The second day of the Australian Surf Festival kicked off at North Haven today, with the Australian Longboard Titles taking place in rolling one-to-two foot waves.
Samantha Vanderford proved to be one to beat in the Over-35 Womens division locking in a 7.00 and a 6.25 ride. Consequently the West Australian booked her spot into the second round.
“It was really surprising out there,” said Samantha. “Even though it was half the size of yesterday there were still a lot of fun waves that peeled along the bank perfectly. After getting second in the Over-35s last year, it would be nice to go one better and lock in a win this year.”
Oscar Lalor, Nick Jenkins, Jesse Jerrems and Kane Tankard all locked in respective wins in the Open Men requalification heats and as a result booked their spots into round two.
Local and former World Tour surfer Darren O’Rafferty was a standout in the second round of the Open Men. The talented natural-footer successfully linked together a series of cutbacks and nose-rides to lock in a heat total of 15.25.
“It’s great to have the ASF back in the Port region,” said O’Rafferty. “North Haven has definitely been the spot to be, the waves have been fun and the weather has been awesome as well. Guys like Nic Jones, Ian Bell and Nick Farago all surfed great heats and were definite standouts. Everyone left in the Opens division are a threat really. I think everyone has their fingers crossed hoping for a rise in the swell as well.”
Trent Dickey, Michael Young, Kurt Wilson and Oscar Lalor fought a tight battle over the course of their Open Men round two heat, all trading blows in the slow-peeling peaks. When the final hooter sounded there was less than half a point separating first and fourth, however it was Trent Dickey and Oscar Lalor who managed to take the two top spots and squeak into the quarterfinals.
Queensland’s Nick Jones set the bar high in his Open Men heat locking in a heat total of 15.90. As a result the Buderim natural-footer booked his spot in the quarterfinals alongside Ben Jones who finished in second.
“The swell has dropped a fair bit which has made things tricky, but there’s still the odd good wave out there,” said Nick Jones. “I guess I just wanted to stay hungry while I was in the lineup and I was lucky I got a really good second wave.
Nick added: “There’s a great vibe at this event and everyone is excited to be hanging with their mates and just have a good time.”
Other Open Men winners included Jack Entwistle, Ian Bell and Jared Neal. All surfers will join the respective runner-ups in the Open Mens quarterfinals.
John Skinner, John Murray, Glenn Mahoney and Peter Becker all took wins win their Over-55 Men heats and will move into round two.
Nick Farago claimed the Nikon Wave of the Day award for an 8.50 scoring wave in his Open Men round two heat. For his efforts Nick was awarded with a new Nikon AW110 camera.
The swell is predicted to drop marginally over the next few days with the strong likelihood of northerly winds.
Contest Director Glen Elliot said: “With light winds and no real lows on the radar we are facing small conditions for the next few days. Open breaks like North Haven, Bonny Hills, Middle Rock and Lighthouse Beach are the best options in small swells. Some back beaches in northerly winds may be considered if there are good banks.”
All heat results, event highlight clips, images and news is available at www.australiansurffestival.com
All competitors are advised to ring the event hotline (0458 247 212) by 6.45am on the days of competition to confirm location and running order.
The main base for the Australian Surf Festival will be Town Beach, which is located in the heart of Port Macquarie, however the event is mobile with numerous beach break options available between Port Macquarie and North Haven (20 minutes drive south of Port Macquarie CBD) including Flynns Beach, Lighthouse Beach, Rainbow Beach at Bonny Hills and Grants Beach at North Haven.
This year’s event will feature a busy schedule out of the water with live music and surf education courses, including Surfing NSW’s free CPR and board rescue course, Surfers Rescue 24/7. Town Green Inn is the official headquarters for all functions and courses.
The Australian Surf Festival is a key regional event on the NSW Events Calendar, and is supported by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.
The Australian Surf Festival is proudly supported by the NSW Government, Destination NSW, Port Macquarie Tourism, Port Macquarie Hastings Council, Be the Influence, Harley-Davidson Australia, Town Green Inn, Nikon, Suncorp, Australian Sports Commission, Coastalwatch, NBN, Port Macquarie News, 2MC, Star FM, Surfing World Magazine and Pacific Longboarder Magazine.
2013 AUSTRALIAN SURF FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
10-18 August – Australian Longboard Titles
16-18 August – Australian Logger Titles
16-18 August – Australian Longboard Titles – Under 18 Boys and Girls
19-23 August – Australian Surfmasters Titles
21-23 August – Australian Single Fin Titles
