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Light offshore and firing, it was another day in paradise for the Billabong SA Junior Champs Day 4. The waves were absolutely firing at Lower Point in JBay and the surfers hit the water at first light for another day of heavy competition. The sun came out, the heat started to rise and the wind forgot to blow for the first couple of rounds.
Some of those early heats had probably some of the best waves seen for a junior contest this year. It was absolute glass and the surfers went to town on the perfect reeling walls of the Lower Point. Until the wind started puffing from the southeast.
It didn’t take long for the waves to deteriorate and some of the surfers had poor performances in the lesser conditions. Ethan Fletcher from Cape Town was a shock elimination in the light onshore conditions.
Soon after, the wind turned even slightly more to the south, and it was all a bit disappointing after so many days of excellent surf. Still the show had to go on.
As the U15 Boys division, one of the most stacked and competitive divisions in the contest took to the water.
A big surprise was the third heat of the U15 Boys division, with Tide-Lee Ireland and Luke Slijpen going down in the quarters, and Angelo Faulkner (2nd) and Karl Steen in first and advancing through to the semis.
In the U13 Boys James Ribbink surfed a good heat against Luke Thompson and Kye McGregor, winning the heat and making it through to the final. “It’s my first SA Champs, and it’ll be my first SA Champs final so I’m really excited to make the final,” said Ribbink after the heat.
The forecast looks good for tomorrow. Another day of perfect waves at Lower Point in JBay.
Photos by Ian Thurtell
