Live Heats

Official Report & Results of the 2025 Sharon Samways Classic - Newcastle


Sharon Samways Memorial Waveski Competition – Hammond Beach, Newcastle. A huge thanks to Col Samways, Darren Bason and Russell Hudson for huge efforts in organising and running this event!👍 Special thanks to Paul Ansell @Apart Photography for the great photos!! The Sharon Samways Memorial Waveski Competition lit up Hams Beach, Newcastle over three days this past weekend, bringing together some of Australia’s finest waveski riders for an event that celebrated both high-level competition and the life of Sharon Samways. The surf offered a full spectrum of challenges: • Friday opened with small, clean conditions, perfect for early-round strategy. • Saturday saw slightly smaller waves, demanding smart heat management and patience. • Sunday finals day turned on with 3–4 foot near-perfect surf and weather, providing the stage for explosive finals across all divisions. Open DivisionThe Open final was a showcase of power surfing and tactical precision. Stephen Blatchford took the win with a 13.76 total, narrowly ahead of Darren Bason (11.80). Francisco “Cisco” Nascimento (11.50) and Michael Feenan (11.13) also pushed the level, keeping the pressure on until the final siren. Masters (Under 55)In a hard-fought battle, Darren Bason returned to the top step of the podium, scoring 12.77 to hold off Michael Feenan (11.36). Luke McAulay and Rhys Pollett rounded out the final in testing conditions. Grand Masters (55–59)Experience shone through in this division, with Stephen Blatchford backing up his Open win with another title. His 15.20 heat total was enough to edge out Mark Spencer (13.50) in one of the highest-scoring heats of the event. Legends (60–64)The Legends final belonged to Francisco Nascimento, whose consistency earned him victory with a 5.57 total, ahead of fellow veterans Steve Sargent and Russell Hudson. Champions (65+)The 65+ Champions final was dominated by Garry Ross, who posted a strong 10.73 total to outpace Graham Roberts (7.67). Jeff Gray placed third, with Dave Andrews also competing strongly through the rounds. Other Divisions • In the Qualifiers final, Steve Sargent claimed the win with 10.90, just ahead of Jeff Gray (9.87). • The Challengers division saw Scott Harris edge out Dave Andrews in a tight contest. Overall AtmosphereAcross the weekend, the event was marked by friendship and respect, With world-class waves on finals day, multiple standout performances, and a community atmosphere, the Sharon Samways Memorial proved a highlight of the Australian Waveski Title Tour.

Official Report & Results of the 2025 Sunshine Coast Open


CONTEST REPORT - SUNSHINE COAST OPEN Day 1 (FRIDAY) Sunshine Coast Open First day of the event was greeted with a solid swell pushing up the Queensland coastline from an east coast low that had formed down in New South Wales. Organisers were thankful the weather that was hitting the southern parts of the east coast were occurring just far south enough to leave the Sunshine Coast relatively unscathed. Whilst Queensland enjoyed sunny warm conditions, a strong 2 metre + southerly swell had reduced available surf break options. However, with the first day of the contest occurring on a Friday, organisers were able to secure the usually busy Moffat Headland break for the duration of the days program. Competitors enjoyed some of the biggest and cleanest right hand point contest waves seen for a few years on a break that also had not seen a waveski contest occur at for a number of years also. Wave selection was important with big open faces and critical turns receiving the rewards in the scores. With the conditions holding for most of the day, organisers ran the first rounds of the Open Division as well which proved to be a wise decision to bank time ahead of the remaining time to run the competition. Day 2 (SATURDAY)The contest was relocated to Alexandra Headland where the beach break venue gave plenty of exposure to the public about waveski surfing. The swell was still very solid and challenging. Competitors were either lucky or unlucky with the paddle out depending on where they were in relation to the rip when the sets came rolling in. Organisers determined that one round of the Open division would need to be run in order to complete the competition with sufficient time remaining in the program for following day. Taking into account the surf conditions and the paddle out, it was determined that competitors would be allowed 30 minute heats instead of the usual 20 minute duration. This was considered a fair and reasonable concession allowing surfers the time to paddle out but also catch solid scoring waves as well. Whist this became a short day of competition, it also became a successful day for exposure of our sport. The new sound system, tents and banners created a buzz and a noticeable presence in a public space. Darren McIntyre demonstrated great public speaking skills and was a natural on the microphone keeping the spectators informed of what was playing out on the beach and in the water until the day concluded. Whilst the competition day was over, a few surfers could not help but notice the island across the bay known as Old Woman Island. Local resident Darren Bason and former Sunshine Coast resident Brett Cronin knew the conditions would be just right for a paddle out to the left and right hand reef breaks the island was renowned for. Once the shore break is negotiated on the beach break, it is a 12 minute paddle across to the island. So for 2 hours, Darren McIntrye, Michael Feenan, Graham Lancaster, Darren Bason and Brett Cronin enjoyed the rare event of having great conditions surfing the right handers but also had the wave completely to themselves. Check out the video from Darren Bason here - VideoDay 3 (Sunday) The finals day saw the contest return to the beach breaks in front of the Alexandra Surf Club. Much more favourable surf conditions greeted competitors. What was a luck of the draw paddle out the day before saw competitors timing their paddle out more easily between sets and not needing to roll or get their hair wet on occasions. The set waves still ran through at 4 to 5 feet and conditions were glassy and warm. It was a case of best managing the available time, swell and weather to optimise use of the best contest conditions. The beach break provided both left and right hand options. The sound system, tents and banners continued to maintain a buzz and a presence on the beach with plenty of spectators showing interest in the sport. Free surfers on nearby surf banks generally respected the fact a contest was happening and the vibe in the water and on the beach was good. A summary of the event over the 3 days would reflect on the fact that timing and conditions enabled access to contest venues that have been seldom used and available in the last few years. This breathed new life into the presence of waveski surfing on the Sunshine Coast. Paul Ansell from APART Photography captured some great images. Some Video highlights can also been seen here - VideoPhotos supplied by Brett Cronin OFFICIAL RESULTSQUALIFIERS1 Paul Gray 2 Douglas Hendrikz 3 Colin Sugars 4 Rhys Pollett CHALLENGERS1 Andrew Smith 2 Bernard Mitchell OPEN1 Graham Lancaster2 Tim Keirle 3 Darren Bason 4 Michael Feenan MASTERS (Under 55)1 Michael Feenan 2 Darren Bason3 Jason Drescher 4 Douglas Hendrikz GRAND MASTERS (55-59)1 Graham Lancaster2 Brett Cronin3 Peter Hurley 4 Darren McIntyre LEGEND (65+)1 Tim Keirle 2 Andrew Smith CHAMPIONS (65+) 1 Garry Ross 2 Colin Sugars ADAPTIVE OPEN1 Douglas Hendrikz 2 Richard Thomas

