As hundreds of the Sutherland Shire surfing fraternity were celebrating with Mayor Carmelo Pesce and legendary surfboard manufacturer Brian Jackson at Hazelhurst Art Gallery, Cronulla's Connor O'Leary was cementing his spot on the World Qualifying Series in Hawaii.
With one 10,000 point qualifying contest remaining O'Leary cemented his spot in the top 10 with a 13th placed finish at the Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa.
Ironically, Portugal's Frederico Morais who took out the first jewel in the Vans Triple Crown and secured his spot on the 2020 Championship Tour.is coached by Cronulla Surfing Walk of Fame member Richard 'Dog' Marsh who is also honored at Hazelhurst in the Southern Swell exhibition.
O'Leary is now seventh on 19,650 points with historically 20,000 needed to be assured of qualification.
The Vans World Cup of Surfing is the final contest of the season, having started on Monday and running until next Saturday. O'Leary is in round three heat one, before the World Tour-ending Billabong Pipe Masters is held.
The women's lululemon Maui Pro is also on from November 25 to December 6, where they will crown their 2019 champion. The surf is also small but only Carissa Moore (HAW), Lakey Peterson (USA), and Caroline Marks (USA) are in contention for the world title and every heat will matter once the event gets underway.
It has been very average in the Nulla over the last week for surfers with small waves on offer every day. There has been the odd interlude between wind and swell changes but on the whole not much to write home about.
The forecast shows today's good three to four foot south swell will be the pick of the week so don't waste time and get out there now. The wind was blowing south-west for the early but its going to swing to the south then the east.
This decreasing south swell will swing to the nor-est on Friday but should still be sitting around the three foot mark so we should still have some small waves.
There will be another small spike from the south on Sunday before the week starts again with some one to two footers welcome to the Sydney summer.
In a major boost for junior surfing in Australia, Surf Dive 'n Ski has signed on for another year as naming rights partner to the Surf Dive 'n Ski Australian Junior Surfing Titles through until at least 2020 as this year's event looms large, set for a start in Margaret River, Western Australia on Saturday.
"The SDS Australian Junior Surfing titles provide a platform for this country's emerging young athletes to compete at the highest level. Surf Dive 'n Ski is proud to continue to partner with Surfing Australia and to support the next generation of World Champions," Boardriders Head of Retail Australia and New Zealand, David Keay said.
The 2019 Surf Dive 'n Ski Australian Junior Surfing Titles, which will run until December 7, will again host individual divisions incorporating under-14, 16 and 18 age groups along with Allstars and MR Shield Schools divisions.
Jarvis Earle is Cronulla's lone soldier putting up the fight for us, with Surfers Point the primary event location for the titles.
One of the most consistent and reliable waves in the region and home to WSL Margaret River Pro, this event offers a unique opportunity for surfers to compete at a current Championship Tour stop.
