How monster Gold Coast surfing week unfolded
Wow, what a whopper of a week, writes Surf Scene’s Andrew McKinnon.
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WOW, what a whopper of a week.
The Global Wave Conference coinciding with the first new swell of the year and the news that Mick Fanning is heading for parenthood.
Expecting pumping surf from Thursday and Friday. Fortunately for the delegates and speakers of Global Wave Conference they will get the chance to charge some serious surf at Kirra and the Superbank in the 6–10-foot range.
The 12th World Surfing Reserve will be voted on at Gold Coast Southern Cross University on Friday in a historic meeting with the executive council whose members are attending the GWC.
The City of Gold Council has provided another historic meeting for the Gold Coast World Surfing Reserve local stewardship committee with international partners Save the Waves coalition and other WSRs designations.
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On the agenda is council’s Ocean Beaches strategy and the surf management plan that underpins the Gold Coast World Surfing Reserve from Burleigh to Snapper Rocks.
The artificial reef at Palm beach has been added to the discussion plus coastal strategies for beach and surf amenity including surf safety and creating awareness.
The Gold Coast is the only World Surfing Reserve that has such a surf management plan that engages with council and the state government.
Surfrider Foundation will convene a special International AGM with CEO of Surfrider Foundation USA Chad Nelsen and the national chair of Australia Surfrider Susie Crick including regional charters.
The surfing academics called “international surfing researchers” will hold their third annual meeting.
Australia’s best boardriding clubs will be battling it out for the annual ABB (national clubs title) at Newcastle City Beach this weekend.
Noticeably absent is former winners Snapper Rocks Surfriders who failed to make the cut.
However both the Burleigh Boardriders and the Kingscliff boardriders have qualified.
The Kingy crew will be represented by recently crowned Australian junior champion Dane Henry, legendary competitor Dean Bevan, Cali Barret, MP Classic winner Mitch James, Ruben Brinsmead and Australian junior representative at the world ISA juniors champion Micah Margieson.
Burleigh’s team is rock solid like the pointbreak, includes top ranking WQS pro Liam Obrien, QCC champion Thomas Woods and WQS competitor Hinata Aizawa.
In the women big wave charger Felicity Palmateer might be in trouble after a horrible wipe-out at home break Margaret River which would give Pipi Bunker a chance.
Australian junior competitors Chez Bos and Rico Haybittle and seniors Simon Massey and Kyle Robinson make up a solid team for Burleigh whose war cry is “red and white surfing dynamite”.
“Preparation 2020 has been great and the team is sharp,” said coach “Dvex”, aka former Novocastrian Kyle Robinson.
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“We want to be in the final this year after getting knocked in the semi last year. We’ve got a crew of supporters coming down on a fun dedicated BB bus and all of us are staying over at Stockton to keep the team focused and squad altogether.”
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