Official Report & Results of the 2025 Coffs Harbour Open


Coffs Harbour Open Report The 5th event on the 2025 WSA Calendar saw The Coffs Open held in small but pristine conditions at Emerald Beach with almost all divisions filled with 25 athletes who attended. The event launched on the Friday with the Division Competition. A nice 2ft wave hitting the banks just south of the rock outcrop providing left or right options. Day 1All Divisions displayed some outstanding surfing which is a true highlight to show why the sport is still alive and doing well, with progression through to the finals on that day. Head Judge Rick Grimson was on the ball confirming scores before placement on every wave, judging was tight with a couple of heats going down to the wire with reports of as little as .16 between 1st and 2nd place competitors Graham Lancaster and Steve Blatchford in the Grand Masters Final. Results for the Day:Masters1st Rees Duncan 2nd Darren Bason3rd Scott Murnain4th Rhys Pollett Grand MastersGraham Lancaster 1stDarren Bason 2ndDarren McIntyre 3rdJason Drescher 4th Legends Tim Kierle 1stRussell hudson 2nd Steve Sargent 3rdCisco 4th (out Sick didn't surf) but still managed to give me the flu🤪 ChampionsJeff Gray 1stGray Ross 2ndGraham Roberts 3rdColin Sugars 4th Day 2Saw us moving the comp further down the beach @ Emerald Beach, providing similar size waves with a few trick gutters thrown in making it, at times, hard to get full length rides to the beach. Moving on with the Qualifiers and Open.Again, standouts started to shine through with the stringent judging criteria biting hard, you had to find the waves of the heat and get your maneuvers in early to progress.Unfortunately, the sun did not shine as bright as the hot surfing for the day and the organisers called it quits with quarter finals to proceed on Sunday morning. Day 3Setup Sunday was back over the rock outcrop at Emerald Beach providing a 2 to 3 ft wave, predominantly rights back into rocks, but the left came on with the incoming tide. The water was clear, teal green conditions fitting for the location, providing ideal conditions for the final day. The heats went off with a firecracker bang!, with standouts coming through the ranks. Rees was on fire, Graham, Darren Bason and Steve Blatchford and Darren McIntyre showing form along with Tim Kierle on his new board. Jason Drescher was snapping at our heels, another close one with .14 between the 2 rivals. Qualifiers saw Jeff Gray, Paul Gray, Col Sugars and Dean Warner all fighting hard for a win!..but at the end of the day there can only be one! Final ResultsOpen Rees Duncan 1st Darren McIntyre 2ndDarren Bason 3rdGraham Lancaster 4th QualifersJeff Gray 1stDean Warner 2ndColin Sugars 3rdPaul Gray 4th Trophies came with vouchers again this year thanks again Coopers Surf hope to see you again next year. Next Competition is 22-24th August on the Sunshine Coast Entries open now !Darren McIntyre

