NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (Sept. 15, 2008) - Oakley today announced the wildcards and swell forecast for the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 2-Star Oakley Newport Beach Pro, which begins tomorrow, Sept. 16 at Newport's illustrious 56th Street break. The ASP Grade-2 Oakley Pro Junior and 20th Annual Newport Beach Surf Championships will run concurrently with the contest, which serves as stop number two on the Macy's California Trifecta Surf Series.

Wildcards
Timmy Curran, Sebastian Zietz and Nat Young have received wildcards into the Oakley Newport Beach Pro. Former World Tour surfer turned musician Timmy Curran (Oxnard, CA) has claimed a wildcard into the Round of 64. Although retired from the World Tour, Curran is considered one of the pioneers of surfing's "aerial revolution" and will certainly be one to watch.

Sebastian Zietz (HAW) has also received entry into the Round of 64.

Nat Young (Santa Cruz, CA) will enter the event in the Round of 96. At just 17 years old, Young has also been lighting up both WQS and Pro Junior events. He's coming off a win at the Billabong Pro Junior presented by Sun Diego earlier this month and will be looking to continue that momentum. He currently sits in third place in the ASP Junior rankings and will need to maintain that position in order to gain entry into the 2008 Billabong ASP World Junior Championships.

In the Oakley Pro Junior, the Hawaiian ASP regional wildcard spots have gone to Sebastian Zietz and Albee Layer. Oakley has also chosen Hawaii's Kekoa Cazimero as their wildcard.

WaveWatch.com Forecast for Tuesday, Sept. 15
There will be a good run of surf this week. Although, nothing spectacular sizewise, conditions will hold steady and workable through the entire contest period. A new SSW swell (195-205) will slowly increase the surf size on Tuesday and hold into Wednesday. Look for surf in the chest-shoulder high range on most sets with some bigger waves mixing in on the morning tide push.

A second SSW swell (185-200) will arrive late on Wednesday night and will peak Thursday into Friday. As this second pulse fills in, look for more consistent chest-shoulder high+ surf on average and some head high waves on the bigger sets. This swell will fade slowly over the finals weekend, but should hold plenty of surfable size through Sunday.

In the background, expect a steady pulse of local NW windswell that will help to break up the more lined up SSW swells. Expect mostly lined up lefts with some zippy little right-handers as the swells mix together.

Conditions look decent for the next few days. Look for mostly clean and calm winds during the mornings for most of the week. Afternoon winds increase out of the W around 10-15 knots. Tides will play a factor in the shape as well. Watch for swampy shape with the higher mid-morning and afternoon tides.

About The Oakley Newport Beach Pro and Oakley Pro Junior
The Oakley Newport Beach Pro features 160 top-level professional surfers, a field of 48 junior competitors in the Oakley Pro Junior, as well as 144 amateur participants. The events not only display some of the WQS's premier surfers, but also provide the community with a chance to explore and celebrate Newport Beach's storied surfing heritage.

In addition to a plethora of top professional competitors, the amateur division draws a contingency of up-and-comers and local heroes looking for a chance to perform in their own backyard. Now in its 20th year, the Newport Beach Surf Championships, hosted by the City of Newport Beach, awards a collection of prizes valued at $5,000. The competition focuses on the sport of surfing in the community and is open to surfers of diverse ages and abilities. Divisions include: Elementary; Middle School; High School; College Men's; Men's, Masters; Legends and Girls.

As a part of the ASP North America tour, the 2008 Oakley Newport Beach Pro appreciates support from Oakley, Macy's, Red Bull, Jack's, etnies, Allyance and the City of Newport Beach. The event also receives media support from Action Sports Group's SURFER, SURFING and Wavewatch.com, as well as, FUEL TV, the action sports lifestyle network.

For those who can't make it to the event, this year's contest will be available to view online with streaming video and live scoring at www.NewportBeachPro.com.

For more information on the Macy's California Trifecta Surf Series visit www.catrifecta.com.

About Oakley, Inc.
The global leader in performance sunglasses, goggles and prescription eyewear, Oakley also offers technical and lifestyle apparel, footwear, watches and accessories. The company was created for athletes who see impossibility as just another challenge, and their dedication inspires Oakley to seek out problems, solve with innovation and wrap invention in art. Exceeding the limits of possibility for more than thirty years, Oakley serves the demands of world-class athletes with unbeatable technologies including High Definition Optics (HDO). Additional information is available at www.oakley.com.

About Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP)
The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) is the governing body of professional surfing. Crowning surfing's undisputed world champions since 1976 (formerly as IPS), the ASP sanctions the following tours: the Foster's ASP Men's World Tour, the ASP Women's World Tour, the World Qualifying Series (WQS) and the World Longboarding, Junior and Masters Championships. The ASP is dedicated to showcasing the world's best surfing talent in a variety of progressive formats and has revolutionized the way the world watches surfing via their webcasts. The organization is divided into seven different regions: Africa, Japan, Australasia, Europe, Hawaii, North America, and South America. These regions manage all their respective domestic affairs under the guidance of ASP International, which is located on the Gold Coast of Australia. ASP International and ASP North America are committed to the progression of surfing and are dedicated to continuing excellent relationships with their surfers, event operators, sponsors and media. For more information: www.aspworldtour.com or www.aspnorthamerica.org.

About Source Interlink Media's Action Sports Group (ASG)
Reaching more than two million enthusiasts, Source Interlink Media's Action Sports Group (ASG) is the dominant force in the action sports and adventure sports arenas. In addition to publishing leading lifestyle publications such as Surfer, Surfing, Snowboarder, Skateboarder, Bike, Powder and Canoe & Kayak, Source Interlink Media's ASG delivers a cutting-edge network of online properties, events and television programming.

Media Contacts:

Dawn Hamilton
KHPR for ASG
310-295-1189
dhamilton@khpublicrelations.com

Tess Weaver
Oakley Sports Marketing Media
541-206-3083
Tweaver@oakley.com

Dave Prodan
ASP World Tour
714-536-3500
dave@aspworldtour.com