While the huge Cronulla Cray club is again favoured to win the title overall, fellow Bate Bay clubs headed by Wanda who last week won the Sydney Branch Championships at Elouera will provide stiff opposition.

The best surf sports athletes in the state will then go head-to-head the following Thursday at the 2010 Allphones NSW Open and Masters Surf Life Saving Championships at Swansea Belmont.

This huge event will attract more than 15,000 people to the Lake Macquarie region, with competitors fighting it out for glory in everything from the gruelling ironperson and surf boat races to the highly anticipated Taplin relay and beach events.

Interest in surf sports is growing in NSW: this year's State Championships attracted a record number of entries, with more than 8000 competitors taking part.

"It is great to see the surf lifesaving movement growing at the grassroots level,'' Surf Life Saving NSW CEO Phil Vanny said.

"Healthy competition among our members is good news, both for the sport itself and also for our organisation's rescue and beach safety capabilities.

"All of our senior competitors are volunteer surf lifesavers, who along with their training commitments, protect our beaches each weekend during summer.

"The event has been enormously successful over the last two years and I'm sure this can be the best championships yet.''