Diminutive Cronulla goofy-footer Jay Brown is attempting to re-qualify for the Rip Curl GromSearch International after finishing third in Brazil last year as the 2018 Australian national final starts at Wollongong this week.
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Jay qualified for the Australian final by finishing third at the fifth and final stop of the Rip Curl GromSearch at Coolum Beach in December.
"It was a good result to get the points to compete in the nationals in Wollongong and I will try and qualify at Woonona Beach for the Rip Curl worlds again," Jay said.
The prestigious national series featured five stops in the key surfing regions of Jan Juc, Maroubra, Trigg/Scarborough, Yorke Peninsula and the Sunshine Coast.
Last year saw the introduction of a wave priority system allowing athletes to gain valuable experience with the same system used across all elite surfing events.
Finalists then compete for the chance to become the Australian GromSearch champion. The national champion then represents Australia at the international final.
With the series in more than 10 countries it has become crucial in the development of junior surfers.
The Rip Curl Gromsearch National Final saw a drastic increase in swell yesterday as competition was forced to move to the protected corner of Bellambi for day two of the event.
Cronulla surfers have finally seen the ocean move this week with a predicted 8ft South swell doing its damage right now-yesterday afternoon it was reefs and the Point only as the sou-east wind caused havoc on our beaches.
Swellnet predicts from Tuesday through Thursday is for large swells that’ll pulse intermittently in the 6-8ft range at south facing beaches. Maximum size is expected Wednesday when some locations from Sydney to Newcastle could be looking at larger surf ( 8-10ft)
Surf size will then slowly easing from Thursday, though the morning should still have a considerable percentage of Wednesday’s size-so stop complaining! because it should be offshore and pumping.
Todays pics were taken by an up and coming photographer named Macca- because I am in Adelaide once again.
Surfers should make the most of the week, as it looks like the ocean will have exhausted itself by the weekend.
Maroubra gets some serious surfing when the 2018 Carve Pro World Surf League Qualifying Series 1000 event kicks off tomorrow.
The elite four-day competition – which will form the first of four stops on the Vissla NSW Pro Surf Series – will take place from 18 – 21 January, 2018.
Cronulla’s Jordan Widenstrom,Jacinta Greenup (Cabarita, NSW), Hinata Aizawa (Burleigh Heads, Qld), NSW), Tye Koolis (Maroubra, NSW) and Shira Arakawa (Maroubra, NSW) have all been awarded wildcard entries into the event and will make an appearance in the seeded rounds.
In Victoria the Hydralyte Sports Surf Series presented by Billabong crowned Dextar Muskens (Gold Coast, QLD) and Zahli Kelly (Tweed Coast, NSW) as champions at Bells Beach.
The final day of the event was held after an increase in swell overnight that saw 3-4ft waves at the world famous beach.
In a hotly contested Girls Final, Zahli Kelly (Tweed Coast, NSW) pulled a rabbit out of the hat in the closing minutes to win the opening event of the WSL Junior Qualifying Series (JQS).
“I'm so happy to win, especially because I did it on my last wave,” Kelly said. “To win at Bells is so special. Having a CT (Championship Tour Event) here and being able to surf a Pro Junior is an amazing experience.”
The World Surf League (WSL) sanctioned Pro Junior events, which includes 18 and under boys’ and girls’ divisions, form part of the 2018 WSL Australasian Junior Qualifying Series (JQS), providing the winning athletes with an opportunity to win a coveted world title at the World Surf League Junior Championships in 2019.
Event 3 of the series will be held at Cronulla, NSW - August 4 - 5, 2018.
