Connor O’Leary, Jackson Baker, Laura Enever, and Billy Kemper start off their trip of a lifetime with a surf. Local star Matahi Drollet takes them out to Teahupo’o and a few waves around the island and the crew gets a taste of Tahiti’s preferred mode of transport: boat.
Wednesday the 2nd of November a new swell hits Hossegor... as most of our best surfers were in Brazil. Competing in the Saquarema Pro the rest were scoring huge caves at home.
Not an easy task to find the right spot, a clean swell but not quite doing its thing until the end of the morning when the stars aligned. Witness a full on tube fest right till dark plus La Nord in its element.
Our first ever Junior Surf Series came to a celebratory conclusion last week at England’s only inland surf destination, the Wave in Bristol. We were stoked to welcome some of the best of English U12 and U14 girls and boys for the grand finale of the series, “The Day of Champions”, pushing the performance of our top junior surfers. This year’s brand-new series of grassroot contests, sponsored by Eola and Animal, had seen 3 stops throughout the year – Croyde in March, Praa Sands in September, and Widemouth Bay in October.
In the spirit of celebrating the surfing community, Surfing England reached out to their affiliated clubs to help run the events, one stop at the time. Surfing England have provided some financial and practical support to get the series off the ground, as part of our wider goals to see more contests running in 2023 and beyond.
‘’We wanted the junior surf series to give groms their first taste of competitive surfing in a really friendly and welcoming environment, and working alongside our surf clubs the series has done just that. To run the finals in a team format, bringing in some of our awesome pro’s as team captains and delivering a super fun day full of camaraderie was the perfect way to finish the series’’ Ben Powis, CEO of Surfing England
The idea to wrap the series up as a Grand Finale has always been there, and the final format of the day offered our surfers a less traditional day of competition, featuring a team element and coaching input from England’s finest. The day brought together 4 professional English surfers, 19 of the best young grommets, all invited to enjoy 4 hours of world class clean waves at The Wave, Bristol.
The aim of the day was set – to push the limits and come out from the pool performing the best manoeuvres to date. Our 19 surfers were divided between 4 team captains, Luke Dillon, Barnaby Cox, Lucy Campbell and Liam Murray-Strout. Teams were getting judged alternatively a set at the time, for commitment and effort dedicated to 1 critical manoeuvre per wave, accumulating points throughout the day.
At lunchtime, every team got an opportunity to review and analyse their waves from their first wave pool session with their captains and refuel from The Wave’s café.
In the second session teams, captains and competitors showed their true colours and gaps amongst the team’s performances started to show.
Luke Dillon and his TEAM WHITE snapped up the champion titles, 4 points ahead of Barnaby Cox’s TEAM BLUE. TEAM RED lead by Lucy Campbell and TEAM YELLOW with their captain Liam Murray-Strout, were both hanging closely behind.
‘’Surfing England Junior surf series Co-ordinator Phil Williams said ‘ Working with the five surf clubs, sponsors and of course Surfing England and the Wave was a real privilege, and yesterdays finale was a reminder, of what the series was aimed at, investing in the next generation of competitive surfers without losing the fun of the sport we all love, excited to see how the tour develops in 2023, a huge thanks to all the competitors and support crew that were involved, and of course sponsors Eola & Animal UK ’’ Phil Williams, Junior Series Contest Director
“What a marvellous way to end this incredible series! 2022’s Day of Champions, the finale of the SE Junior Surf Series, was unforgettable. So much talent was on display on the waves. Everyone’s enthusiasm for the sport was inspiring and we couldn’t be more thrilled to be co-sponsoring the series this year with Animal. Seeing such successful pro surfers using their years of experience to share with the industry’s future stars has been wonderful. This series is an opportunity for young people to not only showcase their skills and compete, but to also immerse themselves in the world of surfing with fellow enthusiasts and have fun. We can’t wait to see how they continue to thrive as they keep learning and taking part.” Callum Hemsley CEO & Founder of EOLA
A huge thanks to series sponsors Animal UK and EOLA, and of course all the competitors and their support teams. A huge thank you to all the surf clubs and volunteers who have helped us deliver a fantastic series of events for the juniors.
What happens when the best surf trip of former world champ Joel Parkinson's life happens years after his retirement? He enjoys it even more.
