ZigZag

Third Heat Of The Day It has been nine days or so already in Ballito. The contest schedule has been intense, with so many competitions running back to back to totally satiate the appetite of every competitive surfer in the country and the surfing spectators and fans out there. Events: O’Neill SMTH Shapes Rookie Rippers – SAST U12, U14, U16 & U18 Boys & Girls O’Neill SMTH SHAPES Ballito Pro Junior – JQS1000 Men & Women Ballito Open presented by Flojos – WSL QS1000 Men & Women Sea Harvest KZN Surfing Outreach Initiative ... Читать дальше...

O’Neill SMTH Shapes Rookie Rippers (SAST U12, U14, U16 & U18 Boys & Girls) Setting The waves in Ballito are called Sunrise, Surfers, Bathers and Bog. It is not the most original of names, but it is descriptive enough when you look into it a little. The sun rises there, you surf there, you can swim there, and you can go to the toilet around the corner over there. TLDR O’Neill SMTH Shapes Rookie Rippers comprised many heats squeezed into two days, with little room to wait for the best conditions as the event was popular... Читать дальше...

Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) and Luke Thompson (RSA) won the World Surf League (WSL) Ballito Open presented by Flojos Qualifying Series (QS) 1,000 on Sunday 30 June in challenging one-to-two foot surf in Ballito. The swell might have dropped, but today’s finalists showed their mettle to advance through the competition to make it all the way to the podium. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) being carried up the beach by Bella Kenworthy (USA) and Amuro Tsuzuki (JPN). © WSL / McGregor Fitzgibbons Spars With New Generation... Читать дальше...

There were some tense moments on the final day of the 2024 O’Neill SMTH Shapes Ballito Pro Junior, which is bound to happen in any junior surf contest in South Africa and worldwide. The waves were inconsistent, there were some incredibly close calls with some low-scoring heats making for tiny margins, and there will always be more losers than winners. Still, the kids are doing this for fun, right? Our winners were Jarvis Earle (Aus) and Laura Raupp (Brazil), but there was so much for the juniors to learn from this event. Читать дальше...

What does it take to be a champ? When it comes to winning, a lot happens on the beach before the surfers even hit the water. Read on to find out what some of the top groms do before their heats: Whether it is a specific type of music blasted into the ears, a specific set of stretches that need to be done, or just a quiet moment in the corner as you gather your thoughts.  On a Championship Tour level, you can see Jack Robinson going through his somewhat bizarre-looking breathing routine, or Italo Ferreira with his headphones on... Читать дальше...

An icy winter morning greeted competitors on the opening day of the O’Neill SMTH Shapes Rookie Rippers event as excited junior surfers headed down to register. This popular contest starts two weeks of competition surfing in Ballito, around the Ballito Pro Festival.  The waves were small and highly contestable, and the event had a full entry list, so it was early into the water for Heat 1. The first heat win in the first heat of the day, the U12 Boys Quarterfinal Heat 1, went to local surfer Tyler Balfour... Читать дальше...

It’s early days at the O’Neill SMTH Shapes Rookie Rippers at the Ballito Pro. Waves At Willards Beach were mid, but performances were inspiring. There were loads of heats to watch today and to state the obvious, there were two ways to get through your heat. One: Dominate Make it transparently clear that you have won the heat(s) and that there can be no doubt in anyone’s mind, let alone a judge. Matt Canning took apart the rights and the lefts at Willard Beach in his U16 Round One heat to win convincingly against Ry Colepepper... Читать дальше...

The World Surf League (WSL) J-Bay Classic Presented by Corona Specialty completed the first Thruster Round for men and women in clean, three-to-four-foot waves at Supertubes. As the onshore wind arrived, it created the perfect conditions for the Sealand Airs For Good expression session which saw local youngsters and international invitees go to air all for a good cause. Trials winner Luke Thompson is proving to be a real threat in the Supertubes lineup when he earned an excellent 8.00 in the Thruster... Читать дальше...

Luke Thompson (RSA) and Sarah Baum (RSA) won the World Surf League (WSL) J-Bay Classic Trials Presented by Corona today in two-to-three foot surf. With this win, Thompson and Baum get to compete against the elite field of invitees in the J-Bay Classic Presented by Corona Specialty event, which runs from 17-23 June. Pictured: Luke Thompson (RSA) won the WSL J-Bay Classic Men’s Trials presented by Corona Credit: © WSL / Tostee Thompson Secures Main Event Slot, Overcomes Stacked Local Field The waves were pumping for the Semifinals... Читать дальше...

The World Surf League (WSL) J-Bay Classic Presented by Corona Specialty Event competition window opens today, 14 June and runs through 23 June, 2024 at Supertubes, Jeffreys Bay. The quaint surf town of J-Bay is buzzing with excitement to welcome the invited athletes to their shores, which include World Champions Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Mark ‘Occy’ Occhilupo (AUS), and Adriano de Souza (BRA). Joining the exclusive invitee list will be South Africa’s Michael February, a former WSL Championship Tour (CT) surfer. Читать дальше...