Official Report & Results of the 2025 Ballina Open


Ballina A Grade Open June 28th - 29th - Contest report by Ken Bowden. Once again the Australian Waveski team have put on a wonderful event at the picturesque location of Ballina & Lennox Head. I cannot say enough about the people that came together to share their love of this sport & the camaraderie that is on display. Give yourselves a high-five team. 12 competitors braved the elements to show their skills under conditions that would be best described as ideal comp conditions. Day one, was held at Flat Rock smack-dab in between the two, aforementioned locations. The breeze was kind to us all day with a light south-west wind blowing, providing glassy conditions. The incoming waves gave competitors the required push to display their moves. Although a little fat at times, the 2 & a ½ to 3ft sets provided the judges with enough top to bottom manoeuvres to keep them on their toes all day.We managed to get through most of the heats in day one, with the powers that be pulling the pin just in time to pack the gear away in the rain, completely ruining my pre-styled hairdo. But like a well-oiled machine, Cisco & Russell had us meticulously packing the new trailer with millimetre precision. Day two, saw us moving to a different location for the A-grade finals. This location, just north of Lighthouse Beach, certainly turned the heat up for the remaining finalist. Rees Duncan & Graham Lancaster were first in the water, fighting it out for 1st & 2nd place with solid 4-5ft sets, breaking top to bottom. This was certainly not for the faint hearted with Rees taking out 1st place with some impressive aerial displays & his trademark no guts no glory commitment. Graham, not to be outdone launched himself into the Kosmos on four different occasions, only to re-emerge from the clouds a little out of sorts. Had he landed just two of these atmosphere breaking flights, the outcome may have been different. Darren McIntryre & Francisco Nascimento (Cisco) did battle for 3rd & 4th with Cisco managing to turn it on when required to take the cherry in this heat. The event was then moved to the Boat channel at Lennox Head (or the boaty as the locals call it) The conditions were perfect for the Qualifiers that gate crashed the A Grade event for some fun in the sun. Paul Gray took out the Qualifiers division in style. However a special mention must be given to Douglas Hendrikz our freshly crowned South African Aussie who took out the best wipeout of the day. I would like to take the time to say a special thanks to Paul Ansell from APART Surf Photography. Who on day one spent the day on his own, 50 metres away from the judging tent, trying capture images on a poorly lit day. On day two he donned the suit donated by Shark Skin & entered the water at the Boaty to get up close-up & personal with the riders. Thank you Paul. In wrapping up I heard a little birdy say that this event could be open to all next year with an extra day thrown mix to get through the heats. It would be wonderful to have the whole crew on deck in the northern rivers in 2026

Official Report & Results of the 2025 Wollongong Open


Wollongong Open Contest Report May 2025 Greetings to you all,What a contest! Come what may in the land downunder, the Wollongong Open had it all: rain, hail (sort of) and shine including the car park 'bunny run' checking out where to hold the event. Sandon Point, the designated break, was just not firing on all cylinders. In fact it was atypically flat so a decision was made to relocate to Woonona a few kms down the road for Day 1. With a team effort, first heats kicked off at 9.30 and a plan to surf until we could surf no more for as Sunday - day 3 was expected to be just, well, ‘horrible’. The point was firing and if you had the ‘guts’ you could slot yourself right in the corner and take off over the reef and execute some very good manoeuvres. All the age divisions were run plus the first round of the Open. It was game on and with the new electronic traffic light system - stop n start plus the boom box music system, the vibe was electric. With the new age division ranges kicking in it made for a more exciting and even contest and it was obvious many competitors had worked on their fitness with comments overheard in the car park such as ‘geez he looks good for an old fella’. I have no idea who they were referring to. It was absolutely brilliant to run the first ever Adaptive Division in Waveski Surfing Australia. Mick Johnson and Douglas Hendrikz were inspirational and served it right up to everyone in the other divisions. Well done to these two and we do hope to see more of their presence at future events. Champions DivFantastic to see Col Sugars back from a 3 year hiatus blitzing the Champions Div in all 3 rounds. His top to bottom carves and rail to rail put everyone on notice and his uncanny ability to read the waves and sit in the right spot – nah I’m not envious, just full of admiration. On ya Col! Ever young Gary Ross picked up 2nd, Steve Bailey 3rd, Jackie Dillon in 4th and Andrew Daff in 5th. The Grand Legends was taken out by Cisco Nascimento ahead of Russell Hudson The Grand Masters another 5 man div with best of 3 rounds with Stephen Blatchford in first followed by Graham Lancaster 2nd, Mark Spencer in 3rd, David Howard 4th and rounding out this division Darren McIntyre Divisions with 5 or less were run on the accumulative point score system with 3 rounds on offer which gave people multiple chances to improve on their heats. The Masters under 55 years had 8 eight competitors with Darren Bason just edging ahead of Oliver Burgess-Buxton in the final followed by Mick Johnson in 3rd and Luke Mcaulay in 4th. With the weather starting to cool down and some of the crew ‘feeling it’, the day concluded with everyone retreating to their respective digs and reflecting on what could have been and what might have been. Day 2 – the Litmus Test with all the Open divisions run – Open and Quals– a decision was made to relocate to MM’s Beach and share the love and stoke with another boardie competition. Our International Public Relations Officer – Graham Lancaster negotiated with the other club that we would surf the right hand break and they could have the left hand break further down the beach. It kind of worked – yeah but nah! I guess when there is a set wave you take it no matter what! With both events converging on each other there was another public relations conversation to be had. So with a bit of negotiation we agreed that our riders would only go right and our competitors were advised that we wouldn’t score anyone going left. Bingo! With conditions ebbing and flowing with the outgoing tide, the shorey was a bit scary but nonetheless those that could – did, and our photographer Paul Ansell captured some amazing clips of riders deep in the tube. The Open div could have gone either way with competitors taking it to the limits with less than a point between each rider. It was very challenging for the judging personnel to ensure their scores were as accurate as possible with riders either going through to the final rounds or exiting stage left. The Open Final was magnificent to watch with Steve Blatchford getting his ‘teeth’ (he’s a dentist) into some of the gnarliest shories I have ever seen. His execution where it mattered gave him the blue ribbon first and he topped it off by also winning the Grand Masters Div – Well done Steve. Graham Lancaster, Darren Bason and the quiet achiever Oliver Burgess Buxton rounded out 2nd, 3rd and 4th positions respectively. The Qualifiers was thrilling to watch with both Douglas and Mick taking no prisoners. However it was Russell Hudson who had his mojo on all weekend taking out first place ahead of Douglas followed by ever improving Steve Flanagan and in 4th Mick. The back drop of the ocean, lush green grass plus sunny weather made for the passing parade to come down and take a gander; helped also by the wafting smell of the you beaut free sausage sizzle. Great idea Graham, and many thanks to Mel (her sister is a master chef) for firing up the barbie and cooking up a storm. The new WSA trailer looks the goods with action photos emblazoned – many thanks to Darren Bason coordinating the ‘wrap’ and Russell for carting the trailer all over the countryside. The day finished off with a dinner at the local RSL and many stories were had and shared amongst the Waveski family including catching up with local legends Lance Milnes and Dale Randahl and his family.A big thank you to everyone for all of your support enabling the weekend to be very successful. See you all at the next event in Ballina.Jackie DillonGuest Editor

