Sublime Surf for SA Champs
Tuesday 31 August 2021 At most surfing contests you don't get world-class waves pouring through every single day. That just happened at the South African Longboarding Championships presented by RYD Brand.
LEKKER LINES: Point must be one of the best longboard waves on earth. Photo Mike Ruthnum
And Finals day was the cherry on top. Competitors woke up to perfect 4-6ft corduroy lines reeling down the Point, which even when its mediocre is a super fun longboarding wave.
In the first final of the day, 56-year-old Charmaine Adams (Western Province) charged her way to a win in the Divas division, confidently conquering the solid surf.
The Dace brothers, Rory and Joel, of Cape St. Francis (Eastern Province) supplied electrifying entertainment in the Under 16 and Under 18 Boys divisions respectively. The Daces took out the win in each of their divisions by spending the majority of their heats on the nose, keeping spectators on the edge of their seats.
THAT WINNING FEELING: Sam Christianson in front of the wave he conquered. Photo Ruthnum
The Open Mens Final was a true spectacle, with surfers putting on some of the most creative performances of the event. Sam Christianson (KwaZulu Natal) continued his winning streak, pulling one after the other impressive manoeuvre out of the hat to secure the Open Mens title for 2021, with a huge 19.30points for his two waves. He defeated Levi Mayes (WP), Greg Clark (EP) and Thomas King (WP).
Hayley Hansen (Western Province) was able to maintain her dominance in the Under 18 Girls division, claiming the win with ease. She sealed the deal with a beautiful combination of hang fives, hang tens and a switchfoot cutback, landing a whopping 9.67 to secure her win.
The Kahunas final was a nail-biter, with Greg Smith (Eastern Province) and Grant Gilmour (KwaZulu Natal) going blow for blow. Seconds before the heat came to a close, Smith swooped into his last wave, elegantly gliding his way to a division win.
JUST SUBLIME: A glint of green with a silver lining. The Point was off its face. Photo Ruthnum
Seventeen-year-old Hayley Hansen (Western Province) impressively held on to the lead until the last minutes of the Open Womens Final, before Tarryn King (Western Province), a favourite for the win throughout the contest, managed to lock in a score to secure the 2021 Open Womens title in the dying seconds of the heat.
Eastern Province won the team trophy, with Western Province taking 2nd. Thank you to all sponsors for their backing: Kouga Municipality, RYD Brand, Vissla, Sisstr Revolution, Pura Soda, TCS Wifi, Simonsvlei Wines and Slnko.
For Final results from the event, head to https://www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za/ and click on the “LIVEHEATS” Button.