Another magnificent day greeted surfers and spectators at the picturesque Avoca Beach on NSW's surf rich Central Coast. The Vissla Central Coast Pro Round of 32 was completed along with the Sisstrevolution Round of 16 as the event now heads into an exciting finals weekend.
The day opened with high profile Australian surfer Julian Wilson taking to the water and winning his opening heat to advance to the Round of 16. Wilson attracted a strong contingent of local school children who hopefully made it on time to their classes after watching one of the world's top surfers in action at their local beach.
"I'm excited to start my Australian events campaign and especially in this region now that I'm living in Newcastle which is just north of this beach" said Wilson after his heat win.
"I think all the surfers are really enthused now WSL events are up and running. The incoming internationals for the CT's I think will appreciate life in Australia at the moment and just being able to run our sport in great locations at the highest level. It's fantastic."
One of the morning's standouts was Gold Coast surfer Liam O'Brien who demolished his opponents with his trademark stylish and powerful surfing and an impressive 15.25 heat total. O'Brien almost qualified for the Championship Tour in 2019 and his goals are firmly set on that dream.
"It's uncertain how the qualification pathway will play out but the good news for all of us here surfing is that we are back on and competing," said O'Brien. "I feel refreshed and very ready to tackle professional surfing and I'm sure we're all feeling the same way - especially here with excellent surf."
Callum Robson was the days top scoring surfer - WSL / Ethan Smith
Other highlight surfers to excel and advance to the Round of 16 included Matt Banting (High scoring heat total of 15.40), Reef Hazelwood and Callum Robson who posted the highest scoring heat tally of 16.75.
Reef Hazelwood sets his bottom turn perfectly - WSL / Ethan Smith
The Sisstrevolution Central Coast Pro rounded out today's action and the quarterfinalists were decided as the waves continued to pump. Highlight surfer was South Africa's Sarah Baum who relished the powerful conditions and posted the highest heat tally of the round with an impressive 15.90. Baum is the defending champion here and looks forward to the weekend finals.
"I love it here and after winning this event last year I do feel confident," said Baum.
"After that opening excellent ride I was always well placed to win that heat but it wasn't until late in the heat that I managed to find the second good score.
"As a QS3000 this is a really important event for all of us so the weekend is going to be exciting, especially with the waves being so good."
Other winners from today's Round of 12 included Sally Fitzgibbons, India Robinson and Macy Callaghan.
Macy Callaghan is through to the Quarterfinals - WSL / Ethan Smith
The waves for this event have been great and the weekend looks amazing with clean conditions and big crowds for the finals on Sunday morning.
Quarter Finalists Decided At The Sisstrevolution Central Coast Pro
WSL
Another magnificent day greeted surfers and spectators at the picturesque Avoca Beach on NSW's surf rich Central Coast. The Vissla Central Coast Pro Round of 32 was completed along with the Sisstrevolution Round of 16 as the event now heads into an exciting finals weekend.
The day opened with high profile Australian surfer Julian Wilson taking to the water and winning his opening heat to advance to the Round of 16. Wilson attracted a strong contingent of local school children who hopefully made it on time to their classes after watching one of the world's top surfers in action at their local beach.
"I'm excited to start my Australian events campaign and especially in this region now that I'm living in Newcastle which is just north of this beach" said Wilson after his heat win.
"I think all the surfers are really enthused now WSL events are up and running. The incoming internationals for the CT's I think will appreciate life in Australia at the moment and just being able to run our sport in great locations at the highest level. It's fantastic."
One of the morning's standouts was Gold Coast surfer Liam O'Brien who demolished his opponents with his trademark stylish and powerful surfing and an impressive 15.25 heat total. O'Brien almost qualified for the Championship Tour in 2019 and his goals are firmly set on that dream.
"It's uncertain how the qualification pathway will play out but the good news for all of us here surfing is that we are back on and competing," said O'Brien. "I feel refreshed and very ready to tackle professional surfing and I'm sure we're all feeling the same way - especially here with excellent surf."
Other highlight surfers to excel and advance to the Round of 16 included Matt Banting (High scoring heat total of 15.40), Reef Hazelwood and Callum Robson who posted the highest scoring heat tally of 16.75.
The Sisstrevolution Central Coast Pro rounded out today's action and the quarterfinalists were decided as the waves continued to pump. Highlight surfer was South Africa's Sarah Baum who relished the powerful conditions and posted the highest heat tally of the round with an impressive 15.90. Baum is the defending champion here and looks forward to the weekend finals.
"I love it here and after winning this event last year I do feel confident," said Baum.
"After that opening excellent ride I was always well placed to win that heat but it wasn't until late in the heat that I managed to find the second good score.
"As a QS3000 this is a really important event for all of us so the weekend is going to be exciting, especially with the waves being so good."
Other winners from today's Round of 12 included Sally Fitzgibbons, India Robinson and Macy Callaghan.
The waves for this event have been great and the weekend looks amazing with clean conditions and big crowds for the finals on Sunday morning.