Finalists revelled in the declining one-to-two foot swell as they fought to earn their spot on the NSW team for the upcoming Australian Surf Festival in Coffs Harbour in August.

Christian Cook (Dee Why), Jeremy Cohen (Macmasters Beach), Marcus Davidson (Shelly Beach) and Bill Harrison (Old Bar) all fought a tight battle in the Over-35 Mens final as they attempted to win themselves a State Surfmasters Title. Event standout, Christian Cook managed to lock in an 8.33 wave score (out of a possible 20 points), which gave him an early lead in the 25-minute final and consequently left the rest of the field chasing solid wave scores. Despite the best efforts of Davidson – who nabbed an eight-point wave – Cook was able to hold out the opposition and take the win in the prestigious blue-ribbon division.

“I’m quite relieved actually,” said Cook. “I was fortunate enough to get a good score early, but for the next 20 minutes I wasn’t quite able to find a decent back up. It’s been a great few days here and there’s been some awesome surfing by people like Marcus Davidson and Glenn Pringle. I can’t wait for the Aussie Titles now.”

Surfing in back-to-back finals, Marcus Davidson was able to lock in a series of respectable scores in the Over-40 Mens final, however he had his work cut out for him when he came up against an in-form Wayne Morrison (Port Macquarie). Morrison, was able to notch up a heat total of 12.67 (out of a possible 20 points) to knock Davidson down the runner up spot and take the win.

“I’m over the moon,” said Morrison. “The waves were a bit tricky out there so I just tried to stick to catching the sets. Luckily, I was able to get one early in the heat and hold on to the lead. It’s been a great few days down here and it’s been awesome to catch up with a lot of old mates.”

Paul Wayland (Newport) was able to steal a last minute victory in the Over-45 Mens final. Despite catching 11 waves over the course of the final, the talented Northern Beaches surfer didn’t hit his peak until the dying seconds where he locked in a 7.33 wave score to move ahead of Glenn Pringle (Cronulla), John Schmidenberg (Emerald Beach), and Rod Baldwin (Copacabana) who finished in second, third and fourth respectively.

“I’ve been runner-up in this event a few times before, so I’m stoked to get a win this year,” said Wayland. “Because the swell was dropping I decided to sit in the middle of the bank and hunt down some waves. The other guys in the heat are seasoned competitors so I was wary of them also.”

Andrew Johnson (Bulli) held off event standout Rod Baldwin in the Over-50 Mens final. The two men engaged in a two horse race, which saw fellow finalists Ged Cook and Maris Luidmanis chasing two-wave combinations to move into the top spots. Despite the best efforts from all surfers to take the lead, Andrew’s 8.17 wave score proved to give him the edge over his opposition with Rod Baldwin finishing in second, Ged Cook (Warners Bay) taking third and Maris Luidmanis (North Balgowlah) taking fourth.

“I couldn’t be happier,” said Johnson. “I’ve had a few second place finishes in this event in the past, but never had a win. I knew Rod would be tough to beat, so I just tried to keep my distance from him until I got the lead. Then, when I got it, I decided to stay close to him so he could get one up on me (laughs).”

Moby's Beachside Retreat hosted a free dinner and movie night for competitors on Friday, 13 June, which saw over 90 competitors and their families attend the function.

Surfing NSW will host two Indigenous Surfing Programs in the Great Lakes area, which will provide surf lessons for indigenous participants on Friday,13th of June and Friday, 20th of June. For more information, contact hayley@surfingnsw.com.au

HIF has been giving Australian more choice in health cover for 60 years. With an affordable range of value-for-money health cover, HIF members choose their cover, how they claim, who treats them and more. For more information visit hif.com.au

“Australians spend a lot of time in and around our coastal communities, so it makes sense to us at HIF to support water-based activities,” said HIF Managing Director, Graeme Gibson.  “And surfing is such a fantastic water sport and is synonymous with a healthy lifestyle.”

The HIF NSW Surfmasters Titles presented by Moby's Beachside Retreat will run back-to-back with the 2014 Australian Skin Cancer Clinics NSW Longboard Titles presented by HIF which kicks off from the 18th - 21st June and the Australian Kneeboard Titles on June 22nd.

Surfing NSW intends to mix up locations for the events depending on conditions and will seek the most appropriate waves for each discipline.

Moby's Beachside Retreat is the official event venue for accommodation. Deals and packages are available for competitors in all events. Check out www.mobysretreat.com.au or call (02) 6591 0000.
 
Due to the eclectic variety of waves in the Great Lakes area, the event is fully mobile and can be held anywhere between the Pacific Palms region and Tuncurry.

The HIF NSW Surfmasters Titles presented by Moby's Beachside Retreat, The Australian Skin Cancer Clinics NSW Longboard Titles presented by HIF and Round 2 of the Australian Kneeboard Titles are proudly supported by HIF, Australian Skin Cancer Clinics, Be the Influence, Moby's Beachside Retreat, Great Lakes Council, Great Lakes Tourism, Coastalwatch Plus, Carve, Ohana Ocean Athletics and Surfing NSW.

RESULTS:
Over-35 Men
1 – Christian Cook (Dee Why)
2 – Marcus Davidson (Shelly Beach)
3 – Jeremy Cohen (Macmasters Beach)
4 – Bill Harrison (Old Bar)

Over-40 Men
1 – Wayne Morrison (Port Macquarie)
2 – Marcus Davidson (Shelly Beach)
3 – Glenn Pringle (Cronulla)
4 – John Schmidenberg (Emerald Beach)

Over-45 Men
1 – Paul Wayland (Newport)
2 – Glenn Pringle (Cronulla)
3 – John Schmidenberg (Emerald Beach)
4 – Rod Baldwin (Copacabana)

Over-50 Men
1 – Andrew Johnson (Bulli)
2 – Rod Baldwin (Copacabana)
3 – Ged Cook (Warners Bay)
4 – Maris Luidmanis (North Balgowlah)