2007 O'Neill SA Open of Surfing

Surfing South Africa
Nahoon Reef East London South Africa
27 - 29 April 2007

Gale force winds and 4-6 foot surf at Nahoon Reef on Day two of the 2007 O'Neill SA Open of Surfing

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 29 April, 2007 : - -  Gale force winds made conditions difficult for contestants on the second day of competition at the O'Neill SA Open of Surfing but there was still some excellent surfing in the 4- 6 foot which pushed through Nahoon Reef in East London throughout the day.

Dylan Stone, the SA Open champion in 2005, fellow Port Elizabeth surfer and SA Team captain Granville West as well as Nahoon Reef local, Devyn Mattheys, all posted wave scores in excess of 8.5 on their way to the semi finals of the Men's Division in the Surfing South Africa Pro Surf Tour event.

Joining them in the money rounds were defending champion Matthew Kruger of Durban, Bluff surfers Rudy Palmboom (Jnr) and Shane Thorne, Frankie Oberholzer of Warner Beach and another Nahoon Reef local, Simon Fish. Upsets in the Men's division on day two included the elimination of top seed Josh Redman of Durban along with  Cape surfer Brandon Roberts and Gary van Wieringen of Durban.

All is not lost for Redman and Roberts, however,  as they both reached the semi finals of the Pro Junior division. Here they will come up against Rudy Palmboom (Jnr), O'Neill wildcards Wesley Grey of Kommetjie and Nick Molde of Muizenberg, Adam Hansen of Kommetjie,Tyde Gatke of East London and 2007 SA Junior team member Lungani Memani of Port Alfred.

Memani leaves for Portugal on Monday with the SA junior team to compete in the ISA World Junior Surfing Championships, which start next weekend. In the Women's Division Nikita Robb, a 2007 SA junior team member and one of the pre contest favourites was a surprise elimination in the quarter finals and will join her fellow East London surfer Alice Mc Gregor as a spectator at the Finals on Sunday.

On Monday Robb will travel to Portugal for the ISA World Junior Championships with the other members of the SA Junior Team.