Starring Joel Parkinson, Creed McTaggart, Eithan Osborne, Jai Glindeman, Dakoda Walters and Kian Martin, shot in the Mentawai Islands earlier this year and created by Mikey Mallalieu and Tom Jennings. Special thanks to Captain Ricky and the crew at Sibon Charters, best boats in the Ments.
Savage Waters, the British made surf exploration film, is rolling out the premiers and winning awards, yesterday winning Best feature, Best original soundtrack and a special mention for Cinematography going to Mikey Corker at The Richard Harris International Film Festival last weekend.
The film follows the adventures of a crew as they sail the Atlantic in search of uncharted islands that hold a mythical big wave as mentioned in a 19th century treasure hunters journal. North Devons Matt Knight sets sail with a changing crew of family and friends in search of the perfect wave but the ocean and life throws challenges at the crew turning what could have been a quick surf trip into years of challenges.
Filmed in Ireland, Portugal, Acores, Madeira and The Savage Islands over five years with surfers Matt, Peony, Taz Knight joined by Cotty, Ed Smith, Alex Bothelo it is well worth a watch!
The UK Premiere is tomorrow night in Liverpool at the Odeon Liverpool One
Then in Stirling, Scotland 6 November, Kendal 19 November, Lewes near Brighton 20 November, and rolling out across the globe. Dates here.
Yeppoon, Qld, Australia – Wave pool wave pool development and operations company, Global Surf Ops Pty Ltd T/A Global Surf Parks (GSP), has signed an agreement with Surf Lakes International, to rebuild the existing Surf Lakes Yeppoon research and development site and include significant development so that it may be open to the public.
The site, located midway between Rockhampton and Yeppoon, has been in use since 2018, but being a prototype, has served only to successfully prove, test and improve the capability of Surf Lakes unique wave making technology. To date, invitations to selected guests have been extended to enjoy, and provide feedback, on the incredible surf experience on offer.
“We are extremely happy that Surf Lakes International and GSP have been able to come to an agreement whereby a significant community asset may be finally opened to the public,” said GSP Business Development and Media Director, Wayne Dart. “Having worked with Surf Lakes over the past few years to develop and manage the in-water experience, we know just how incredible the experience will be and we know that the technology is by far and wide the best in the world.”
The existing Surf Lakes site located between Rockhampton and Yeppoon on Queenslands Capricorn Coast is to be overhauled and developed.
“It is a truly amazing location, and in proximity to other star attractions, such as Great Keppel Island and the Southern Great Barrier Reef,” continued Dart. “We know that it will be a preferred internationally recognised destination for not just die-hard surf enthusiasts but also families, school groups and corporates. We are genuinely super excited!”
Founder and CEO of Surf Lakes, Aaron Trevis, who also grew up in Yeppoon, was equally enthused about the park finally being developed so that the public may also enjoy the waves and the amazing natural backdrop.
“Having seen the sheer surf-stoke and the now global interest in Surf Lakes technology, and also knowing how special the Surf Lakes Yeppoon location is, we can’t wait to see the site become commercial,” said Trevis. “With the Development Application (DA) approved by Livingstone Shire Council last year, we have been working hard with GSP to finalise this deal and we will continue liaising with them to ensure the site is a huge global success."
The region’s peak tourism and economic development organisation, Capricorn Enterprise has been a strong advocate for the project since its inception and recognises the enormous economic contribution a commercial facility will provide to the local, regional and state economies.
DA approved initial site plan for the intended development intended to be open to the public in 2024
“Already, the Surf Lakes prototype has attracted famous faces and investors from around the world who have come to witness its incredible capability,” said Capricorn Enterprise CEO, Mary Carroll. "And with the commercial facility now becoming a reality and being a major experience-focussed development, we genuinely expect an elevation in the destination’s and the region’s appeal to a completely new audience.”
In 2021, a DA approval was granted to the exiting site and will allow for accommodation, a food and beverage precinct, eco camping and glamping, an events and entertainment area and more. The site will also expand from its existing 15-acre footprint, to approximately 100 acres and will have access via Yeppoon Road. More detail about the development will be forthcoming.
GSP is in discussions with potential investors, and are open to hearing from others who may wish to participate in the development opportunity.
Construction is expected to begin in early 2023 with a public opening in 2024.
