St Francis Bay Surfers Heading For Rip Curl GromSearch Durban
The Rip Curl GromSearch is approaching, and with the current sardine run situation, as well as some decent swell lines on the forecast, there are a few changes on the go. Here is the latest update, along with news of the St Francis Bay Surfers heading for Durban to compete.
We would like to wish all St Francis Bay surfers the best of luck in the Rip Curl GromSearch event. Also, those competing in the Ethekwini Pro and the various events in Durban. Surfers include Slayde Shooter, Summer Harding, Rylan Jarvis, David Moussouris and others.
What
The Rip Curl GromSearch Durban is the third contest in a four-event series held at various locations along our coastline. The first event of the year took place in Cape Town. The second event was held in Port Alfred as part of the Port Alfred Easter Festival. The final event will take place at Seal Point, Cape St. Francis, in September.
Where
The Rip Curl GromSearch Durban was scheduled to take place at Scottburgh on the South Coast. It was supported by the Cutty Sark Hotel. However, the recent and ongoing sardine run prompted the contest organisers and sponsors to decide to relocate. Therefore the contest has moved to Durban for safety reasons. The event is now scheduled to take place at Dairy Beach. The forecast looks promising, with potentially good waves spilling over from Thursday into the opening period of the event window on Friday.
When
The Rip Curl GromSearch will kick off early this Friday morning. The contest is scheduled for Friday, 13th, to Sunday, 15th. Still, the event could end early. Further to this, competitors and families are advised to keep an eye on the Surfing South Africa Live Heats app for schedules and any possible changes to the schedule. The sandbanks at Dairy have been fun lately, with fun and highly contestable waves forecast for this event.
Why
The Rip Curl GromSearch series worldwide recognises the U16 division as the premier division in this series, which takes place globally. The U16 Series Winners get invited to surf in the Rip Curl GromSearch Global Finals. Here they compete against the best groms in the world. Additionally, they are housed, coached and tutored by some of the best Rip Curl professional competitors/ Surfers like Stephanie Gilmore and Molly Picklum, as evidenced by the final event in Bali last year.
Who
The top junior surfers in the country will be at this event, in Durban for a chance to win points and prize money. While the Rip Curl GromSerch Durban is part of the 2025 local GromSearch Series, it is not just about the U16 division, though. It comprises U12, U14, U16, and U18 divisions. All divisions will be competing for contest results, prizes, and rankings on the SAST. Further, the Rip Curl GromSearch contests are all premier SAST events. Thus there are 1,000 points awarded to the winners and prize money in line with all premier events.
The top seed for the Premier U16 Boys Division, Kai Stubbs from Scarborough, has had to withdraw from the event at the last minute due to an injury. So, Ben Esterhuyse and Adam Faclier, second and third on the unadjusted ratings, will be competing in the event and could capitalise on this situation.
In the U16 Girls Division, all eyes are on Leah Lepront and Emily Jenkinson, the top two surfers on unadjusted rankings.
The Rip Curl GromSearch Durban contest is a Surfing South Africa tournament supported by Sea Harvest.
Competitors, families and friends can follow live heat tracking on LiveHeats.
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