Land of the Long Wide Point

GUESS WHO? Jordy Smith made it to Round 3 where he was knocked out. Photo Mike Ruthnum

To start the day, the Veteran division took to the sizable 4-6ft conditions in style. This is no small feat considering that this division comprises surfers aged 60 and older.

Barry Campbell, representing KwaZulu Natal, put together an excellent heat, locking in the second highest heat score total of the day with a 17.00 total (8.00 + 9.00). The 63-year old, former Springbok surfer comes fresh off a win at the South African Surfing Masters Championships last week and proved to be a standout for the day, across all divisions.

As the wind turned onshore in the late morning, the Open Men’s abilities were put to test in somewhat trickier conditions. Standouts from the first day of competition who shone in the trials of more difficult conditions included Thomas King (Western Province), Sam Christianson (KwaZulu Natal) and Michael Hill (Eastern Province), marking them surfers to watch for podium finishes. Each of these surfers achieved at least one excellent score (range 8.00 - 10.00) in testing surf.

NEW SCHOOL: If you can do this AND walk the nose, you're in the game. Photo Mike Ruthnum

The contest site was graced by representatives of the Kouga Municipality, who took the opportunity to snap a photo with World Tour surfer Jordy Smith. As the main sponsor, the Kouga Municipality has shown unwavering support for the event.

The day was cut short by a rising onshore wind that rendered the conditions sub-par. Action will resume tomorrow with the Quarterfinals taking place in what are expected to be smaller, clean offshore conditions.

With epic surf ahead, there looks to be plenty of surfing hours to complete the large field of surfers, which comprises the following divisions: U14 Boys, U16 Boys, U16 Girls, U18 Boys, U18 Girls, Open Men, Open Ladies, Senior Ladies, Masters, Grand Masters, Kahunas, Divas, Legends, and Veterans.

For Live Heat score updates from the event, head to https://www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za/ and click on the “LIVEHEATS” Button.

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