Big wave’s next gen conquers Cape Fear
RUSSELL BIERKE SHOWED experience beyond his years to take down seasoned pro surfers on June 7, mastering wild weather off Sydney in winning the 2016 Red Bull Cape Fear. Af t e r t wo d ay s of i nt e ns e action, 18-year-old Bierke paddled into the deepest tubes of the day to overcome renowned big wave barrel hunters Koby Abberton, Ryan Hipwood and James Adams in a talent-stacked final. The young South Coast surfer finished the day with a near-perfect wave heat score of 19.97. Hipwood and Abberton put up a fight, snaring some deep and dredging tubes of their own, but finished the event in second and third place respectively w i t h A d a ms , w h o s c o r e d a 10-point-ride himself, in fourth. Hipwood s ai d, “I'm re a l l y glad that everyone is safe and that there were no major injuries. I was driving the jet ski yesterday and it's some of the scariest surf I've ever seen. It was an epic event!”