us from some distance and height, we knew that if one should hit us in the head it would have surely killed us. Soon after, I was unlucky enough to have a rock skim my leg and cause me some minor damage. After approxiamtely 20 mintues (and without catching a single wave), three Mexicans paddled out and told us that we should paddle in. Soon after, we paddled into the beach to find out what the problem was. Still, no apparent organisers of the event were present. However, we did notice that Mike Parsons was sitting on the beach inside the taped off area. My friend and I then approached him to find out what the problem was and why we couldn´t surf before the so-called ´contest´as no one was there, nor was anyone surfing. He swiftly told us that he was on holidays and had absolutely nothing to do with the ´Goodwill´tour. He also said that he would NOT be surfing. It seems funny now that after reading surflines website that Mike Parsons was one of the 15 VIP´s of the event (The Surfline Goodwill Tour: Mexico will have fifteen VIP participants, a few additional pros (including Brad Gerlach, Mike Parsons - http://www.surfline.com/surfnews/surfwire.cfm?id=9761). Whilst talking to Mr Parsons, we heard screaming from up the beach. It was now apparent that our friend had paddled in further down the beach away from the taped off area. As we looked, it was clear to us that he was being attacked by a group of mexican men. We sprinted up the beach to see what and why this was happening, only to be greeted by a group of Mexican men armed with pieces of wood and rope. They were hitting my friend, trying to take his board, and tie him up. Obviously, we assisted our friend and tried to deter the attackers. Although outside of the taped area and making it clear that we were leaving, they continued to hit our boards and our persons. This continued for sometime without ANY retaliation. We then continued to swiftly make up our way up the beach and towards our accommodation, with three severely damaged boards, physical abuse, and extreme anxiety. As we walked up the road towards our accommodation we noticed a car coming down the road. It was noticable that in it was Sean Collins, the ´organiser´ of the event. We asked him why this brutality had taken place and also why we could not surf. Obnoxiously, his response was ¨What did you do when when Rip Curl were here?¨. Being a so-called ´Goodwill´ tour, this answer was clearly not what we were expecting. He then continued towards the beach. Approximately three hours later we spoke to Kim, one of the official translators for the event, who informed us that the men who threw rocks at us and assaulted us were working directly for Sean Collins, the organiser of the event. He also informed us that we were lucky that we were not kiled - for doing what we all love so dearly - pathetic. Clearly, Sean Collins, along with the sponsors of the event are directly accountable for both the physical and financial damage that was suffered on that particular day, not to mention the reputation of the companies that placed there name on such an event. Furthermore, as far as I was aware, the notion of ´goodwill´is giving, not taking. How can eradicating fellow surfers (including most local surfers from the village) be indicative of such a gesture? Buying exclusive access to a world class wave is obviously taking far more than what is being given. We do not let this occur at waves in America, Australia, and Hawaii, just to name a few, so why should this be able to occur in countries that are less financially fortunate? The exploitation of waves such as Barra is something that should not happen in the present, nor the future. Surfline and fellow sponsors should ´donate´ money directly to the village and continue to let others surf if they feel that they are in need, without taking. I expect that such an incidence should never happen again. I look forward to your reply.Regards,Anthony Brown (Australia).