Durban Beach Pro-Am Day 1

Source: www.sabaonline.co.za

posted by Alistair Taylor on 29th June 2007

Day one of the Durban Beach Pro Am, presented by the Durban Beach Festival and SABC, dawned bright and clear after the freezing cold front that passed by 2 days earlier. The more than one hundred bodyboard contestants were greeted with pristine 2-3 ft surf at the Bay of Plenty, along Durban’s Golden Mile.

The day was not without drama however, as some of South Africa’s top seeded bodyboarders went down in flames in the early rounds, succumbing either to the rising new talent coming up through the ranks, or suffering a lack of waves in the compact 18 minute heats.

In the Pro division, top riders Sacha Specker and Vaughn Harris both from Cape Town were eliminated in early upsets. Also facing an early exit was the winner of the first SABA event in Cape Town this year, Adam Morley, who is actually a junior rider taking on the pros at their own game.

On the flip side of the coin, current SABA champ Mark Watts showed good form to win his heat, as did an on fire Wes Fischer, also from Durban, who dominated his heat. Other standouts in the Pro division were Philip Rodrigues, a past SA champ, from Durban, and Jared Houston, the current SABA junior champ, who won his Pro division heat. Another noteable achievement was that of 2 times womens world champ Karla Taylor from Brazil – Karla was the lone female competing in the mens Pro division, and bruised a few male egos by advancing to the quarter finals in 2nd along with previous SA champ from Cape Town, Daniel Worsely. Karla now faces her husband, Alistair Taylor, in the next round’s quarters, with top riders Philip Rodrigues and Wesley Fischer in the same heat.

Another inspirational performance in the Pro division was from another junior rider, Jono Mellish from Somerset West – Jono was competing with a broken toe and severely gashed heel from a recent surfing accident, so he made it through his heat with pure determination and self denial of his obvious pain.

In the Mens amateur division, Sihle Xaba was a standout performer, winning his heat in style. Sihle will also be conducting the free to attend Debis Fleet Management Development clinic this Sunday at Bay of Plenty, at 11am, so anyone keen to learn the bodyboarding ropes is welcome to stop by. Jake Rosenberg, a black bodyboarder from Durban’s bluff, also got the crowd on the beach excited with a massive air roll attempt that he narrowly failed to complete, and saw him fall just short of advancement to the next round.

The Drop Knee division saw some brilliant and explosive surfing type manoeuvres, with ex-pat South African Brandon Foster from California advancing to the quarters.

The Durban Beach Pro Am is co-presented by HB Bodyboards, Executive Surveillance CCTV, ATD Bodyboards, sixty40 Bodyboarding Magazine, Factory7.co.za, The Comfort Group, Bad Boy and Wimpy. The competition continues on Saturday with quarter finals and some semi finals being run, and the remaining semis and finals will see the event to its completion on Sunday. The Durban Beach Festival runs until July 8.

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