Groms On Fire For Opening Day Of The Rip Curl GromSearch Scottburgh presented by The Blue Marlin Hotel MyZA

Kai Stubbs © Dave Lindemann Photography

Long walls reeling down the Scottburgh point from behind the tidal pool revealed themselves at first light this morning as we kicked off the Rip Curl GromSearch Scottburgh presented by The Blue Marlin Hotel.

This tournament is number 3 in a 5-part series, and once again, the waves turned on, much like in the previous two events, held in Cape Town and Victoria Bay.

Opening up the surfing this morning were the U14 Boys, who climbed straight in at 07:30. Loghann Tilsley and Ben Esterhyse surfed exceptionally well, along with Rylie Balfour, and were the highest-scoring surfers of the round.

Rock jump fun and games © Dave Lindemann Photography

In the U18 boys, Levi Epenetos continued his fine form with the top-scoring heat of the division. Clay Turrell was also on fire, banking 11.83 for the second-highest points tally of the round. In addition, the two goofy footers showed that surfing with their backs to the waves was no disadvantage.

All eyes were on the Premier U16 Division, and some make-or-break heroics were in this opening round. Cooper Smith, David Emslie and Kai Stubbs surfed with power, speed and flow to impress the judges and banked the highest heats scores for their ultra-competitive division.

The onshore fluttered for the last few heats of the day, but it didn’t slow the U12s down. Marcello Zedde (12.67), Sean Taylor, and Levi Vosloo were the division’s top surfers, giving us a glimpse of our future stars.

Waves were pouring through the whole day © Dave Lindemann Photography

The day finished with the U18 Girls’ quarterfinals, and the high scores were still pouring through. Louise Lepront used her local knowledge to score the top points of the round with a massive 14.83, the highest heat score of the day. Chloe Ribbink and Anastasia Venter were also impressive, both winning their heats.

LiveHeats will cover the contest, with live scores available throughout the event. You can find the heat schedule and the heats here – liveheats

Complimentary high-resolution images are available for media outlets on request.

Rip Curl South Africa: https://www.ripcurl.co.za/

The Blue Marlin Hotel

With a history spanning 60 years, holidaymakers have been making cherished memories at The Blue Marlin for decades.

Location is everything at The Blue Marlin Hotel. It doesn’t get much better than having the ocean on your doorstep.

Survey the spectacular surf as you sit perfectly positioned at the peak of the charming seaside town of Scottburgh, just 45 minutes from Durban, along the picturesque KwaZulu-Natal South Coast.

www.bluemarlinhotel.co.za

info@bluemarlin.co.za

T: 039 978 3361

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Surfing South Africa

Surfing South Africa is the official National Federation for surfing in South Africa. SSA is a member of the South African Confederation of Sport and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and is recognised as the governing body by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.

Surfing South Africa is responsible for developing the sport, hosting National tournaments, sanctioning international events and selecting the national teams. This is for all disciplines that are part of SSA.

SSA is one of the 109 members of the International Surfing Association (ISA), the World governing body for the sport. For more information about Surfing South Africa, go to www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za or find SurfingSA on Facebook.