Hot Tuna Summer Classic

Australian Longboard Circuit
Mornington Peninsula Victoria, Australia
18 - 21 January 2007

Semi Finalist’s decided for Open Men’s and Finalist’s for Open Women’s - Six Board’s snapped in a great morning of surf!

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 19 January, 2007 : - - Queensland’s Grant Thomas will be hoping for more of the large perfect waves  for tomorrow’s  finals of the Hot Tuna Summer Classic  at Gunnamatta Beach in Victoria.

With sets in the 2m plus range along with perfect offshore conditions Thomas reveled in the powerful waves and won his quarter final posting an outstanding high scoring ride of  (9 out of a possible 10) along with a strong 7.5 second scoring ride to easily win through to the semi’s. 

“It’s amazing to surf in good waves for an event like this which is the biggest domestic professional longboard event or the season. It looks like tomorrows semi’s and final will go down in great waves again with offshore winds and solid swell and we’re looking forward to an amazing finish here - The bigger the better for me for sure, I loved it out there.” 

Thomas’s 9 point ride included an excellent bottom turn into a floating re entry and he finished the wave with a clean barrel ride on the inside section. Other standout’s today included Coff’s Harbor surfer Harley Ingelby who easily won his quarter final with the events highest scoring wave of a 9.5 out of a possible 10. His combined two wave heat tally of 17.5 out of 20 was also highest for the event.  

Current ASP World Champion Josh Constable (Noosa) also won his quarter final defeating Victoria’s sole remaining competitor Eli Curry (Phillip Island) . In the four man eats incorporated in professional Longboarding 1st and 2nd progress so Curry has advanced to the semi’s where he’ll again face Constable along with Thomas and NSW surfer Kevin Holt. 

The Open Women’s semi finals were completed with Tweed Heads pair Chelsea Williams and Lisa Nicholson  through to the final along with Queensland’s Sharon Jackson and NSW’s Nava Young (Nat Young’s daughter). Torquay surfer Emma Wilson was the best of the Victorian’s in the Women’s division, eliminated in the semi finals and finishing 5th place overall.

To highlight the power of today’s swell, six longboards were snapped in half and by early afternoon as the tides dropped sets up to 3m closed out the break and the event was duely called off, with the view to finishing in prime conditions at Rye Backbeach tomorrow around lunch time. 

Previous reports:
# 1 : Hot Tuna Summer Classic brings longboards to Victoria
# 2 : Hot Tuna Summer Classic set to roll with good forecast
# 3 : Coming soon
# 4 : Coming soon  

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Steve Robertson

Longboard - Surfersvillage