FOR the first time in more than 15 years, a major open surfing contest is set to be held in the Peel region.
The Makin Homes Peel Pro presented by Star Surf & Skate will be held in Mandurah from July 25-26 this year and the contest will offer $5000 in cash prizes.
The contest will be held at a range of beaches depending on the conditions of the day including Gearies, Avalon, Egg Farms and Melros.
The Makin Homes Peel Pro will also run across those days as there will be no lay days. The heats will also be drawn in a non-traditional way of a pulling names out of a hat rather than the heats decided on the states point rating system. Contest organiser Brad Higgins said they were trying to attract the best surfers possible to the event.
Higgins said the contest was important for the region and the ability to provide a stepping stone for the local surfers was important.
“We have got some of the best waves so close to the metropolitan area and we haven’t had a surf contest of this calibre in over 15 years,” he said.
“It’s also a state-sanctioned surfing event so it’s great to have the governing body of Surfing WA behind us..
“The Mandurah Board Riders club is the strongest it has been in years; not only does it provide a platform for the seniors to compete but also an excellent opportunity for our juniors to get involved or aspire to compete in contests of this size on a state stage.”
Current state champion Jerome Forrest will be surfing in the event as well as brothers Jake and Paul Paterson.
Surfers are invited to sign up for the competition, divisions are capped and once the age group is full there will be no more entries. Already places for each division are filling up fast, according to Higgins.
If anyone is interested in entering the competition go to The Surfing Australia website for more information, or check out the Makin Homes Peel Pro Facebook page.
