Surfing

Wayne Winchester’s love of surfing began in his early teens and he’d live for the weekends when he could head to the coast to spend hours in the surf. He never dreamed that his hobby would lead to a lifetime career and the creation of a world class surfboard gallery. “I started fashioning my own boards when I was a teenager and I then started making them professionally in the mid 1970s,” Wayne says. “It was an exciting time as I shaped all sorts of boards just to see how they performed.”

Five new state junior surfing champions have been crowned in Geraldton over the weekend, as the final event of the 2022 Woolworths State Junior Surfing Titles presented by SunSmart, wrapped up yesterday in clean and contestable wavs at Back Beach.

Max Coten rode the breakers into shore to record 24 minutes and 17 seconds, the fastest time at Sunday’s Southern Ocean Classic Mile ... The Denmark Surf Life Saving Club-hosted event attracted a big field of 135 swimmers, 27 of whom were locals.

The Phillip Island Pro was held over the weekend of 10 to 13 February at Cape Woolamai, home to some of the best beach break waves in Australia. This year’s event saw 88 Qualifying Series surfers, 33 Open competitors and eight Indigenous Invitational competitors take part.

A massive cyclone swell on Sydney’s beaches claims a big wave surfer, leaving his long-term partner without a body to mourn. His four adult godchildren from far and wide gather for the reading of his will. A mystery girl from Tasmania joins them Down the coast, a man is pulled from the water and abandoned to his fate with a head injury and amnesia ... The debut novel by Coffs Coast local, Michel Vimal du Monteil, himself a surfer and former SES volunteer.

The Woolworths Surfer Groms Comps is the only Australian event series catering for the increasing numbers of the country's 'micro-groms', with boys and girls lining up in Under-8, Under-10, Under-12 and Under-14 divisions.

As the state prepares for the anticipated relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions over the coming months, the release today of the 2021 NSW Coastal Safety Report by Surf Life Saving NSW has highlighted the need for hyper-vigilance on our beaches, with a spike in coastal visitation expected following large-scale lockdowns.

Claire Rankin. Evans Head surfers are stoked to back one of their own as he steps on to the world circuit. Halftide Boardriders club at Evans Head is trying to raise $25,000 to help club member Callum Robson compete overseas.

Geoff Helisma. A small team of Lower Clarence women have found a great way to do charitable work while they exercise among the waves. ‘Swell Sisters’ – Clair Morton, Shannon Grainger, Emy Alexander and Georgie Smith – are on a mission to raise funds for SurfAid¸ which provides “a hand up, rather than a handout, to people in remote communities connected to us through surfing,” says Clair.

The 2021 SunSmart WA School Surfing Titles concluded with a bang, as students from 24 different regional and metropolitan high schools converged on Trigg Beach for the finale to Surfing WA's biggest participation based event of the year.

Morgan Cibilic grew up surfing at Angourie before moving to Merewether in Newcastle. In 2019, he seemingly came from nowhere to qualify for the World Surf League’s 2020 Men’s Championship Tour. Covid put the brakes on the 2020 season, however, the 2021 season’s world title qualifying competitions were completed in Mexico last week, where Cibilic finished equal ninth, and he had amassed 25,270 points and a fifth-place rating and a shot at the world title.

The World Surf League's 2022 schedule has positioned the Margaret River Pro as a mid-season decider, determining the finals fate of the world's top professional surfers. The Margaret River Pro, to be held from April 24 to May 4, is one of only two Australian events on the prestigious 2022 Championship Tour schedule, announced today.

Jason Armbruster thanked his training when he reflected on the events of a beautiful Ballina morning in April, events that would sequentially add up and lay the platform for him to be awarded the Surf Life Saving NSW Rescue of the Month.

Multiple State Champions have been crowned in clean and powerful surf at Flat Rocks, south of Geraldton, with the 2021 Woolworths WA Junior Surf Titles presented by SunSmart concluding in an exciting and memorable fashion.

Paint Main Beach pink with Evans Head Malibu Club’s first one-day women-only longboarding competition. Organiser Emma Perrier said the Saturday, June 19 event will be the Breast Comp Ever and will raise funds for the local Breast Care Nurse Service in Lismore.

The SunSmart WA Bodyboard Titles presented by Good Earth Surf concluded in spectacular fashion at Clayton’s Beach in Mindarie over the weekend, with WA's first State Champions of the year crowned in exciting high-performance bodyboard waves. After beginning in Mandurah back in March, the SunSmart WA Bodyboard Titles attracted some of the State's most experienced riders who went head-to-head with WA's new generation of bodyboarders, who impressed in the wedging 2-3 feet waves on offer at Clayton's.

Geoff Helisma. Clarence Head Longboarders is holding its third annual invitational surfing competition at Turners Beach, Yamba, over the upcoming long weekend June 11–14 ... this weekend’s event is just the second invitational competition to be held on the north coast since the Covid pandemic arrived.