World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) surfer and local Adrian Buchan (AUS) has taken out the inaugural Central Coast Pro along with French ripper Justine Dupont (FRA) in pumping, three-to-four foot clean waves on a stunningly sunny day at Avoca Beach.
Buchan surfed an amazing event, posting consistently high scores from heat to heat. The Final was an all Central Coast affair with Buchan coming up against North Shelly powerhouse Shane Holmes (AUS). Buchan took control early posting and excellent 8.50 (out of a possible 10) on his first wave with a display of stylish yet critical backhand surfing; something Buchan is renowned for. His next wave was a solid 7.65, leaving Holmes to chase a 9.05 for the remaining twenty minutes of the heat, a feat he was unable to achieve.
"I could never win the Avoca Pro Junior back in the day so this really makes up for it," Buchan said. "It was so good to see how many entrants there were into this contest, of a high caliber as well. It really shows that the Central Coast is such a great surfing destination."
"It was really special surfing against Shane (Holmes). He has been surfing amazingly this summer, first at the Boardriders Battle and now here. People are really starting to take notice of his surfing. I hope this result inspires him to do more Qualifying Series (QS) events in the future."
Adrian 'Ace' Buchan looking comfortable at home - Surfing NSW/Smith - WSL
Holmes exhibited great bravery, surfing the majority of the event with a knee injury he suffered on the second day while freesurfing.
"My knee is super sore so I'll have to head home and rest up before getting back in the water on Monday," Holmes said. "Ace surfed a really smart heat and I made a couple of mistakes. I'm just stoked to have made the final against Ace, it's not everyday you get to surf a heat with one of the World Tour guys."
Dupont looked to be the form surfer of the contest, so it was no surprise to see her in the final where she came up against Philippa Anderson. Dupont surfed with great variation in manoeuvres, earning two excellent scores early, an 8.50 and a 8.40, leaving Anderson chasing two scores for the majority of the heat. This win is just the start that Dupont was looking for to kick off her 2016 campaign.
"I'm so happy with the way I surfed in that heat," Dupont said. "I wanted to surf in this contest as training for the bigger events and I feel like I improved throughout the week and picked up on some little things that needed improving. I'm really excited for 2016 and having a go at Qualifying for the CT. This win is the perfect start to my year so I'm really really happy."
Justine Dupont getting her 2016 campaign off to a flyer - WSL
Anderson - although falling just short of a win for the second time this season - will rocket up the Australasia QS rankings, giving her a solid base to build on for the rest of the year.
"Looking at the heat draw and the girls that were in the event I knew this would be a tough one," Anderson said. "I have never surfed here either so I'm really glad I made the final. I did want to win, but Justine surfed so well in the final, I'll definitely take a second."
Philippa Anderson banks another solid result in 2016 - WSL
Competitors now turn their focus to the Kommunity Great Lakes Pro presented by Rockstar Energy Drink which runs from February 15 - 18 at the beautiful Boomerang beach.
NSW Pro Surf Series Dates and Locations:
Carve Pro - Maroubra Beach, NSW 15 - 17 January, 2016
Tweed Coast Pro - Cabarita Beach, NSW 1 - 4 Feb 2016
Central Coast Pro - Avoca Beach, NSW 9 - 12 Feb 2016
Komunity Project Great Lakes Pro presented by Rockstar - Boomerang Beach, NSW 15 - 18 Feb 2016
The NSW Pro Surf Series was developed for Australian and international surfers to gain ranking points and prize money on the WSL Qualifying Series. The Series also creates a NSW coastal road trip for all to explore the variety of waves, visit local communities and enjoy NSW surfing culture.
The 2016 NSW Pro Surf Series is proudly supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. The series is also proudly supported by Randwick City Council, Gosford City Council, Destination Tweed, Great Lakes Council & Tourism, NBN, World Surf League and Surfing NSW.
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Nathan Hedge put in a solid effort to finish in Third - Surfing NSW/Smith
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Garrett Parkes tail high - Surfing NSW/Smith
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Shane Holmes digging deep with a knee injury - Surfing NSW/Smith
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Thomas Woods floating into Third - Surfing NSW/Smith
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Freya Prumm made it to the Semifinals - Surfing NSW/Smith
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Local Kirra-Belle Olsson in the Semi's - Surfing NSW/Smith
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Buchan and Dupont Take Top Honors at Avoca
WSL
World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) surfer and local Adrian Buchan (AUS) has taken out the inaugural Central Coast Pro along with French ripper Justine Dupont (FRA) in pumping, three-to-four foot clean waves on a stunningly sunny day at Avoca Beach.
