Biggest swell of the week sets up GromSearch finals day at Phillip Island
Day 3 delivered 4 to 5ft sets at Cape Woolamai before the storm hit, with division champions to be crowned on Friday.
THE biggest waves of the week rolled into Cape Woolamai on Thursday as Day 3 of the Rip Curl GromSearch Phillip Island wrapped up the early rounds and set up finals day on Friday.
Sets pushed 4 to 5ft and, with little to no wind in the morning, organisers ran heats through until 2pm before an approaching storm shifted the wind.
Of the local surfers, Sandy Point’s Lillian Bassed went furthest, finishing second in her under-18 girls quarter-final with 14.57 before finishing second again in her semi-final with 11.1 to miss Friday’s final.
Phillip Island’s Angus Kennedy bowed out in the under-16 boys quarter-finals, finishing third in his heat after winning his round 2 heat with 14.07.
Jan Juc’s Lily White, one of the few Victorians left in the draw, broke a run of first-round exits at Phillip Island with a 9.33 to reach the under-14 girls semi-finals for the first time.
“I think I’ve been to Phillip Island about six or seven times, and every year I’ve usually been knocked out in the first round of this event, so I’m super stoked to finally make it through to the semis,” White said.
“The waves are pumping, and even though it was pretty nerve-wracking surfing against girls who are absolutely ripping, I love coming here, and I’m just super happy.”
Newcastle’s Hayden Mee used power and wave selection to win a high-scoring heat and advance to the under-14 boys semi-finals.
“This is one of my favourite comps I’ve done this year, the conditions are really fun, and we even went to see the penguins yesterday,” Mee said.
“I’m going to try and get the ones that hold up a bit, not ones that are a bit fast, so I can get multiple turns.”
Avalon’s Maverick MacGugan was a standout in the under-14 boys, surfing at a level that rivalled the older divisions.
“This is my first time on Phillip Island, and I love it; it’s such a cool place,” MacGugan said.
“The waves are always good, and I’ve never had waves this good in a competition before.”
Defending champion Locana “Loci” Cullen meets Jaxon Pardoe in Friday’s under-16 boys final, Talia Tebb takes on Maddison Kenchington in the under-16 girls final, Reef Cant faces Lachlan Arghyros in the under-18 boys and Olive Hardy meets Lani Cairncross in the under-18 girls.
The under-14 boys semi-finals pit MacGugan against Max Goold and Mee against Banjo Bemrose, while the under-14 girls semi-finals feature Everly Morgan against Sage Fleming and White against Cobie O’Day.
Organisers plan to time the finals around the wind and tides to crown the champions before any weather change affects the surf.
On Day 2 on Wednesday, Kennedy won his round 2 heat with two 7-point rides to book his quarter-final spot, while Bassed progressed through round 1 of the under-18 girls with a pair of 5-point rides.
“It was really fun out there, the waves kind of turned on and it’s been pumping the last two days,” Kennedy said on Wednesday.
“It’s so good having such a high level of surfing on the waves I surf every day; it’s pretty inspiring to watch.”
Bassed said the standard of the interstate surfers was pushing her to lift.
“It’s definitely great surfing with the girls from the other states because they’re all very good and it makes me surf my best; I can’t surf safe,” she said.
The event opened on Tuesday in clean 3ft waves, with Cullen posting a perfect 10 for a full 360-degree aerial on his way to a 19.43 heat total, before backing up with 18.53 in round 2 on Wednesday.
The event, presented by Bass Coast Shire, is the final 10,000-point event on the GromSearch calendar, with results counting towards qualification for the Rip Curl GromSearch National Final at URBNSURF.
