Stacked Field Locked In Including Matt Banting, Reef Heazlewood and a host of top
Australian surfing talent. Follow all the news at www.surfwebseries.com and through our supporting media partner Surfing Life Magazine.
The Surf Web Series (SWS) prepares for opening day action from the Surfboard Empire E-Pro Australia starting Monday, December 7, with Round 1 featuring a plethora of Australia’s pro surfing heavy-hitters.
Featuring a $6,000 (AUD) winners purse, $2,500 (AUD) for the runner-up, $250 (AUD) for semifinalists. Additional prizes include a “Best Tube Award” for the best single tube, and best air or single manoeuvre, and even spot prizes for the voting fans.
The likes of former World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) competitor Matt Banting (Port Maquarie), aerial specialist and WSL Redbull Airborne finalist Reef Heazlewood (Moffat Beach) and WSL Qualifying Series (QS) standout Liam O’Brien (Burleigh Heads) headline an impressive field of contenders ready to do battle in the 6th event of the series.
An example of what is to come from Reef Heazlewood
With plenty of winter swell gracing both the east and west of Australia’s jaw-dropping coastline in the past few months, and without the pressure of usual contest schedules, cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions, surfers have been locked inside Australia and will have had ample opportunity to surf, film, and select their best clips for the event.
The SWS format remains the same as in previous events, with four judges going through the surfer’s submitted footage for each heat. Each surfer has 1 wave per heat and voting fans also get their say as their votes essentially become the deciding fifth judge as they follow their favoured surfers through the competition.
Event director Keith Davies commented on the eve of the event: "The journey from concept to actually realising an SWS event in Australia has been a real challenge, but now 24 hours to the first buzzer we have an outstanding field of surfers ready to do battle in this unique format. Experience on one side and up and coming exuberance and imagination on the other, we have it all. Some of the things these surfers do is going to ‘blow your mind.’ I really believe we have 2 weeks of some of the best surfing footage and competition to follow. This format allows surfers to express themselves, doing what they do best in free surfing scenarios, practising and indeed achieving the sorts of manoeuvres they would perhaps not be inclined to use in standard competition format. Thank you to our sponsors and supporters who deserve special mention: Surfboard Empire, Getagrip Surf Wax, Ryan Softboards, Addo Animus Pty Ltd who believed in the concept and helped get us to where we are today, we have some fantastic prizes and giveaways for fans courtesy of our supporters which will provide even more incentive for the fans.
Good luck to all the surfers and fans, let the contest begin!”
The top two surfers from each of the 7 first round heats will advance directly to Round 3 while the remaining two surfers from each heat will have to battle for the top four spots in round 2 repechage heats.
Check out all the Surfboard Empire E-Pro Australia information, the event schedule, competitor list & profiles, and much more at surfwebseries.com. Fans cast their votes by commenting with the instagram handle of their preferred surfer on our Instagram account @surfwebseries.
SWS Surfboard Empire E-Pro Australia First Round Heat Draw and Matchups:
Heat 1: Kaito Kurakawa, Riley Munro, Brent Dorrington, Jordy Turansky
Heat 2: Grayson Hinrichs, Jaggar Bartholomew, Joshua Cabral, Joel Vaughn
Heat 3: Ned Hart, Liam O’Brien, Kyle Falvey, Hughie Vaughn
Heat 4: Thomas Carvalho, Alister Reginato, Billy Kean, Kobi Clements
Heat 5: Dylan Moffat, Sheldon Simkus, Wesley Morais, Reef Heazlewood
Heat 6: Aidan Lewand-Parsons, Jack Reginato, Dane Henry, Sammy Lowe
Heat 7: Korbin Hutchings, Marlon Harrison, Kane Pickard, Matt Banting
The top four finalists of the 2-week Surfboard Empire E-Pro Australia will represent their country against participating nations as the SWS World Championship Final invites the globe’s top ranking surfers to battle it out on the world stage in April 2021 .
The official competitor list includes: Sheldon Simkus, former U-16 World Junior Champion; Grayson Hinrichs, Kaito Kurokawa, brothers Jack & Alister Reginato, Joel & Hughie Vaughan, and 2021 Pro Jnr WSL Top Seed Marlon Harrison, Sammy Lowe, Dane Henry, Zukas Loining, Joshua Cabral, Riley Munro, Kane Pickard, Aidan Parsons, Dylan Moffat, Kyan Falvey, Billy Kean, and Ned Hart.
We are also pleased to announce Surfboard Empire as naming rights title sponsor in addition to key partnerships with: Surfing Life Magazine, Addo Animus Pty Ltd, Ryan Softboards, Getagrip Surf Wax.
LAST MINUTE SPONSORSHIP PACKAGES ARE STILL AVAILABLE!
Contact australia@surfwebseries.com for details.
The #EProAustralia is made possible thanks to support from:
SURFBOARD EMPIRE—Australia's biggest surfboard store, stocking: Lost, Mayhem, Firewire, Sharpeye, Pyzel, LSD, MR, Channel Islands, JS, and more.
RYAN SOFTBOARDS -- Gold Coast based Ryan Softboards have donated equipment and prizes for competitors and fans of the #EProAustralia, with voting fans going into the draw to win a brand new board from the Ryan Softboards quiver.
ADDO ANIMUS — Addo Animus Pty Ltd are Australian distributors of the Blazepod Reactive Training System. A specialist digital video analysis and sports tech company. Blazepods are a great addition to your home or professional training set up, and ideal for improving speed and reaction to help your general fitness and surfing performance.
GET A GRIP SURF WAX— Regular surf wax contains harmful petrochemicals that harm our oceans and marine life. As surfers we have a responsibility to help keep our oceans clean and that's why we created GETAGRIP Natural Surf Wax, an environmentally friendly surf wax that is sticky and long lasting. Our 100% natural surf wax is made in small batches at home on the Mid North Coast, NSW Australia. Do mother nature a favour and start making a difference by switching to an all natural surf wax!
SURFING LIFE MAGAZINE— Australia’s Favourite Surf Magazine publishes 6 issues based on the 6 pillars of the surfing experience - Surf Travel, Surf Culture, Waves, Technique, Surfboards and Surfer - each issue dedicated to that subject alone, providing the substance, depth and authority that will have a direct impact on your surfing. Surfing Life is active across six media channels (print, social, online, e-newsletters and events), making it one of the most influential, relevant and in-demand surf brands in Australia.
SURF OPEN LEAGUE—an international platform dedicated to promoting the sport of surfing and its many beaches around the world, founded in México in 2005.
Stay tuned for more announcements. Updates on the E-Pro Australia can be found on the Surf Web Series website: surfwebseries.com/australia
