Large prize pool for Rip Curl surf events at Port Alfred Easter Festival
The prizes have been announced for the two Rip Curl tournaments, the Rip Curl GromSearch and the Rip Curl Cup, both presented by the Royal St Andrews Hotel.
Both events will take place at East Beach in Port Alfred over the Easter Weekend during the Port Alfred Easter Festival (March 29-April 1).
Rip Curl GromSearch presented by Royal St Andrews Hotel
The Rip Curl GromSearch Port Alfred is the second in a five-event series on our shores. The first event of the year was held in Kommetjie and was a great success, and the third competition will be at Nahoon Reef in East London.
The Rip Curl GromSearch Port Alfred has R30k in total prizes amongst the eight divisions, being U12, U14, U16 and U18 girls’ and boys’ divisions.
Rip Curl Cup presented by Royal St Andrews Hotel
The first Rip Curl Cup specialty surfing event will occur this year during the Port Alfred Easter Festival.
The Rip Curl Cup will commence as soon as the GromSearch concludes.
It is an open event, but entries will be limited.
So, make sure that you keep your eyes on the Surfing SA website and grab your spot when the entries open up.
The Rip Curl Cup has R75,000 in total prizes across the two divisions, open men and open women.
First place: R20,000 Second place: R10,000 Third place: R5,000 Fourth place: R2,500
The combined pool for the Rip Curl surf events totals R105,000, a healthy prize allocation for a Surfing SA tournament.
The Venue
East Beach is predominantly a right-hand sand-bottom break,
wrapping off the East Pier. On perfect conditions, it provides long waves, is ideal for highperformance surfing, and occasionally throws a few perfect barrels. It is a wellknown wave, and surfers like Jordy Smith, Kelly Slater and Mick Fanning, to name a few, have all had a few bombs here over the years.
Three year deal
The Rip Curl Cup is the first in a three-year minimum deal from the sponsors, and this event will undoubtedly grow over the next few years and become a permanent fixture on the Surfing SA calendar.
Kowie Boardriders
The local Port Alfred Surf Club is called the Kowie Boardriders Club.
They have welcomed the upcoming Rip Curl contests to Port Alfred and are happy to host them.
The Kowie Boardriders Club was formed in 2000, making it 24 years old.
At last year’s Rip Curl GromSearch, they cleaned and tidied up the beach and assisted Surfing SA whenever they could.
Their assistance was welcomed.
Kowie Boardriders can be found on Facebook and Instagram.
Water Safety
Water Safety for the Rip Curl Cup will be handled by NSRI Station 11 Port Alfred.
They will have safety craft in the water throughout the competition, and they will also be doing a safety demonstration at the opening function on Thursday evening before the Easter weekend.
The opening function will be at the Royal St Andrews Hotel.
Follow NSRI Station 11 on Facebook and Instagram.
Bands At The Beach
On Saturday evening, March, there will be the Bands At The Beach Music Festival in aid of NSRI. It will be at the Guido’s Restaurant parking area, next to the West Beach pier.
Bands and solo artists playing are Georgetown, Arno Carstens, Wonderboom, aKING and December Streets.
It is a charity event for the NSRI, which will run water safety throughout the surf competitions, so it would be great to show support.
Tickets are available from Quicket
The Rip Curl GromSearch and the Rip Curl Cup are Surfing South Africa events supported by Sea Harvest.
Entries for both events will open soon, so keep your eyes on the Surfing SA website.