All The Action From The Rip Curl GromSearch Nahoon Reef
Rory Dace and Louise Lepront take out the respective titles in the Premier U16 Divisions of the Rip Curl GromSearch Nahoon Reef. Read on:
The Rip Curl GromSearch Nahoon Reef presented by Sea Harvest had it all: massive surf, excellent surfing, some surprise results and a giant bait ball that drifted into the contest site and caused the event to be called off just two crucial heats before the finish.
Thursday: Practice Day
The day before the contest started was an epic, glassy day at Nahoon. Four to five-foot runners were on tap for all competitors who wanted to practise on the powerful Nahoon Reef waves.
Friday: Day One
Day One, Friday 17th, was another excellent day at Nahoon f0r the Rip Curl GromSearch. There were solid sets, some bigger wash-throughs to keep the surfers on their toes, and some fine performances amongst the top junior surfers in the country.
Saturday: Rip Curl GromSearch Finals Day
The original Finals Day, Saturday the 18th, was even bigger, and the surfers were genuinely tested with huge waves and tricky take-offs for everyone. Despite the onshore drifting in around lunchtime, the conditions remained highly contestable. It was a true test of skill and determination, with surfers battling to position themselves for the sets.
Emma Loggenberg won the U12 Girls, while Lazaro de Bruyn won the U12 Boys Division.
Ben Esterhuyse defeated Callum Loftus in the highly competitive boys’ U14 division. At the same time, Leah Lepront defeated a spirited Camilla Heuer in the Girls’ U14 Division.
“It was quite difficult out there to find the good ones,” said a stoked but tired Esterhuyse. “There were so many good waves, but it was hard to be on them. There was also a powerful current, so you were paddling the whole time in the heat. Either way, I am stoked with the result; this was the win I needed.”
There was a buzz around the U18 Boys Division, as there had been such incredible surfing throughout the two days from surfers in this division. So many goofy-footers excelled throughout this event, and it was fitting that right-foot forward surfer Clay Turrell won it from fellow goofy-footer Loghann Tilsley.
Louise Lepront during the Rip Curl GromSearch event at Nahoon (c) Rip Curl/ Wulff
Similarly, the U18 Girls division was a battle between the goofy footers. At the final siren, Lily Heny snuck past Louise Lepront with excellent surfing and secured the win.
In the late afternoon, a vast bait ball drifted into the vicinity, and the entire horizon was just a mass of birds swooping, accompanied by some serious thrashing and splashing from the water. There was too much activity to be comfortable with, and the contest organisers decided to put the last two heats on hold. Eventually, after a discussion, they decided to hold the Premier U16 Boys and Girls Divisions first thing on Sunday morning.
u16 girls podium, (c) Rip Curl/ Wulff
Sunday: The Other Finals Day of the Rip Curl GromSearch
The surf was smaller on Sunday but still absolutely perfect in the three to four-foot range, and the U16 Boys paddled out at 06h50 in the morning for their twenty-minute final, followed by the premier U16 Girls.
Fresh from his impressive 9th place at the ISA World Junior Championships in El Salvador, Rory Dace demonstrated his experience and confidence by taking the U16 Boys win in the early morning light from Loghann Tilsley, showcasing his skills and determination. Rylan Jarvis banked the highest-scoring single move but couldn’t back it up and ended in third place ahead of a wave-starved Nate Tayler in fourth.
u16 boys podium, (c) Rip Curl/ Wulff
The U16 Girls battled it out, with Camilla Heuer showing confidence and local knowledge at the start of the heat with two rides in quick succession. In the end, seasoned competitor Louise Lepront, also fresh from her 3rd-place podium finish at the ISA World Junior Champs, found a bomb that ran from the very outside all the way to the bricks for the required score and the win. Local surfer Taylor Emslie was in third, with Max Kauffman in fourth.
A quick prizegiving was held in the Nahoon Reef car park, and the tournament’s impromptu final day was wrapped up just before 8 a.m.
Final Results.
For all the results from the Rip Curl GromSearch Nahoon Reef presented by Sea Harvest, please go to the Liveheats RESULTS PAGE.
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