It was Saturday 20 Feb at around 330pm when I rocked up to see if anyone was having fun in the small conditions at Curly. Sure enough, there were heaps of weekend warriors chasing the cute little waist to chest high peaks. Light was perfect for picture taking, so I did my best to capture regular folks having fun. If you were out, you might want to click through to the bigger version of the slide show. I got over 100 pics, so if you were out, and catching anything, there’s a good chance you’re among the snaps!
What a good weekend for getting out and getting wet. And if size wasn’t an issue for you then you were rewarded with nice set waves forming on a couple of very obliging banks. We were blessed with a nice off-shore today which somehow managed to keep the dust at bay. The offshore held on until 130ish and right on queue the westerly was replaced with a beautifully cool southerly which was welcome relief for everyone.
The highlight of the weekend of course the Womens national final of the Jim Beam Surtag series where the ladies put on a great show.
And it looks like we’re in for a rather large uptick in swell over the next few days so let’s hope the wind doesn’t wreak too much havoc and rain on our parade.
Lumpy fun for everyone today! Made it to North Narra and Curly this morning and checked out all points in between. Size-wise Curly was best with waves breaking both out the back and closer to shore though Dee Why looked alright as well as I drove by. A bit crowded at Curly but everyone was getting their fair share of rides in.
This morning’s shots will be posted later on today.
I went shooting at mid Curly from about 1350 to 1415. The gallery below contains a few of samples of the conditions. I’ll publish all the pictures I took on my personal site very soon.
Conditions were pretty good with a metre and a half of 11 second SSE swell turning into shoulder to head high plus sets along the beach at Curl Curl.
I was stationed in the middle of the beach so that I could get shots across a reasonably wide arc. I was using the professional grade Nikon D3 with a 200-400mm zoom.
Working my way through the backlog. If you surfed the middle part of the beach at Curly around midday on Thursday 23 July, I might have taken your picture(s). I shot around a hundred between 1130 and noon.
Went shooting this morning and here are the results. The original pics are very high resolution so it is quite possible to get a clean looking pic out of a very small area in the image. Exposure kinda went off the rails, but it’s easily corrected if need be.
Matt Banting (Port MacQuarie) from the Ocean and Earth International Teenage Rampage. Photo: Kirstin Scholtz
CURL CURL, AUS — The 10th annual Ocean and Earth International Teenage Rampage opened in contestable 0.5 to one-meter surf at Sydney’s Curl Curl beach this morning with the U16 and U13 boys kick-starting their charge for an early lead in this year’s prestigious competition.
Boasting a unique ‘top scorer’ based format, the 2008 edition of the Ocean and Earth International Teenage Rampage will see all 220 surfers, representing ten countries, advance through the first three rounds of competition to determine the eight highest scorers, who will earn places into the Quarterfinals to be held later in the week.
Australian Pro Junior Champion and local surfer Cooper Chapman (North Narrabeen) lead the Australian charge against a talented international field by posting the top-scoring heat total of his division, a 12.5 (out of a possible 20.00).
Joining Chapman on the leader board was U14 surfer Matt Banting (Port Macquarie) who looked particularly impressive against his older rivals, winning his round 1 heat with a convincing 11.00 score.
“It was definitely a combination of luck and skill out there today,” Banting said. “I would say more luck than skill even, whoever got the waves was going to get through and I was lucky I got my two off the bat and was able to take the heat lead early on.”
Fellow NSW surfer Jake Sylvester (Bar Beach) was chomping at the bit behind his friends Banting and Chapman, securing a solid 10.00 to slip alongside the front runners and put himself in the running for the prestigious U16 title.
Joshua Hay (Copacabana), Billy Bain (Avalon) and Damien Norman (Casurina) were other progressive New South Wales performers who rose to the top of the prestigious field today.
The U13 division saw some impressive surfing from the Tahitian junior team with 12-year-old O’Neil Massin who posted the highest heat total of both the U13 and U16 divisions combined, during round 2.
Massin, who has travelled to Sydney as part of the 16-strong Tahitian junior team, many of whom will be competition in the ASP World Junior Championships in North Narrabeen next week, dominated his competition in the punchy beach break conditions.
“This is my second trip to Australia and I love competing here,” said Masson a former U11 Tahitian Junior Champion. “The waves are very different from the reef breaks I surf at home but the competition is strong and it is a great challenge for me to compete here against the world’s best.”
Sydney’s Chris Robertson (Cronulla) unleashed the type of surfing that has earned him success on the pro junior circuit this year and was the second highest scorer behind the Tahitian with a 12.5 heat score today.
Rising stars including Izak Clifford (Marcus Beach) and Eli Steele (Moffat Beach) were joined by Jordan Lawler (North Narrabeen) and Brendan Hay (Copocabana) other top performers in this division.
Sunday sees the continuation of world-class junior surfing at Curl Curl beach with the possibility of the premiere U20 division which includes many of the world’s elite pro junior competitors, expected to compete throughout the day.
