South African surfers riding high
Brad Morgan
20 February 2007
The inaugural South African Surfing Awards, presented by Zigzag on the weekend, proved to be a huge success, with tickets sold out well in advance. In a unanimous decision, Jordy Smith was named South African Surfer of the Year.
The Durban teenager claimed two world titles in 2006, including the senior title at the ISA Surfing Games at Huntington Beach in California and the world junior title at Narrabeen Beach, Sydney. He also picked up a third place in the Billabong Pro World Championship Tour (WCT) event at Jeffreys Bay, and was named the Vans Triple Crown Rookie of the Year in Hawaii.
'A deserving winner'
"Jordy Smith was a deserving winner of the Surfer of the Year title, and it was awesome to have living legends present for the induction to the Surfing Hall of Fame," said Mike Frew of Zigzag Magazine.
The new inductees included Mike Larmont, Tony van den Heuwel, Jonathan Paarman, Gavin Rudolph,
George Thomopolous, and Shaun Tomson, the most famous South African surfer of all time.
While Smith was deservedly named surfer of the year, 2006 was an excellent year for South Africa generally, with a number of South Africans raising expectations of a boom period for the country's best.
On the local Pro Surf Tour, Warwick Wright, Smith, Sarah Maritz and Nikita Robb recorded wins.
Big wave winners
Internationally, it was a superb year for SA. Grant "Twiggy" Baker won the big wave title at Mavericks at Half Moon Bay in California, while John Whittle led a South African 1-2-3 in the Red Bull Big Wave Africa surfed at Dungeons off Hout Bay.
Ricky Basnett became the first South African winner of the Mr Price Pro in 28 years when the local lad delighted the Durban crowd gathered at New Pier by ousting then number-four on the World Qualifying Series (WQS) standings, Dayyan Neve of Australia, to lift the title.
David Weare,
another Durbanite, followed up his second-place finish in the 2005 Rip Curl Boardmasters at Newquay by going one better in 2006 and defeating Australian Corey Ziems in the final.
WCT qualifiers
East London's Royden Bryson won the six-star-rated Billabong presents the Yumeya Tahara Pro in Japan to join Ricky Basnett, Travis Logie, and Greg Emslie, as qualifiers for the 2007 WCT. In addition, Rosanne Hodge, another East London star, qualified for the women's WCT.
Matthew Moir won the longboard title at the ISA Surfing Games, while Chris Knutsen led the South African Masters team to the ISA World Masters Surfing Championships world title in Puerto Rico by winning the Kahuna (over-45) title.
The ASP World Championship Tour 2007 gets under way on 27 February at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast of Australia, where a number of South Africans will be in action for the first time on the WCT circuit, including Ricky Basnett and Royden Bryson in
the men's event, and Rosanne Hodge in the women's competition.
At the conclusion of the event, on 11 March, a gala banquet will be held at which a number of world champions will be crowned, including Jordy Smith as the 2006 World Junior champion, along with Australia's Nicola Atherton, who won the girls' title. The legendary Kelly Slater will receive the ASP World Champion title, and the women's title will be awarded to Layne Beachley.
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