All contestants are required to check in one heat prior to their designated heat. Surfers are expected to be at the water's edge in their jersey by the five minute warning. Check the posting board for the number of your heat and the color of your jersey. If a contestant fails to check in by the five minute warning in the preliminary rounds, he could be replaced by a paid alternate. It is the surfer's responsibility to find out when he or she surfs, and to be on time for the heat.
All heats start from the beach.
First heat in the morning will start with a green flag and one blast of the horn. All other heats will start with the lowering of the yellow flag and the raising of the green flag with one blast of the horn. The five minute warning will be two blasts of the horn, and a yellow flag. Yellow and green flags are the only two flags used as long as the heats are proceeding normally. A red flag, or the green and yellow flags together will be used only to stop a heat in progress or to hold up the next heat.