Cronulla longboarders made their mark at the Australian Skin Cancer Clinics NSW Longboard Titles as nine NSW champions were crowned in small picture-perfect waves at Wollongong’s Bellambi Beach on Sunday.
The standout surfer of the event was Brad Whittaker who, after a five-year competitive break, returned with two pieces of silverware and a NSW title.
Whittaker was able to claim a title when he posted a solid 15.77 heat total to win the over-40s men’s final. Whittaker and Jason Livingston (Curl Curl) went neck and neck for the title with both surfers posting a variety of excellent scores, with Whittaker able to claim the win by a 1.11 margin.
Former Pipe Master and Australian Indigenous champ Robbie Page took out the over-35s men’s division ahead of fellow standout Whittaker who had won every heat until the final where he finished runner-up.
Amanda O’Connor managed to snatch the win in the over-35s women’s. The goofy-footer threw down a variety of backside snaps to be crowned NSW champion. Despite locking in an impressive 11.17 heat total, Vivienne Cresswell (Narrabeen) had to settle for second.
Rob Menzies and Rob Smith both finished third in their divisions, the over-65s and over-50s for a good result for local longboarders.
Cronulla has been as cold as expected and has had plenty of swell over the last week and today's surf pics taken at Elouera-Watu show the only banks we have are at one spot.
The banks are average but Elouera is pretty good with lefts breaking into the Wall-everyone is one it and watching Haydo Blair breaking his board on his ankle amongst the chaos was pretty typical.
There has been some solid waves over the last couple of days at around 3-5ft and Swellnet says”Conditions are expected to remain clean for the rest of the week, despite becoming small. Thursday should see breezes tend northwesterly once again, possibly swinging north/northwesterly at times, persisting into Friday.”
Exposed south swell magnets like Wanda/Greenhills should offer peaks in the 4-5ft range on Saturday morning as a result of gusty southerly breezes hugging the coast the night before. This energy should ease fairly quickly however, being reinforced only by weak trailing fetches which look fairly insignificant.
Swell should ease form around 2ft on Sunday, although remaining clean as southwesterly breezes gradually swing back westerly late on the weekend.
The world’s best surfers are converging on South Africa for Stop No. 6 on the 2016 Samsung Galaxy WSL Championship Tour, the J-Bay Open, which will take place at the world-renowned righthand pointbreak of Jeffreys Bay from July 6 - 17.
Mick Fanning (AUS), three-time WSL Champion, will return to the event this season after becoming the subject of international headlines during last year’s event where he was attacked on live television by what is believed to be a 12-to-15-foot Great White Shark. The attack took place during the Final heat of the event as Fanning was waiting for his opening wave. Both Fanning and fellow Finalist Julian Wilson (AUS) survived the ordeal, with the event ultimately called off, and went on to compete throughout the remainder of the year.
The WSL has enhanced its surveillance and response capabilities for this season’s event with additional water patrol in the lineup and is augmenting with emerging sonar technologies to increase information available to event officials.
In Mexico at PUERTO ESCONDIDO (Saturday, June 25, 2016) – Grant “Twiggy” Baker (ZAF) claimed victory at the Puerto Escondido Challenge, besting a field of 24 of the world’s best big wave surfers in towering 20-to-35 foot surf off the coast of Mainland Mexico.
The first event of the 2016/17 World Surf League (WSL) Big Wave Tour , the Puerto Escondido Challenge, tested the top big wave chargers with enormous and difficult beachbreak conditions. A solid swell from the South Pacific delivered massive surf over two days for the inaugural BWT event at the exceptionally powerful beachbreak known as “The Mexican Pipeline.”
Baker, 2013/14 BWT Champion, put on a stunning performance in Mexico, storming to victory in the Semifinals before his impressive showing in the Final.
“Yesterday was pretty difficult out there so I didn’t have a great heat but I made it through,” said Baker. “This morning when I woke up and saw it was my favorite size for Puerto and I was so happy.”
It was hard to watch ,and only on the web and with 75 min heats- but you cant doubt their ability to have a go-Eddie would go,and so would they.
Meanwhile in SA the Balito Pro has started and Connor O’Leary is once again surfing for his life-he is in heat 22 so its worth following his progress on the WSL website-get on him early because Surfing Sutherland Shire needs another local on the World tour!