The second scholastics surfing event was held at Sandy Bay in Tutukaka on Thursday with 66 entrants in a full day of surfing, running two podiums for the whole day.
On podium one in the centre of the beach, the under-16 boys, under-18 boys and the longboarders battled out in tough but contestable conditions. A sustained onshore blew all day which created some choppy waves whose peaks had to be hunted for, but the swell stayed a consistent two to three foot solid with a few lulls and a few monster sets coming through at times.
On podium two at the south end of the beach, the under-14 boys and under-14, under-16 and under-18 girls had some slightly smaller waves but not by much, with some solid sets and a few closeouts to contend with.
The wildcards in the under-14 boys were standouts again, showing us that the next generation of scholastic surfers in Northland will be tough and seasoned competitors. (Kauai Rahui, Oska Robinson and Isaiah Backhouse, all under 12 years old).