Crystal Cylinders
Rusty Miller and Bob McTavish headed north for the 27th Noosa Surf Festival at the latest World Surfing Reserve, along with some of the younger breed of local Byron Shire longboarders.
The largest surfing event in the world (by competitor numbers) attracts more than 500 entries from 17 nations and regions, plus a staggering 15,000 visitors across its jam-packed ‘8 Days of Pure Stoke’.
The waves for the event were small but clean throughout the eight days.
There were events for all types of surfers from the Surfing Dog Championship to bodysurfers, tandem teams, family teams, loggers, noseriding and age groups from U/15 to over-70s.
Two-times ISA World Adaptive Surfing champion Mark ‘Mono’ Stewart featured in the Legends Exhibition heat while McTavish, Miller and Alan Atkins surfed in the Second Chance Expression Session, which is for all of the guys who have survived a heart attack or a stroke or both.
Miller also competed in the Magoo Memorial Over-70s division and won.
The younger generation also tasted success.
Roisin Carolan was runner-up in the Ladylogger Pro division and Jye Whyatt achieved a fourth in the U/18 Boys division.
Pro surfer Matt Wilkinson from Byron Bay didn’t have much luck at the Quicksilver Pro held at Snapper Rocks recently when he was bundled out of the competition in Round Two by injury replacement wildcard Michael February. Wilkinson made a couple of errors with priority in a slow heat for waves and never recovered to finish in equal 25th place.
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