BIG turns and big scores were the order of the day at the Vissla Great Lakes Pro surfing competition mowed through its second day at Boomerang Beach near Forster.
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As a previous event champion - taking out the Vissla Great Lakes Pro back in 2016 - Holly Wawn (Newport, NSW) showed she still possessed the skills to post impressive heat wins, taking out her opening heat. Wawn found a handful of little left handers over the duration of the heat, to notch up a respectable 13.25 two-wave heat total and lock in a second round berth.
“It’s always a nice feeling to get the first heat out of the way,” said Wawn. “There were a few fun little rights out there and while they didn’t have an insane amount of power, they were still fun. I’m looking forward to the next round.”
Having been in Australia since the World Junior Championship in January, South African Ford Van Jaarsveldt, has taken a liking to the punchy East Coast beach breaks. Van Jaarsveldt made a solid impression in the second round when he performed an array of frontside snaps, carves and aerials to post a decent 14.25 two-wave heat total and take the heat out.
“I’m pretty stoked to get that win. I had a pretty tough loss when I was in the Carve Pro in Maroubra, so it felt good to turn it around,” said Van Jaarsveldt. “I've just been loving my time in Australia and how nice the water is. I live in Cape Town and the water is usually freezing, so it feels good to compete in the warmth and the fun waves.”
Fresh off a runner-up finish at the recent Mothernest Tweed Coast Pro, Luke Hynd (Gold Coast) carried the same confidence into the second round at Boomerang. Hynd synced his backhand attack with the playful right-handers on offer to post a series of solid scores, which allowed him to take out the heat with a 14.40 heat total.
“You’re only as good as your last heat, so I knew I needed to get another heat win under my belt,” said Hynd. “My gameplan was to just catch two sets and make sure they counted and thankfully it worked. My boards feel great at the moment so it’s filled me with a bit of confidence. Hopefully I can keep the ball rolling.”
Central Coast native and 2016 WSL Australasian Qualifying Series champion Shane Holmes made his intentions clear when he demolished his round two heat, posting a giant 18.35 two-wave heat total, the highest of the event so far. Holmes' score consisted of two excellent scoring waves (eight and above), including a near-perfect 9.60 for a combination of giant snaps and carves. Holmes will now meet Timothee Bisso (FRA), Kyuss King (Byron Bay, NSW) and Toy Tanaka (JPN) in the third round.
“That felt really good,” said Holmes. “I spent a solid chunk of 2017 injured so it’s a really nice feeling to get back into the rhythm of surfing heats again. The right-handers out there were actually really fun, so hopefully, they continue over the next day or so.”