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WA’s longest running event, the 47th Sunshine Surf Masters presented by Mitchell & Brown and Retravision, brought together local and grass roots surfing talent at Flat Rocks Beach last weekend, providing an action-packed display of surfing. Day one of the competition saw surfers from across the State from Under 16’s to Over 60’s battling it out in fun surf with light to moderate onshore conditions and a building swell. Unfortunately, conditions deteriorated on day two, but competitors continued to impress with quality surfing in the finals. “Arriving early at the contest site on Sunday morning, we were greeted with the complete wreckage of our event structures due to a front that came through stronger than anticipated,” said Geraldton Boardriders President Nic Chadbourne. “The ocean was angry and messy but after a discussion with the surfers, who were still frothing to get out there, we pulled the trigger and got underway. The conditions started to settle, the sun came out and the wind moderating and the swell settling, and the surfing so red hot you could feel the warmth from the beach.” The Open Men’s final was a close fought battle, with the four finalists trading waves and dropping big numbers in the tricky conditions. With a relentless attack all weekend, it was Geraldton’s James Fleming who came out on top, narrowly beating Finn Cox (Margaret River), Shaun Howe (Kalbarri) and Jake Hagan (Geraldton), respectively. The open women’s final saw Lily Shepard, who has recently moved to Geraldton from Albany, overcome Indie Siedmiogrodzki (City Beach), Sarah Kenyon (Geraldton), and Luxe Higgins (Falcon). As winners of the Open Men’s and Women’s divisions, both James and Lily have received wild cards into next year’s Margaret River Pro Trials event, as well as $500 cash and prizes. The Over 60’s ‘Sam’s Division’ was once again a highlight of the event, commemorating the memory of local surfer Sam Salmond. After battling a short but fierce rainstorm, Steve Williams emerged the winner of the heat. “Despite the challenging conditions and the loss of infrastructure the whole event was another memorable and successful experience with good vibes from everyone involved,” said Chadbourne.. “The standout surfer for the event was James Fleming,” he said. “Not only did he win the Open Men’s, he also won the non-comps (surfers who haven’t surfed in any competition format during the year) division, and completed a massive straight air to take out the expression session.” Open Men’s
Open Women’s
Cadets (16 & under)
Junior Mens (19 & under)
Non-Comps
Seniors (Over 30’s)
Masters (Over 40’s)
Grand Masters (Over 50’s)
Sam’s Division (Over 60’s)
Expression Session
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