Official Report & Results of the 2025 Easy Tiger Tasmanian Open


Easy Tiger Tasmanian Open finals day wrap up. Saturday and finals day started off with a bang at Scamander and while conditions looked okay initially, it wasn’t long before the call was made to relocate given that the top riders in the Open semi final heats were battling the strong cross shore and shallow banks. With a quick pack up and coffee the call was made to relocate to Falmouth Bay. This was a considerably tamer option with all riders able to get out the back and do what they do best. Quite a comical experience for everyone to cross the sandy bar and those with short statures - well you just had to find a pack horse to take you across. Given I had tweaked my shoulder in the qualifiers the day before, I made myself useful and assisted with judging. It was actually a lot of fun and gave me an opportunity to study each rider’s technique and where they pitched themselves in the lineup. The local Tassie riders were clearly very conditioned to the coolish breeze, but it was actually really cold, and even with a beanie and multiple layers my teeth kept chattering away in the judges seat. Given that the swell was expected to drop, it was full steam ahead to complete the event on Saturday. This is probably one of the hardest jobs of a contest director ie knowing when to stop heats and taking the risk that if you do, it might be even worse the next day. The ChallengersJody Denison meant business in the Challengers Div and took out first prize and on a tie break from Scott Harris, with locals Dave Kirkwood in 3rd and Nigel Foss in 4th. The Qualifiers was thrilling to watch with Jeff Gray surfing at A grade open level. I reckon he’s got a new lease of life for his surfing repertoire and manoeuvres seems have risen exponentially. Well done Jeff - you deserved first place in both the Open Qualifiers and Grand Champions Division. The rest of the final was made up with Steve Bailey in 2nd, Steve Flanagan in 3rd, Dave Kirkwood in 4th and Ricky Reeves in 5th. The Open A Grade final was poetry in motion - Rees Duncan , Darren Bason, Graham Lancaster, Cisco Nascimento and Darren Gale made for a very entertaining 20 minute final. Each rider had a very different style and a hunger and desire to win: it was anybody's and there for the taking. It could not have been scripted better - textbook, in the pocket, rail to rail, speed, power and flow. These guys knew what they had to do to impress the judges and they were on song. Congratulations to Rees for his moment of sheer brilliance on a heart stopping wave scoring 8.5 points and winning on a count back from Darren Bason, followed by Graham in 3rd, Cisco 4th and Darren Gale in 5th Place. . The Age divisions were just as competitive with the following resultsChampionsJeff Gray 1st, Steve Bailey 2nd, Bill Gray 3rd LegendsCisco Nascimento 1st, Ricky Reeves 2nd, Brett James 3rd Grand MastersGraham Lancaster 1st, Craig Fouracre 2nd, Darren Gale 3rd, Jody Dennison 4th and Nigel Foss 5th MastersRees Duncan 1st, Darren Bason 2nd, Steve Flanagan 3rd Congratulations to all competitors, the drone footage by Darren Bason who worked tirelessly behind the scenes editing and adding music, Contest Directing team – Graham Lancaster and Rees Duncan along with the Tasmanian Waveski Association. We could not have done this without you. The Presentation was held at the major sponsor Easy Tiger Tavern on Sunday, with new friendships made, great chit chat and with anticipation that we can do it all again real soon. Thank you to the sponsors and supporters for making this event memorable. For those of us able to experience the Apple Isle, I do hope you have had the time of your life – Tassie is just one of those places to visit and experience the ‘bucket list’ moment

