Action caught on day one of the Tyrelife Solutions SA Para Surf Championship and Para Surf League Open. Picture: Greg Chapman
Cape Town - The Tyrelife Solutions SA Para Surf Championship and Para Surf League Open will on Sunday crown its top surfers in the finals and award ceremony at Surfers Corner, Muizenberg following an adrenaline-filled weekend of sporting.
Saturday saw the opening day of the annual event powered by Ocean Freedom with 62 athletes competing across 9 Para Surf divisions and three inclusive open divisions.
Athletes kicked off the event in decent 2-3 foot waves that held for most of the day with a steady offshore wind. The first day finished with an expression session featuring some of the top Para Surfers from around the world including South African Team member and ISA silver medalist JP Veaudry.
Event organiser Roxy Davis, said: “What an extraordinary collaborative effort from athletes, volunteers, supporters, family, chaperones, coaches, water safety, officials, sponsors and event partners to make the opening day of the SA Para Surf Champs and Para Surf League Open such a huge success.”
President of Surfing South Africa, Isaac February, praised the inspiring event and said “perfect waves allowed for all surfers to showcase their skill and share the stoke.”
Event head judge, Bongani Xulu, said: “What a great first day from all the athletes, we had scores ranging from good to high. The waves have been good and it certainly has been great to see international surfers adjusting perfectly to our local surf conditions. We are looking forward to seeing more good surfing tomorrow with the finals taking place.”
Contest director Reza de Nicker, said there are a lot of moving parts that go into running a surf contest.
“When it all comes together, the reward is seeing stoked athletes being given the best opportunities to showcase their talent. Day 1 was amazing with perfect 2-3 foot waves at Muizenberg. The athletes put on a great show and the day ended off in style with the perfect Expression Session that was enjoyed by all spectators. It was truly inspiring to see the athletes ‘let loose’ for 20 minutes and have loads of fun,” said De Nicker.
Founder and President of the Para Surf League, Dana Cummings, said: “What an epic day of surf to kick off the Para Surf League Global Tour at the South Africa Para Surf Champs and Para Surf League Open.
“We couldn’t have partnered with a better team than the South African Surfing Federation, the Roxy Davis Foundation and all of their amazing teams and partners who have committed so much to this event.”
Finals started at 8am Sunday morning with an Awards and Closing Ceremony expected to conclude the day's surfing action.
Cape Times