Buchan surfed an amazing event, posting consistently high scores from heat to heat. The Final was an all Central Coast affair with Buchan coming up against North Shelly powerhouse Shane Holmes (AUS). Buchan took control early posting and excellent 8.50 (out of a possible 10) on his first wave with a display of stylish yet critical backhand surfing; something Buchan is renowned for. His next wave was a solid 7.65, leaving Holmes to chase a 9.05 for the remaining twenty minutes of the heat, a feat he was unable to achieve.
"I could never win the Avoca Pro Junior back in the day so this really makes up for it," Buchan said. "It was so good to see how many entrants there were into this contest, of a high caliber as well. It really shows that the Central Coast is such a great surfing destination."
"It was really special surfing against Shane (Holmes). He has been surfing amazingly this summer, first at the Boardriders Battle and now here. People are really starting to take notice of his surfing. I hope this result inspires him to do more Qualifying Series (QS) events in the future."
Holmes exhibited great bravery, surfing the majority of the event with a knee injury he suffered on the second day while freesurfing.
"My knee is super sore so I'll have to head home and rest up before getting back in the water on Monday," Holmes said. "Ace surfed a really smart heat and I made a couple of mistakes. I'm just stoked to have made the final against Ace, it's not everyday you get to surf a heat with one of the World Tour guys."
Dupont looked to be the form surfer of the contest, so it was no surprise to see her in the final where she came up against Philippa Anderson. Dupont surfed with great variation in manoeuvres, earning two excellent scores early, an 8.50 and a 8.40, leaving Anderson chasing two scores for the majority of the heat. This win is just the start that Dupont was looking for to kick off her 2016 campaign.
"I'm so happy with the way I surfed in that heat," Dupont said. "I wanted to surf in this contest as training for the bigger events and I feel like I improved throughout the week and picked up on some little things that needed improving. I'm really excited for 2016 and having a go at Qualifying for the CT. This win is the perfect start to my year so I'm really really happy."
Anderson - although falling just short of a win for the second time this season - will rocket up the Australasia QS rankings, giving her a solid base to build on for the rest of the year.
"Looking at the heat draw and the girls that were in the event I knew this would be a tough one," Anderson said. "I have never surfed here either so I'm really glad I made the final. I did want to win, but Justine surfed so well in the final, I'll definitely take a second."
Competitors now turn their focus to the Kommunity Great Lakes Pro presented by Rockstar Energy Drink which runs from February 15 - 18 at the beautiful Boomerang beach.
NSW Pro Surf Series Dates and Locations:
Carve Pro - Maroubra Beach, NSW 15 - 17 January, 2016
Tweed Coast Pro - Cabarita Beach, NSW 1 - 4 Feb 2016
Central Coast Pro - Avoca Beach, NSW 9 - 12 Feb 2016
Komunity Project Great Lakes Pro presented by Rockstar - Boomerang Beach, NSW 15 - 18 Feb 2016
The NSW Pro Surf Series was developed for Australian and international surfers to gain ranking points and prize money on the WSL Qualifying Series. The Series also creates a NSW coastal road trip for all to explore the variety of waves, visit local communities and enjoy NSW surfing culture.
The 2016 NSW Pro Surf Series is proudly supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. The series is also proudly supported by Randwick City Council, Gosford City Council, Destination Tweed, Great Lakes Council & Tourism, NBN, World Surf League and Surfing NSW.
Philippa Anderson
Hailing from Port Elizabeth, Philippa Anderson finds her rhythm in the early heats of the Women's rounds to advance into the Round of 32
Local surfers Jackson Baker and Philippa Anderson know the Newcastle breaks better than almost everyone else in the draw.
The women clashed through Rounds 1 and 2 at the Corona Open China hosted by Wanning with powerful performances throughout the day.
A beautiful day of sunshine, strong offshores and big heats in Galicia.
Victoria Bay produced a full day of excellent surf for the second day of the Vic Bay Classic
Central Coast Pro
Nice waves, huge scores, and big upsets make for an eventful day at the QS1000.
Great conditions and huge scores on day two of the Central Coast Pro at Avoca.
Adrian Buchan to top an all star cast at the Central Coast Pro at Avoca Beach
For the first time in over a decade Avoca will hold two professional level WSL events within one week