Official Report & Results of the 2025 Alan McIntosh Kingscliff Qualifiers


A thrilling weekend to kick start Waveski Surfing Australia's tour series with the first event. There will be a few weary bodies today recovering from the thrills and spills of everything Kingscliff could offer: strong sweep, churning surf, gusty winds, rain and heat. 25 competitors braved the conditions with a bunch of top level A graders assisting with training, coaching, judging, drone and camera footage and just being there for back up support. With a variety pack of party faithfuls, old, new and not so new it was game on. One would have thought it was very simple to follow directions with our head of coaching and contest Director Rees Duncan instructing everyone not to stray beyond the beach markers. But yeah but nah the sweep dragged many of the competitors off towards north Kingscliff with a very long, did I say long, walk back to the competition site. After the first two heats of training, a very informed and wise decision was made to start the rounds of the qualifiers event itself. Many competitors struggled with the strong conditions but those who were able to navigate through the chop and back wash, get out the back and stay within the competition markers could take off on some fast waves. After the first round, a halt was called for the day and competitors returned to their digs before a social get together at Cudgen Surf Club. Conversations were had about could have, should have and was! Sunday was a new day and while the wind had settled, the swell had increased in size. The call was made and it was game on. Seemingly ‘Sheep stations’ were on offer and with live heats running, every competitor was battling for the coveted prize - the Alan McIntosh Perpetual Trophy and beautifully crafted trophies made and donated by Rees Duncan. Fitness was key, and many did the sprint up the beach against gusty winds. One had to admire our newly arrived ex pat South African Douglas Hendrikz who brought a whole new meaning to resilience and commitment; 'onya' Dougie making it through to the semi finals. The smiles said it all but there can only be one winner and this went to Ken Bowden in the Qualifiers and Dave Andrews in the Challengers. Results QualifiersIst place - Ken Bowden 2nd place - Scott Sommerville3rd place - Brett Titterton4th place - Russell Hudson Challengers Ist place - Dave Andrews2nd place - Rob Wilson3rd place - Scott Sommerville 4th place - Bill Gray Thanks must go to Rees for his event leadership, Darren Bason head judge,, Gary Ross, Darren Kearns, Tony Cherry, head of rescue - Graham Lancaster and to everyone else who pitched in and helped make a very successful event. See you all for the next event in Tasmania - first week of April! Come and join the party!
2024 Australian Waveski Circuit Results

Official Report & Results of the 2024 Australian Championship Tour



The completion of the recent Australian Open also capped off the 2024 AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR. The tour comprised of contests at Kingscliff, Coffs Harbour, Ballina and Newcastle across the year.
In the Open Mens division, close championship points existed between multiple competitors leading into the Australian Open. Michael Feenan’s recent result in the Sharon Samways Waveski Classic in Newcastle, combined with his 2nd place in the Australian Open, placed him within reach of Cherry and McIntrye . However, the Australian Open set the tone between Cherry and McIntrye as to who would emerge as the leader on the 2024 Australian Championship Tour. It seemed fate would determine that both Cherry and McIntrye would meet in a Man on Man semi-final within the Australian Open to determine 3rd and 4th places. Yet, this semi-final would ultimately determine the leader of the Championship Tour. The result saw Cherry defeat Darren McIntrye and relegate him into 4th place in the Australian Open. Therefore, Tony Cherry’s 3rd place in the 2024 Australian Open saw him close out the lead in the 2024 Championship tour overall.
The Open Womens Division was contested throughout the year at the various contest locations and ultimately decided at the Australian Open in Yamba. Jackie Dillon performed consistently at all contests attended and consolidated her results in Yamba to establish her position as the Championship Tour leader ahead of her nearest competitor in Milly Heycott.
Congratulations to the following competitors2024 Australian Championship Tour Results
OPEN1st - Tony Cherry2nd - Darren McIntyre3rd - Michael Feenan4th - Darren Bason5th - Brett Cronin6th - Stephen Blatchford7th - Tim Kierle8th - Graham Lancaster
OPEN WOMEN'S1st - Jackie Dillon2nd - Milly Heycott
STEPHEN HOWARTH CHALLENGERS DIVISION1st - Robert Wilson2nd - Steve Flanagan3rd - Milly Heycott4th - Dave Andrews
SCOTT MURNAIN QUALIFIERS DIVISION1st - Paul Gray2nd - Ben Baxter3rd - Steve Sargent4th - Jeff Gray
SENIORS1st - Oliver Burgess-Buxton2nd - Luke Mcaulay
MASTERS1st - Ben Baxter2nd - Steve Flanagan3rd - Michael Feenan4th - Guy Zerbst
GRAND MASTERS1st - Stephen Blatchford2nd - Darren Bason3rd - Brett Cronin4th - Darren McIntyre
LEGENDS1st - Steve Sargent2nd - Russell Hudson3rd - Francisco Nascimento4th - Brian Spicer
GRAND LEGENDS1st - Jeff Gray2nd - Jackie Dillon3rd - Chris Cook
CHAMPIONS1st - Graham Roberts2nd - Garry Ross3rd - Bill Gray4th - Steven Bailey

