On the same day that SWS announced a Global Partnership with Fuel TV to livestream SWS the E-Pro Australia Quarter finals go right down to the wire. Some amazing waves, late drops, long barrels, sick airs, and all round quality surfing were the highlights of all Qtr Final heats that have played out over the last 24 hours, but in equally important news Surf Web Series announces a global partnership with FuelTV! Amazing engagement from the fans who seemed to be going head to head, just like the surfers, to get the edge over their opponent. At one stage a preliminary count had just 2 votes separating one particular heat, that had the judges split 2-2, so it was all down to the wire. No second chances, just man on man with the surfers themselves also getting into the spirit of the contest by rallying their friends, family, fans, neighbours, and even the family dog to vote for them. HEAT 1: Featured Thomas Carvalho and Jordy Turansky, with both surfers getting shacked, but Carvalho getting the decision as he continued down the line at Kirra to record a notable double barrel and goes through to the semi finals in a heat that was 100% in his favour according to the judges panel. HEAT 2: Had Matt Banting punching heavily through the lip on his backhand before setting up for a backhand 360 with both manoeuvres exquisitely timed. On the other hand his opponent in the heat Sheldon Simkus posted a foamy barrel from right behind the rock at Snapper which got him completely covered up before cruising out onto the shoulder. The judges were all unanimous on this one and Simkus progressed from his armchair in Hawaii!! HEAT 3: Was a close one, and with judges split the fans were called upon to do some work. Brent Dorrington barely kept his toes on a late drop from what looked like exactly the same spot as the Simkus takeoff in the previous heat. It was one of those waves where you start looking for the board and rider getting munched in the white water, but you could see neither, and Midget Magic did just that as he cooly spat out of the wave. Up against him in the heat was Korbin Hutchings who has been very consistent throughout the contest and posted a wave from just down the way at Kirra. A Choccy Barrel he doubled up with 2 long sections as this one just kept going and going. After the count was done Hutchings got the nod and advanced to the semis. HEAT 4: Had Liam O’Brien up against Reef Heazlewood with 2 very contrasting waves. First up was O’Brien with a beautiful clean and hollow Sth Straddie barrel which he timed to perfection, making everything look easy in what seems like bread and butter to him as he continues his rise up the ranks. Look out for big things from him. Heazlewood instead raced down a Kingscliff screamer, on which you could clearly see his mind working on setting himself up for a huge takeoff and very clean landing as he again went to his trademark tactic. The judges however got completely bamboozled by the 2 contrasting styles and were split again, so yet again it was down to the fans who on this occasion favoured the air game and Heazlewood advanced. Undoubtedly a feature of the quarter finals was the engagement of the fans. Not only can they watch uninterrupted action, without the normal downtime between waves but there is interaction with the surfers they follow, and their influence on the event as indicated by this round can be significant. The fans are the cornerstone of any sport and it would seem that both SWS and FuelTV as they move forward with their tie-up have a synergy in what they are trying to achieve through their product. The Semi Final Draw in Heats to be posted from 9am on Thursday 17 is: H1: Thomas Carvalho v Reef Heazlewood H2: Sheldon Simkus v Korbin Hutchings All 4 surfers now qualify for the Surf Web Series Global FInals in 2021 surfing against qualifiers from Japan, South Africa, Chile, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Spain, the U.S. and Hawaii as well as being guaranteed one of the cash prizes sponsored by major sponsor Addo Animus. The fans continue to benefit in a big way as they vote on Surf Web Series heats, and with great giveaway prizes and promotions from event sponsors there is every motivation to keep voting and commenting. The prizes only get bigger and better from this point onwards for the surfers and the fans. As we move into the semi finals, we now know how important the fans can be in Surf Web Series contests. It is really important to get behind their favourite surfers and tag sponsors to go into any of the amazing SWS giveaway promotions run throughout the event. Remember: Go to @surfwebseries on INSTAGRAM to vote! The highlights of Round 5, the judges and fans scoring and the official heat announcement for Semi Finals are now posted to the website and @surfwebseries on Instagram so make sure to check them out. Engagement from the audience is an exciting and key feature of SWS events, as fans are encouraged to vote for the winners of each heat via social media commentary on the Surf Web Series’ Facebook and Instagram pages. The surfers and sponsors are also encouraged to rally their fans to vote as they play a very important role as a fifth Judge in the very tight heats. The Surf Web Series format requires surfers to submit 7 videos of themselves riding waves up to 8ft faces, as moderated by our judges, anywhere in Australia during the 2020 calendar year. Once the clips have been registered with SWS, the heats are drawn, then the surfer decides which one of their 7 waves they want to use in that particular heat. The videos are then edited into a competitive heat format by SWS and released on social media. Heat results are released 24 hours later after the judging panel decisions and fans votes are calculated. The top four finalists of the 2-week event will earn a spot in 2021’s epic final, as the SWS World Championship Final invites the globe’s top ranking surfers to battle it out on a world stage in April of the coming year. All four semifinalists of the Surfboard Empire E-Pro Australia will represent their country against participating nations. The event features prizes of $6,000 (AUD) for the champion, $2,500 (AUD) for the runner-up, $250 (AUD) for semifinalists. Additional spot prizes for the voting fans had massive incentive for the fans to get involved and support their surfer of choice in each round. Surfboard Empire are naming rights title sponsor of the E-Pro Australia, in addition to key partnerships with: Surfing Life Magazine, Addo Animus Pty Ltd, Ryan Softboards, Getagrip Surf Wax, SPONSORSHIP PACKAGES FOR SPECIALIST CATEGORIES ARE STILL AVAILABLE THROUGHOUT THE EVENT! Contact australia@surfwebseries.com for details. The #EProAustralia is made possible thanks to support from: SURFBOARD EMPIRE —Australia's biggest surfboard store, stocking: Lost, Mayhem, Firewire, Sharpeye, Pyzel, LSD, MR, Channel Islands, JS, and more. RYAN SOFTBOARDS -- Gold Coast based Ryan Softboards have donated equipment and prizes for competitors and fans of the #EProAustralia, with voting fans going into the draw to win a brand new board from the Ryan Softboards quiver. ADDO ANIMUS — Addo Animus Pty Ltd are Australian distributors of the Blazepod Reactive Training System. A specialist digital video analysis and sports tech company. Blazepods are a great addition to your home or professional training set up, and ideal for improving speed and reaction to help your general fitness and surfing performance. GET A GRIP SURF WAX — Regular surf wax contains harmful petrochemicals that harm our oceans and marine life. As surfers we have a responsibility to help keep our oceans clean and that's why we created GETAGRIP Natural Surf Wax, an environmentally friendly surf wax that is sticky and long lasting. Our 100% natural surf wax is made in small batches at home on the Mid North Coast, NSW Australia. Do mother nature a favour and start making a difference by switching to an all natural surf wax! SURFING LIFE MAGAZINE — Australia’s Favourite Surf Magazine publishes 6 issues based on the 6 pillars of the surfing experience - Surf Travel, Surf Culture, Waves, Technique, Surfboards and Surfer - each issue dedicated to that subject alone, providing the substance, depth and authority that will have a direct impact on your surfing. Surfing Life is active across six media channels (print, social, online, e-newsletters and events), making it one of the most influential, relevant and in-demand surf brands in Australia. SURF OPEN LEAGUE —an international platform dedicated to promoting the sport of surfing and its many beaches around the world, founded in México in 2005. Updates on the E-Pro Australia can be found on the Surf Web Series website: surfwebseries.com/australia