Names to watch out for include Tahiti’s Tamaroa McComb, USA’s Nat Young and French star Maxine Huschenot while Australia’s top hopes include Queensland’s Julian Wilson and Northern NSW surfer Heath Joske.
North Narrabeen were crowned the inaugural champion of the Jim Beam Women’s Surftag at Curl Curl today, continuing their dominance as one of Australia’s premier boardriding clubs. photo credit: Michael Tyrpenou/ Global Surftag
Curl Curl, NSW — North Narrabeen continued its dominance of the Jim Beam Surftag Series today, claiming the inaugural Women’s Surftag with an awesome display at Curl Curl.
Tearing apart the rising, 1m peaks at Curl Curl, the team of Ellie Northey, Katie Allan, Belinda Hardwick, Tess de Josselin and Shelley Carrier were on fire, replicating the continued success of the club’s men and junior division’s – validating North Narrabeen’s place as one of Australia’s elite boardrider club’s. As the newest event on the Jim Beam Surtag Series, the Jim Beam Women’s Surftag saw the premier women’s boardriding clubs in NSW competing for the inaugural title and local pride.
With ten teams jam packed with the female professional surfing stars of the future, past and present, the action was electric. However, with the best performance of the day, it was North Narrabeen who took home the prestigious title, tallying the highest combined heat total of the day, defeating Manly, Bondi 2 and Trimmin Women (Newcastle and Central Coast region’s) who finished second, third and fourth respectively. On a day of excellent performances, Belinda Hardwick (North Narrabeen) shone the brightest, guiding her team to the title with a dominant display final. Racking up the highest single wave score of the day, with a nine point ride (out of a possible 10), and the highest combined heat total, with 25 points (out of a possible 40), Hardwick anchored her team to a first place finish. “It’s such a great result for us,” she said after the final “Today was such a good day and it was great to see so many girls ripping out there,” Hardwick added. “Hopefully this event can continue to grow.” Unlike conventional surfing contests, which play upon individual results, the Jim Beam Women’s Surftag is a teams based event drawing upon the performances of five surfers per team – emphasising teamwork in an individual sport. Steve Harrison, Global Surftag Managing Director, was elated with the outcome of the inaugural Jim Beam Women’s Surftag. “I’m so stoked with the vibe of the entire event,” Harrison said. “The girl’s all surfed excellently in tough, testing conditions.” Add bonus points and a prize purse of $3000 and you have a perfect recipe for some innovative and passionate surfing, whilst fostering confidence and comradery amongst the girls. “There’s a buzz surrounding the event and I am looking forward to seeing this event grow and develop over the next couple of years as a prominent grass-roots event.” For more information, news and a wrap-up of the Jim Beam Women’s Surftag be sure to log on to www.globalsurftag.com.
The Jim Beam Surftag has spread its wings in 2008, with the heralding of the Jim Beam Women’s Surftag to take place this weekend.
As the newest event on the Jim Beam Surftag Series, this weekend’s event will see the premier women’s boardriding clubs in NSW, ranging from Newcastle in the north to Wollongong in the south, ready to battle it out
With ten teams jam packed with the female professional surfing stars of the future and current ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) the action is sure to be electric as local pride is put to the test at Curl Curl. Unlike conventional surfing contests which play upon individual results, the Jim Beam Women’s Surftag is a teams based event drawing upon the performances of five surfers per team. Add bonus points and a prize purse of $2500 and you have a perfect recipe for some innovative and passionate surfing, whilst fostering confidence and comradary amongst the girls. One such competitor looking forward to this weekend is current surfing, modelling and lifestyle starlet Paige Houden (Fairlight, NSW) who’ll be donning the competitive rash vest. “It’s such a good initiative from Jim Beam to bring the tag-team format to women’s surfing,” Houden said. “I’m stoked to be home for this event and being able to hang out with all the girls, have fun and enjoy the day,” she added. Having graced the competitive junior circuit, Houden now travels the world promoting the importance of female surfing. “It can be intimidating for girls surfing in general, but to bring together a host of the best female surfers competing together is so positive for female surfing,” Houden admitted. “An event like this will help to build confidence for all girls associated and definitely raise the profile of the Series.” Playing upon the passion and tribal nature of surfing, the Jim Beam Women’s Surftag also sees female boardrider clubs from around the state competing against each other in a team environment – something not regularly seen in surfing.
“Boardrider clubs are the base of the surfing landscape, to be able to compete in a team environment with all the girls is awesome in a predominantly individual sport,” Houden stated.
With $2500 up for grabs and the possibility of surfing against former ASP World Champion Chelsea Hedges (Gold Coast, QLD), who has been asked to compete with Avalon, this weekend is gearing up to be a one not to be missed.
Steve Harrison, Global Surftag Managing Director, is over the moon about the prospect this weekend and the growth of the Series as a whole.
“Very happy that Jim Beam have decided to expand the series,” Harrison said. “This year’s series is inclusive of women and aims at reaching the girls to reflect the growing number of female surfers out in the line up.” For more information be sure to log on to www.globalsurftag.com.