Official Contest Report Australian Open 2024 - Yamba, NSW

The Australian Open Waveski Surfing Championships is the biggest contest for Waveski Surfing Australia and competitors to conclude the 2024 competition calendar year. Held at Turners Beach, Yamba, New South Wales over an exciting week of competition between Australia’s best waveski surfers. The event saw 80 entrants contest 10 divisions covering multiple Age and Qualifications categories. Waveski Surfing Australia receives great support by the Clarence Valley Council to be able to hold this contest over 6 days as needed. The new Mayor, Ray Smith PSM - Mayor Clarence Valley Council joined us for the opening day of the contest.
Waveski Adventurers incredible contribution towards the event ensures the calibre of the Australian Open is recognised by the World Waveski Surfing Association as one of only 5 sanctioned international events each year. Professional judges, priority surfing, with man-on-man rounds ultimately determining the Open Men and Open Women winners. Results in both Open divisions contribute towards rankings for the next World Waveski Championships in Peru, South America.
Competitors experienced a variety of surfing conditions over the week from solid 4 ft ground swell at the beginning of the week with variable wind and swell conditions each day. The event window ran through to Saturday. Opening day of the contest greeted competitors with a sunny day, light winds and clean surf conditions. The first rounds were completed for Qualifiers, Seniors, Masters, Open Womens, Champions, Legends and Grand Legends. Competitors began understanding what the judges were looking for to achieve maximum scores for their surfing. Some slight damage occurred to a couple of Waveskis that met the sand but fortunately there were no injuries to any competitors other than wounded pride. As low tide occurred, contest organisers paused the contest for 2 hours anticipating the swell to increase with the incoming tide. However, Mother Nature was determined to have her say and sent a summer storm towards the Yamba region. With competitor safety being a paramount concern, the contest was called off for the remainder of the day. Strong winds, rain and lightning blew through the area justifying the decision to halt proceedings. The Grand Masters division was the only category not contested on the day. With that division becoming the opening round to start proceedings the following day. An increase in swell greeted competitors the following morning. Winds had also picked up overnight too which made for some slightly bumpy and challenging conditions. Wave selection was crucial and critical manoeuvres essential to be rewarded points by the judges. Both the Grand Masters and the start of the Main Round Open Division ran through their first-round completions and some dynamic surfing was witnessed. The Grand Masters division was completed as far as the Quarter Finals. The second round for the Masters Division was held with competitors results accumulating to determine the most consistent surfer (across 3 rounds). The third round of the Qualifiers Division was completed to close out the end of the day. Warmer sunny conditions greeted competitors at Turners Beach the following morning. A consistent 3-4ft swell was rolling in and a number of competitors took the chance for a free surf before the contest got underway at 8:00am. The competition schedule came down to the business end of the week with Semi Finals, Man on Man heats, priority surfing and additional rounds of the Open Women’s and Grand Legends. The Top 8 Open Men competitors who had battled it out to this point of the contest now faced each other across 4 x Man on Man heats in elimination rounds. The contest draw and progression saw the following match ups with priority bringing the focus purely upon the standard of surfing. - Tony Cherry / Darren Bason - Darren McIntyre / Darren Kearns- Michael Feenan / Tim Kerle - Brett Cronin / Cisco Nascimento The contest was halted for the day after these rounds were completed. The tide receded along with the swell. Yet there were some incredibly close results with judges needing to split hairs in allocating scores, an example being a 0.07 lead determining Darren McIntyre’s advancement into the Top 4 Open Men ahead of Darren Kearns. Cherry, Feenan and Cronin joined McIntrye in the final 4 of the competition.
Organisers had built in sufficient time within the contest draw to account for delays. Each day, the event ran through to approximately 2:00pm to capitalise upon optimum surf conditions in the prevailing weather and swell forecasts. The decision was made to push the event to conclusion by Friday in anticipation of forecasted conditions significantly deteriorating by Saturday. In hindsight, the wisdom of this decision proved to be 100% the right call !This set the tone for finals day across all divisions!
The Top 4 Open Men’s winners progressed into 2 x 2 Man on Man heats with priority. The 4 x 2nd place holders in the Quarter Finals dropped across to a Minor Final for determining 4th to 8th place. The Minor Final with resulted Bason taking the win ahead of Kearns, Kerle and Nascimento in that order.
The 2nd places in the 2 x Man On Man Semi Finals were relegated to battling out for 3rd and 4th positions having to sit back and watching the remaining 2 compete for the title in the Australian Open Men’s Final. A hotly contested Open Men’s division witnessed excellent surfing across the whole week with consistent surfing in a variety of conditions deciding who advanced among the tough competition present. Spectators witnessed Darren McIntrye (Coffs Harbour) against Brett Cronin (Brisbane) and Tony Cherry (Gold Coast) against Michael Feenan (Newcastle). McIntrye and Cherry were relegated to surfing for 3rd and 4th places whilst Cronin and Feenan advanced to meet each other in the Open Mens Final. Michael Feenan held a solid lead for the most part with a solid wave in the opening stages of the Open Final, until the dying minutes, when Brett Cronin consolidated his last 3 waves as his best with his best 2 highest scores pushing him into the lead to claim victory as the Australian Open Champion for 2024.
The Open Women’s title was won by Perth based, Jacqueline Dillon, with consistent surfing throughout the whole week against Milly Heycott (Wollongong) and international competitor Heather Seaton (New Zealand).Results and scores for the Australian Open can be viewed on Live Heats here : https://liveheats.com/events/201417 Australian Open - ResultsOpen1st - Brett Cronin 2nd - Michael Feenan3rd - Tony Cherry4th - Darren McIntrye5th - Darren Bason6th - Darren Kearns7th - Tim Keirle8th - Cisco Nascimento
Open Women’s 1st - Jackie Dillon2nd - Milly Heycott3rd - Heather Seaton
Challengers1st - Milly Heycott2nd - Robert Wilson3rd - Bill Gray4th - Dave Andrews
Qualifiers1st - Ben Baxter2nd - Paul Gray3rd - Andrew Daff4th - Chris Cook5th - Jeff Gray6th - Steve Sargent 7th - Russell Hudson 8th - Brian Spicer
Champions 1st - Graham Roberts 2nd - Garry Ross3rd - Andrew Daff4th - Bill Gray
Grand Legends1st - Jeff Gray2nd - Chris Cook3rd - Jackie Dillon
Legends1st - Cisco Nascimento2nd - Steve Sargent3rd - Brian Spicer 4th - Russell Hudson 5th - Milly Heycott
Grand Masters1st - Steve Blatchford2nd - Brett Cronin3rd - Tony Cherry4th - Darren Bason
Masters1st - Michael Feenan2nd - Ben Baxter3rd - Steve Flanagan4th - Guy Zerbst
Seniors1st - Ollie Burgess-Buxton2nd - Luke Macaulay

