Western Australia’s best surfers hit the water at Avalon Point for the 2016 Makin Homes Peel Pro over the weekend.
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Strong winds and a building swell saw competitors battle not only themselves but with conditions as the large waves pushed down the reef on the first day.
By Sunday weather had settled and the winds had swung and we were greeted by the best conditions competitors have seen for a state rated surfing event.
Mandurah Board Riders ran the event, now in its second year, with Luke Campbell taking out first prize in the open men’s division.
Mandurah’s very own Josh Harrington carved his way to third place in the category, while Campbell beat out Alex McGuffin, his own protege, in the final.
Campbell took home prize money of $2,000 and a wildcard entry into the 2017 Margaret River Pro for his victory.
In the open women’s it was a fairy tale competition for Margaret River local Emma Caittlin, who overcame a string of fierce competition to take out first prize.
Caittlin, the youngest competitor in the event draw, beat former world tour competitor Claire Bevilacqua.
She commandeered the lead that saw other competitors chasing her from the outset on the first wave of the final and continued to apply pressure to come away with the win.
The pro junior category saw a re-match of last year’s open men’s final, with Duke Natzgaam and Felix Leaver battling for first.
In 2015, Leaver took out the tournament, but this year saw Natzgaam claim the honours.
Leaver opened the final with the largest individual wave score of the weekend, nailing a 9.93 with a series of backhand turns.
A fierce battle ensued, leaving Natzgaam needing a score of 8.17 from his final wave.
He threw caution to the wind and attacked a long left-hander to score a 9.33, taking a win in one of the most exciting finals in WA surfing history.
McGuffin was one of the event’s standout surfers, putting on a great display as he claimed second in the open men’s and third in the pro junior.
Other surfers who shone included Chris Fulston, April McPherson, Mat Wilson, Ian McPherson, Tim Pearman, Nick Black and Simon Wroth.
The Mandurah Board Riders will now begin preparing to host the event again in 2017.
