Poor forecast turns into cracker surf day for Tutukaka's Polar Bear Surf Classic

Northland's Paul Moretti had a great day out over the weekend, winning the open men's division and placing second in the longboard division. Photo / Michael Cunningham

The 38th Mammoth Modern Insulation Polar Bear Surf Classic had another cracker weekend this year.

After a shaky Friday reading conflicting weather and surf forecasts, the North Coast Boardriders comp team were feeling a bit stressed as we tried to predict which one of the maps were going to be the most accurate. We needn't have worried though as Sandy Bay put on a spectacular combo of sunshine and waves, rolling out the welcome mat for all our competitors, spectators and visitors.

The mostly glassy, solid 2-foot waves were plenty enough for this year's competitors to showcase their skills, and the spectators were lucky enough to enjoy both the sunshine and the great surfing entertainment.

Renee Ruddell picks up some pace as she moves to her left on Saturday. Photo / Michael Cunningham

The Longboard final was definitely a highlight, with two young up-and-comers Nat Fitt and Billy Whelan against two of our more seasoned, past national champs Paul Moretti and Wini Paul.

The final ended in a close showdown between Nat Fitt and Paul Moretti, with Nat taking home first place this time around, repping the youth contingent and setting himself up well for the Scholastics in Raglan in a few weeks time.

We were also well entertained by the under 10 finalists, Jesse Frazerhurst, Ezra Donaldson, Hunter Graham and Van Leith. In the last heat of the day, the micro groms showed us that the future of surfing in New Zealand looks very bright indeed.

A huge thanks to our major sponsors, Mammoth Modern Insulation, Dive! Tutukaka, Barrett Homes, Louweazal Surfboards, Radio Hauraki, Factory Surf Co and Tutukaka Surf.
A heartfelt thank you to all the wonderful support crew from North Coast Boardriders who kept the comp ticking along like clockwork and to Chook from Coastal Kitchen and Karl from Classic Coffee for keeping everyone full and awake!

And lastly, to all our competitors, spectators and supporters, thanks for bringing all your great energy to our little corner of the world, we love hosting this comp and we love watching everyone leave with big smiles on their faces.

Results:

Open Men:
1st: Paul Moretti
2nd: Caleb Cutmore
3rd: Tom Robinson
4th: Andrew Robinson

Open Women:
1st: Wini Paul
2nd: Laura Griffin
3rd: Claudia Fraser
4th: Mischa Davis

Longboard:
1st: Nat Fitt
2nd: Paul Moretti
3rd: Wini Paul
4th: Billy Whelan

Under-18 Boys:
1st: Caleb Cutmore
2nd: Tom Robinson
3rd: Ari D'Anvers
4th: Tai Erceg-Gray

Under-16 Girls:
1st: Liv Haysom
2nd: Charlotte Taylor
3rd: Indi-Lee Ruddell
4th: Talia Da Silva

Under-14 Boys:
1st: Mathias Thompson
2nd: Tai Erceg-Gray
3rd: Izaak Hayes
4th: Kauai Rahui

Under-10:
1st: Jesse Frazerhurst
2nd: Ezra Donaldson
3rd: Hunter Graham
4th: Van Leith

Over-40s:
1st: Andrew Robinson
2nd: Joe O'Donnell
3rd: Ethan Kinnear
4th: Nat Jakich

Over-50s:
1st: Mark Hoyle
2nd: Billy Hale
3rd: Nick Brown-Haysom

Over 60s:
1st: John Gisby
2nd: Rupert Newbold
3rd: Phil Bonham
4th: Jim Ward