The 2018 Vissla Sydney Surf Pro got off to a flying start on Saturday as the Key Sun Zinke Sydney Pro Junior kicked off in punchy two-foot peaks at Manly Beach.
Cronulla’s Jay Brown was unlucky not to get a second high-scoring wave, going down in his first round heat and Caleb Tancred (Avoca, NSW) and Sophia Fulton (Mollymook, NSW) took the top honours.
Surfing’s most promising future stars hit the water yesterday for the first two rounds of the Sydney Women’s Surf Pro World Surf League Qualifying Series 6,000 event.
Manly Beach continued its run of great waves for ladies with clean three to four foot peaks up and down the beach all day.
Then Connor hit the waves for his round 2 heat and was blasted out of the water from the first wave. He caught a bad wave and then got smashed by priority and was left to rue his luck – Shane Campbell is still going so there is still something to cheer for.
Cronulla surfers also got some good waves this week,from clean offshores to howling southerlies and nice south-east rip bowls,we got it all.
Yesterday the southerly backed off and there were some nice lefts and rights to be had around Nth Cronulla.
Swellnet predicts plenty of south-east swell this week, with several window periods of good winds.
Today it’s as big as yesterday and pumping – but will see early light winds tending N/NE and strengthening ahead of an approaching southerly change. These winds should generate a small windswell for Thursday morning which should be offshore.
So there should be waves every day this week albeit with some tricky winds – I took today’s pics all over the place and over a few days!
Results also didn't go Cronulla’s way at the Burton Automotive Pro Merewether in Newcastle either.
The World Surf League QS 6,000 saw plenty of action as the world’s best surfers ripped into wind-affected two to three foot peaks.
It looked good early in a stacked second round where Cronulla’s Connor O’Leary took on Jack Freestone, Matt Banting and Brazilian Luel Felipe.
Rookie of the year O’Leary bolted from the pack, posting an 8.50 on his first wave then backing it up with an 8.73.
As O’Leary led with the highest heat total of the event, a 7.23, it was left to the other three to battle for the second progressing spot. It was taken by world tour surfer and comeback kid Banting, leaving Felipe and Freestone to fall out of the draw in a massive upset.
O’Leary and Shane Campbell then both had third place finishes in the next round giving them equal 25th place before brother and sister, Mikey and Tyler Wright made history as the first siblings to surf in dual finals of a World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) event.
Mikey eventually added his name to the winner's list alongside older sister Kirby, who saw success in Newcastle in 2010. Tyler came just short to Hawaii’s Coco Ho who took her second Surfest title.
The action this week is a lot closer to home at the Vissla Sydney Surf Pro at Manly. The QS6,000 event began on Monday and goes all week.
O’Leary was second favourite just behind the event top seed and 2018 World Surf League QS surfer Keanu Asing.
“It’s amazing for me to have an event like this in Sydney,” said O’Leary.
“To have it at the start of the year is awesome, especially just before the Championship Tour begins as it really helps me to get some momentum for competition.
“It gives you a huge confidence boost going into the year. Manly is the surfing hub of Sydney. Obviously, Layne (Beachley), Midget (Farrelly) and Barton (Lynch) and people like that have all come from Manly, so it has a lot of significance."
The final day of the Byron Bay Surf Festival has come and gone.
It’s one of Australia’s great surfing events. Blue sky, big waves, water men and water women.
Sliders, Torpedoes, Wood Sniffers and McTavish Trimmers.
Vibes were pumping from 7am at Wategos beach with a crowd of locals, surfers from interstate and international VIPs setting up shop on the pristine foreshore of Australia’s most easterly point.
Festival director Cronulla’s James McMillan said it had been a special week.
“To see everyone, connect and have fun, is what the Byron Bay Surf Festival is all about,” McMillan said.
“I’d like to thank our team, our talent and the community. Here’s to next year and keeping the creativity, fund and sustainability in surfing alive”.