2024 Australian Championship Tour Presentation night

Results of the 2024 Waveski Surfing Australia Title based on the best two events held throughout the year plus double points from the Australian Open.Congratulations to the following competitors
Open1st - Tony Cherry2nd - Darren McIntyre3rd - Michael Feenan4th - Darren Bason5th - Brett Cronin6 - Stephen Blatchford7th - Tim Kierle8th - Graham Lancaster
Open Women's1st - Jackie Dillon2nd - Milly Heycott
Stephen Howarth Challengers Division1st - Robert Wilson2nd - Steve Flanagan3rd - Milly Heycott4th - Dave Andrews
Scott Murnain Qualifiers Division1st - Paul Gray2nd - Ben Baxter3rd - Steve Sargent4th - Jeff Gray
Seniors1st - Oliver Burgess-Buxton2nd - Luke Mcaulay
Masters1st - Ben Baxter2nd - Steve Flanagan3rd - Michael Feenan4th Guy Zerbst
Grand Masters1st - Stephen Blatchford2nd - Darren Bason3rd - Brett Cronin4th - Darren McIntyre
Legends1st - Steve Sargent2nd - Russell Hudson3rd - Francisco Nascimento4th - Brian Spicer
Grand Legends1st - Jeff Gray2nd - Jackie Dillon3rd - Chris Cook
Champions1st - Graham Roberts2nd - Garry Ross3rd - Bill Gray4th - Steven Bailey

Sharon Samways Classic 20, 21 & 22 September - Results

The Sharon Samways Newcastle Open was run over the past 3 days in pristine conditions. Each day the surfers where greeted with 2-3ft clean waves with offshore winds and clear blue skis. Every competitor surfed to their potential taking full advantage of these epic conditions which made for some spectacular viewing. Well done to all who attended and the committee for providing this platform to compete. Special thanks goes to Mike Feenan and Col Samways for the pre comp organisation, Mitch Samways from Loan Clothing for his generosity of vouchers and gear and Juice Plus for their ongoing support.Next stop, the Australian Open, Yamba, 28 October to 2 November. Remember this carries double points towards the Australian championship. Entries are now open via live heats. Results Open Men: 1. Graham Lancaster 2. Michael Feenan 3. Stephen Blatchford4. Darren McIntyre Open Women:1. Jackie Dillon2. Milly Heycott Qualifiers: 1. Ben Baxter 2. Jai Cooper 3. Paul Gray 4. Steven Waters Challengers1. Milly Heycott2. Steve Flanagan3. Scott Harris4. Bill Gray Champions: 1. Garry Ross 2. Steven Bailey 3. Graham Roberts 4. Dave Andrews Grand Masters:1. GrahaLancaster2. Darren Bason3. Brett Cronin4. Stephen Blatchford Legends: 1. Russell Hudson 2. Steve Sargent 3. Milly Heycott Masters:1. Michael Feenan2. Ben Baxter3. Steve Flanagan Grand Legends:1. Jeff Gray2. Jackie Dillon

