Field Narrows Ahead of Top Seeds' Debut at the Burton Automotive Pro & Newcastle Racecourse Women's Pro QS 5000

MEREWETHER BEACH, Newcastle, NSW / Australia (Wednesday, March 13, 2024) - The swell continued to deliver for day three of the Burton Automotive Pro & Newcastle Racecourse Women's Pro World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 5000 event. Though a little straight, the three-to-five feet of swell on offer was a welcome sight, providing large sections for the best surfers from throughout the Australia / Oceania and Asia regions to perform on. The final eight heats of men's Round of 96 were completed, along with women's Round of 48.

A massive end section hit saw Coral Durant (AUS) pick up the highest single wave score of the event so far for the women, an 8.67. Two big Quarterfinal finishes have the 20-year-old sitting in 8th place on the Australia / Oceania rankings, and as the swell builds in Merewether, Durant, who comes from an area of heavy waves in remote north-west Australia, continues to grow in confidence.

"There was a bit of power out there, so I felt like I was comfortable in it," Durant said. "I had a bit of a shocker at the start. I kept falling and then I got sucked down, had to do the runaround. I was so exhausted, and then I saw that one come through and it definitely didn't look like it had many sections on it except for that one, so I was just like may as well go for it and then ended up riding out of it, which was good."

Coral Durant - WSL / Darren Anderson

Future Olympian Sarah Baum (RSA) opened her Round of 48 heat with a solid two-turn combo on her backhand, garnering an 8.33 for her efforts. An adopted Novocastrian, Baum has lived in the area for seven years, and the local knowledge has paid off, landing her on the podium as runner-up for the past two years running. Heading into the 2024 event, Baum is hungry for the win, but cautious with expectations.

"We'll see, third time lucky," Baum said. "I'm just trying to take each heat as it comes and hopefully we can make it to the Finals Day again, which would be super awesome. The number one spot is definitely on my mind, but just trying to take each day as it comes and each wave as it comes and yeah, we'll see."

Fellow Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualifier Saffi Vette (NZL) also took a win in the following heat, while strong performances from Isabel Higgs (THA) and Charli Hately (AUS) saw them earn solid heat totals.

Sarah Baum - WSL / Kurt Polock

The raw power and perfect timing of Ryan Slattery (AUS) delivered the best numbers for the men today, with a pair of 6.67's the equal highest single waves scores. Hailing from the nearby Central Coast, Slattery is well-versed in the nuances of Merewether and used them to his advantage in the tricky morning conditions.

"I sort of lucked into two chip-ins out the back that let me have enough time to try and hit the section," Slattery said. "It's fun out there, just got to try to find the right waves, that's it. I feel good when there's a bit more power in the waves. I'm back foot heavy, so just try to sink it."

Bohdie Williams (AUS) and Tim Bange (AUS) joined Slattery in finding the best of the morning, while Kyshiro Suda (JPN) and Taichi Hagita (JPN) both had standout moments.

Felix Byrnes - WSL / Darren Anderson

It was a rough day for the local contingent as three of the four Novocastrians competing in today's Round of 96 heats were eliminated. Felix Byrnes (AUS) was the sole local to survive, while Ocean Lancaster (AUS), Kade Kelly (AUS) and Joshua Levey (AUS) bowed out. It was an especially brutal blow for Levey, who found out after the final hooter had sounded that he had picked up an interference due to hassling for a wave with Maddy Job (AUS), who had priority at the time.

The 2024 Burton Automotive Pro & Newcastle Racecourse Women's Pro QS 5000 will run from March 11 - 17, 2024.