Epic surfing weekend on cards at Billabong event

The best junior surfers in the country have gathered at Seal Point, St Francis, for the final event in this year’s Billabong Junior Series starting on Friday.

The surf forecast has signs that it might be an epic weekend of surfing at the ever-consistent Seal Point, with plenty of swell around for the competitors to display their top surfing skills to the judges.

The event is possibly one of the most crucial junior surfing tournaments of the year.

Firstly there are the standalone event results, with surfers wanting to win this contest for points and prize money.

Leading on from this, there are the Billabong Junior Series winners.

Two event results count for these winners – from both the Billabong Junior Series Ballito and Seal Point events.

This event will also crown the World Surf League (WSL) Africa junior champions, which will also lead on to the qualification for the WSL World Junior Championships, including the top four men and top two women surfers who will compete in the World Junior Championships in Taiwan in December.

The WSL Africa Men’s Junior Tour is being led by Luke Slijpen, with Eli Beukes and Max Elkington hot on his heels and Dillon Hendricks and Bryce Du Preez not far behind.

Slijpen has had an excellent competitive year and has a healthy lead in this division, with Beukes more than 1,000 points behind him.

In the WSL Africa Women’s Junior Tour rankings, Kai Woolf has a comfortable lead over second ranked Zoe Steyn, with Sophie Bell in third place going in to this event.

Kirsty McGillivray and Kayla Nogueira make up the remainder of the top five positions.

There is every possibility of an upset in either division from the likes of Karl Steen and Daniel Emslie in the men’s, and Ceara Knight and Sne Makhubu in the women’s.

In the U16 boys division, all eyes will be on Tide Lee Ireland, York Van Jaarsveldt and Mitch du Preez, while in the U16 Girls division Steyn and Gabi Lailvaux look set to dominate.

“It has been a good year for junior surfing in the country, and the Billabong Junior Series has been a great success,” Billabong South Africa marketing manager Chad D’Arcy said.

“We’re immensely proud of this series as it finishes its 21st year in the country, and we are looking forward to another positive year next year.”

The event is possibly one of the most crucial junior surfing tournaments of the year, with much at stake for the competitors