Coffs Harbour Open - Emerald Beach - Results

The event took place in Sandy Beach, NSW, Australia and here you have all the results. Congrats to all!! RESULTS OPEN 1st Tony Cherry2nd Darren McIntyre3rd Graham Lancaster4th Stephen Blatchford Qualifiers Division1st Paul Gray2nd Steve Sargent3rd Dean Warner4th Steve Bailey (back from retirement!) Challengers Division1st Jai Cooper2nd Steve Flanagan3rd Rob Wilson4th Nigel Foss Champions Division 70-741st Graham Robert’s2nd Garry Ross3rd Bill Gray4th Dave Andrews Legends Division 60-64 1st Cisco Nascimento2nd Steve, 3rd Russell Hudson4th Andrew Smith from way down South! Grand Masters 50-59 1st Graham Lancaster2nd Stephen Blatchford3rd Darren McIntyre4th Rhys Pollett Masters- 35-49 1st Ben Baxter2nd Steve Flanagan

Ballina Open

The Ballina Open got off to a bold and successful start on Saturday 5th April with clean waves ranging from 4ft to 5ft at Flat Rock Beach. Unfortunately, Day 2 was put on hold due to deteriorating conditions. A decision was made to run the rest of the event on the sunday before the Australain Open in Yamba. Finals Day report A terrific morning with the two remaining finals run before Aus Open. Conditions were smallish yet clean and off shore.
Open Ist - Tony Cherry found the right spot to sit and waited for the set waves 2nd - Darren McIntyre smooth moves and free flowing rider. Close finish to Tony3rd - Darren Bason just needed a few more link ups, another free flowing rider 4th - Tim Kierle possibly needed to be surfing the rights instead of the left hander. Nonetheless another free flowing rider. Will no doubt be someone to notice this week. Qualifiers final results Ist - Paul Gray who left it to the dying minutes to take off an explosive set wave rewarding him with good scores2nd Russell Hudson - Mr Consistency and I think we haven’t seen the best of Russell yet - well done.3rd Geoff Cougle - Geoff has gone from strength to strength during the last 12 months.Thank you to everyone who assisted in this contest, behind the scenes with organising equipment and making sure the event ran smoothly.
Check out a quick video of day one here

Kingscliff Challengers/Qualifiers - Results

The Alan McIntosh Kingscliff Challengers was held over the weekend at Kingscliff Beach - a brilliant start to Waveski Surfing Australia's (WSA) 2024 Waveski Circuit. With Live Heats now a feature of WSA events, everyone could see scores as they were being judged.
With a new look WSA Committee underpinned by enthusiasm, experience and commitment to a wonderful year, Kingscliff definitely ticked all the boxes.As a testament to the winners from the 2023 WSA Circuit, the Challengers Div has been renamed for 2024 as the Stephen Howarth Challengers and the Qualifiers Divisions has been renamed for 2024 as the Scott Murnain Qualifiers.
The weekend was a combination of coaching with competitors hearing from the best following each heat. And with something a little different added, the second tier A grade riders had a challenger division of their own. 32 riders across all three divisions made up a for an exciting contest.Saturday morning greeted us with cross on shore winds and a small swell to go with it. The call was made to run with it as Sunday was not going to be much better. Under the guidance of Rees Duncan and Graham Lancaster - appointed Contest Directors - we enjoyed a weekend of thrills, spills, oohs and ahhs!
It was a case of catch a wave, do the best you can, paddle into shore, do a Cathy Freeman sprint up the beach and paddle out again. Otherwise you ended up at the Seaway Spit. Unfortunately Bill Gray's quarterfinal didn't end well with a wrenched shoulder courtesy of 'kissing' the sand. Hopefully Bill will be back for the next event.
With experienced A grade riders judging, riders were rewarded for their innovation and choosing the right wave as they were there to be had.Notable standouts were really everyone, as it was a marathon effort to manage the wind affected waves. However as we know there can be only one winner for each division with podium finishers.
A Grade Invitational 1. Michael Jones2. Tim Keirle3. Graham Roberts4. Cisco Nascimento5. Garry Ross
Qualifiers1. Paul Gray2. Chris Cook3. Scott Waldron4. Rob Wilson
Challengers1. Steve Flanagan2. Dave Andrews3. Rob Wilson4. Jody Dennison5. Nigel Foss
The social aspect of our event was showcased with Saturday evening spent enjoying dinner at Cudgen Surf Club with thanks to Shane McIntosh, son of Alan, for a generous donation and on going support. Thank you to everyone who made this weekend possible and the behind the scenes support from our photographers - Jeff Butterworth and Brett Cronin, our equipment manager Russell Hudson, Contest and Judging Crew - Rees, Graham, Darren Kearns, Darren Bason, Darren McIntyre, Tony Cherry, Cisco and Tim and everyone else who assisted without which our event would not have been the success that it was. Check out the photos from the weekend here Jackie DillonWSA Secretary, Beach Safety and Gender Equity Officer.