2011 WP Open of Surfing

Seli Wreck

@ Tableview on Day One (20 August) Tube Wave Melkbosstrand on Day Two (21 August) 20 & 21 August 2011 Beauty and the beast for surfers in 2011 WP Open of Surfing The eighth edition of the WP Open of Surfing, featuring over 40 of South Africa’s top surfers from all parts of the country, was held in conditions that ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous at the weekend. Competitors in this 2A rated Surfing South Africa Pro Surf Tour (PST) event for Men, Women, Pro Junior Boys and Pro Junior Girls divisions were exposed to the Cape Peninsula’s late winter extremes as they enjoyed perfect 4-6 foot waves and ideal conditions on Day One and were exposed to mushy, uncontrollable 6-8 foot surf and rain at Melkbosstrand on Day Two. The massive cold front and huge surf predicted to lash the Cape from Friday last week held off for a day giving organisers a chance to run the bulk of the heats in perfect weather and highly contestable surf at Tableview. The storm hit with a vengeance in the early hours of Sunday morning and, with only 4 hours of surfing to complete, Tube Wave at Melkbosstrand was chosen as the venue. Despite driving rain and a tough rip the few hardy souls who came down to watch were treated to some fine competition surfing. There were three standout surfers on the final day.

One was current Under 20 SA Champion Sarah Baum of Durban who not only won the U20 division yesterday but finished as runner up in the Women’s final behind SA Champion Nikita Robb. The 18 year old posted a highest wave score of 9.0 out of 10 in both her Under 20 semifinal and Final and was one of only three surfers to surf four times and in two finals in the tough conditions.

Another standout in the difficult conditions was Open Division winner, 18 year old David Brand of Kommetjie. Brand, a bronze medalist in the ISA World Junior Championships in Peru in June, brought current SA and SA Masters Champion Greg Emslie’s 16 month winning streak to an end when he pushed the East London surfer into second place. Emslie, the defending WP Open champion, began his charge back in March 2010 and won eight national events between then and the end of July when he became the SA Masters Champion. Brand also came second in the Under 20 Boys division, losing out to fellow SA Junior Team member Steven Sawyer of Jeffreys Bay.

The third standout was 18 year-old Tanika Hoffman of Kommetjie who, along with Baum and Brand, surfed in four heats in four hours. She two made two finals, finishing second to Baum in the Under 20 division and fourth in the Women’s final.

The WP Open of Surfing was presented by Surfing South Africa. As a 2A PST event in each division it offered contestants a share of R40 000 in prize money and valuable Pro Surf Tour points. In addition the event formed part of a three day training camp for 16 of South Africa’s top female surfers. The camp, supported by Sport and Recreation SA, saw the selected girls not only participate in the event but will also see them spending today (Monday) training at the Sports Science Institute. Full heat results right up to the finals and photos from Day one of the WP Open are available on www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za . Surfing South Africa is recognized by Sport and Recreation SA (SRSA) as the governing body for the sport. SSA is a member of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and the International Surfing Association (ISA). WP Open of Surfing Results

Open Men 1. David Brand (Kommetjie) 2. Greg Emslie (East London) 3. Shane Thorne (Boubergstrand) 4. Llewellyn Whittaker (Mossel Bay)

Open Women 1. Nikita Robb (East London) 2. Sarah Baum (Durban) 3. Heather Clark (Port Shepstone) 4. Tanika Hoffman (Kommetjie)

U20 Boys 1. Steven Sawyer (Jeffreys Bay) 2. David Brand (Kommetjie) 3. Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay) 4. Jacob Mellish (Strand)

U20 Girls 1. Sarah Baum (Durban) 2. Tanika Hoffman (Kommetjie) 3. Faye Zoetmulder (Port Elizabeth) 4. Danielle Johnson (Delft)