The state of Sutherland Shire surfing has never been healthier with 12-year-old Cronulla wonderkid Jarvis Earle taking top prize in the world's biggest junior surfing contest.
The 2017 Skullcandy Oz Grom Open presented by Vissla entered its sixth year on the calendar and featured one of its strongest line-ups.
The International event attracted athletes from 10 different countries with surfers coming from Europe, the US and Japan to make up a field of more than 170 surfers.
The premier six-day event ran at Lennox Head from July 7 to July 12 and crowned event champions across under-12s, 14s and 16s age divisions.
The 14-and-under boys saw one of the most exciting exchanges of the event, with all four surfers in the final posting a handful of good-to-excellent scores. However, a last minute exchange between event standouts Jarvis and Lennox Chell (Avoca) landed in Jarvis’ favour as he took the heat with a 15.64 two-wave heat total.
Jarvis also won the Australian Open under-14s title this year and has a busy time ahead with the NSW school titles and the NSW state titles in the next week.
“I am after a result so I can qualify for my first Australian titles,”Jarvis said keeping his sponsors Volcom, Oakley, Vestal and Channel Islands all very happy.
Cronulla surfers haven't been happy last week with the biggest flat spell of the year to deal with,especially today where it's absolutely flat-to make matters worse JBay is absolutely pumping,so you go to bed pumped and wake up flat!
Swellnet reports this is all going to change with a new large windy south swell coming Thursday with possible late increase in south swell at exposed south swell magnets on Wednesday.
Its going to be biggest on Friday, but with dicey winds that cant really be determined. Large range in size between beaches too, depending on swell exposure. Saturday and Sunday a large clean SE groundswell with light offshores is predicted-good times ahead.
The final day of the 2017 Woolworths NSW State Junior Surfing Titles pres. by Ocean and Earth saw an action packed day of surfing as four new NSW Junior Champions were crowned.
After trying to claim a NSW title for the better part of a decade, Max McGuigan (Maroubra) achieved his goal today, claiming the Under-18 Boys division ahead of a blisteringly in-form Jay Brown (Cronulla).
Jay was Cronulla’s best result but there were some local surfers that also took it into the final rounds,with Maxime Rayer and Nathan Rohr making the quarters.
After spending a portion of the final on the ropes with Jay in control, McGuigan exploded in the later stages of the heat posting two above-average scores to post an impressive 15.34 two-wave heat total and take the top spot on the dais.
As a result, McGuigan has earned a wildcard into the 2018 Australian Open of Surfing and 16 year old Jay Brown backs up his u16 title with a second in the u18’s-good result.
The School titles start today so good luck for all the students competing.
In South Africa,the Corona Open J-Bay, stop No. 6 on the 2017 World Surf League Championship Tour, has been called on again in building six-to-eight foot surf at Supertubes.
"We've got another day of perfect Jeffreys Bay on hand today," said WSL Commissioner, Kieren Perrow. "We are on and we're planning to run Rounds 3 and 4 and conditions will likely build throughout the day."
It was bad news for Connor who didn't hold his nerve under priority ,only needing a 6 to get into the third round-Dog Marsh’s boy got him but it was a lesson Connor had to learn-still a good result with a 13th.
Next stop Tahiti.
