Australia's Gold Coast is among areas facing a tsunami threat because of the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Chile early Saturday morning, and that has forced postponement of the Quiksilver Pro surfing contest at Snapper Rocks.
Tsunami waves or tidal surges, if they materialize, are expected at 8:15 a.m. Sunday, Australia time.
The ASP World Tour contest, the first of the season, had been scheduled to run the second round on Sunday.
"We’ve been monitoring the situation with chief meteorologists throughout the night and all projections are indicating the effects to hit the Gold Coast at approximately 8:15 a.m.," Rod Brooks, the event's contest director, said in a news release. "What those effects will be, we cannot be sure. We’ve been advised that the biggest surge could hit anywhere from six to 12 hours after the initial surge, so we’ve called competition off for the day. The event site is closed for the day, and we’ll check back tomorrow at 6:30 a.m."
The tsunami threat exists at New South Wales, Queensland, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island.
-- Pete Thomas
Photo of Mick Fanning in first-round action at the Quiksilver Pro by © ASP / SCHOLTZ
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