Eastern Province dominated the Hurley SA Junior Champs in their home surf at Jeffreys Bay, clinching the coveted Freedom Cup team trophy for the first time in the 16 year history of the event and earning three of the six SA individual titles and three of the five special awards on offer.

South Africa’s premier event for surfers aged17-and-under ended on Sunday after enjoying a phenomenal five straight days of excellent surf at the Point with offshore winds every day grooming the waves and giving the competitors the every opportunity to showcase their talent.

The team title was extremely close with the powerful KwaZulu-Natal Central (KZNC) team from Durban finishing just 184 points behind EP in second place, with defending champions Western Province a distant third 1 143 points further back. Boland placed fourth followed by Southern KZN, Southern Cape, Border, the SA Development Academy and Zululand.

The hosts’ Matt McGillivray was the standout performer in J-Bay, producing inspired surfing that saw him win every heat on his way to the SA U15 boys’ title. He was deservedly crowned the Hurley Surfer of the Contest, in association with All Aboard Travel, earning a R20 000 voucher to any destination in the world, and then pocketed another R5 000 for winning the Red Bull Airshow where he beat the best aerial surfers at the event.

Benji Brand (WP) was on fire on the final day, employing his trademark vertical backhand repertoire to win the SA U17 title and also taking home the R3 000 for the Citroën Highest Heat Score award when he posted a 17.0 point out of 20 total in his semi-final encounter. Diran Zakarian (Boland) took the runner-up spot with Jason Harris (KZNC) in third and Ethan Pentz (WP) placing fourth

J-Bay local Gina Smith (EP) was another who went unbeaten throughout the event, going on the be crowned the SA U17 girls champion ahead of Inge McLaren (Border), teammate and last year’s U15 champion Tahra Uren (EP) and Caryn McNicol (KZNC).

McGillivray’s dominating victory in the U15 boys division saw Shane Sykes (KZNC) finish second with Jordy Maree (WP) taking third place and Nthando Msibi (KZNC) in fourth place and receiving the Zigzag Blowing Up award and a R3 000 prize-purse.

The U15 girls’ final was a closely fought affair and when the spray settled Crystal Hulett (EP) was the champion with Chanelle Botha (SKZN) close behind and Olivia Brand (KZNC) and Ruth Armstrong (WP) placing third and fourth.

Adin Masencamp (Boland), who had held the lead in the Citroën Highest Heat Score award for the first four days of the tournament, successfully defended his U13 boys’ title, finishing just ahead of arch-rival Ethan Fletcher (WP). Jose Faulkner (EP) took third and Max Elkington (WP) placed fourth.

The U13 girls’ title went to Sophie Bell (KZNC) who racked up a massive 15.0 points to deny Kai Woolf (EP) a second successive title in her home surf. Ashleigh Vaughan finished ahead of Danica Stockigt (Border) in the final to grab third place.

The Skullcandy Team Spirit award was presented to Eastern Province whose enthusiasm and support for their teammates paid off with team and individual honours that will go down in the annals of SA surfing history.

Daily blogs, interviews, video uploads, images, event schedule and results from the Hurley SA Junior Champs are posted on www.sajuniorchamps.co.za with results and info also found at www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za.

Follow the event via the Hurley Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/Hurley.ZA, on Twitter @HurleyZA and on Instagram HURLEY_ZA, both using the hashtag #sajuniorchamps.

2102 Hurley SA Junior Champs
Results

Freedom Cup Team Trophy
1. Eastern Province – 28 092 points
2. KwaZulu-Natal Central – 27 908
3. Western Province – 26 949
4. Boland – 22 248
5. Southern KZN – 20 494
6. Southern Cape – 18 792
7. Border – 17 330
8. SA Development Academy – 16 040
9. Zululand – 8 476

U17 Boys
1. Benji Brand (WP)
2. Diran Zakarian (Boland)
3. Jason Harris (KZNC)
4. Ethan Pentz (WP)

U17 Girls
1. Gina Smith (EP)
2. Caryn McNicol (KZNC)
3. Tahra Uren (EP)
4. Inge McLaren (Border)

U15 Boys
1. Matt McGillivray (EP)
2. Shane Sykes (KZNC)
3. Jordy Maree (WP)
4. Nthando Msibi (KZNC)

U15 Girls
1. Crystal Hulett (EP)
2. Chanelle Botha (SKZN)
3. Olivia Brand (KZNC)
4. Ruth Armstrong (WP)

U13 Boys
1. Adin Masencamp (Boland)
2. Ethan Fletcher (WP)
3. Jose Faulkner (EP)
4. Max Elkington (WP)

U13 Girls
1. Sophie Bell (KZNC)
2. Kai Woolf (EP)
3. Ashleigh Vaughan (EP)
4. Danica Stockigt (Border)

Hurley Surfer of the Contest, in association with All Aboard Travel
Matt McGillivray (EP) – R20 000 travel voucher

Red Bull Airshow
Matt McGillivray (EP) – R5 000

Citroën Highest Heat Score
Benji Brand (WP) – R3 000

Zigzag Blowing Up Award
Nthando Msibi (KZNC) – R3 000

Skullcandy Team Spirit Award
Eastern Province

ENDS

Pictured: Matt McGillivray (EP) was the standout performer at the Hurley SA Junior Champs at Jeffreys Bay, winning the SA U15 boys’ title, pocketing R5000 for winning the Red Bull Airshow and helping his team Eastern Province to clinch the Freedom Cup for the first time in the 16 year history of the event.

Photo: Hurley / Roy Harley

About Hurley
Hurley is an authentic youth lifestyle brand rooted in surfing, skate, music and art

Issued on behalf of:

Hurley SA
Contact: Josh Salie
Cell: 083 456 6644
Email: josh@Hurley.co.za

For further information:

Contact: Robin de Kock, GM of Surfing South Africa
Cell: 082 454 1149
Email: surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com

Media Enquiries:

Contact: Craig Jarvis
Cell: 082 376 4443
Email: info@craigjarvis.co.za
Complied & Distributed by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel: +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Mobile: +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email: lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

South Africa’s best young surfers enjoyed another perfect day in paradise with the Point at Jeffreys Bay resembling a wavepark as set after set of ideally groomed one to 1.5 metre waves peeled through the hallowed break on the penultimate day of the Hurley SA Junior Champs on Saturday.

Spectacular rides, stirring victories, upsets and heartbreak were seen as all six age groups have been whittled down to the semi-finalists in preparation for tomorrow’s final day when individual and team champions will be crowned, special accolades awarded and history written.

The only girls in action today were the U15 division and Chanelle Botha from Southern KZN, who posted the highest heat score at last year’s event, showed she is the one to beat by recording the highest single wave score of this year’s event so far, a near perfect 9.50 out of 10, as she advanced to the last eight with a convincing heat win.

“I picked up that good one way on the outside and did a few turns, two cutbacks and then a re-entry before I came into the shore-break and pulled off a big closeout move,” Botha said of her best ride.

Two rounds were run in all three boys divisions and in the premier U17 category, Bryce Burness (KZNC) and Benji Brand (WP) each posted two victories as they progressed to the semis. They were joined by Western Province’s Dylan Wichmann and Ethan Pentz, Boland’s Diran Zakarian and Hilton Pelzer, Jason Harris (KZNC) and Dane van Greunen from the hosts Eastern Province, with defending champion Josh Smit (KZNC) losing out in Round 5.

Like their older counterparts, Matt McGillivray (EP) and Stef Burrows (Boland) racked up two wins today and go into tomorrow’s final day with plenty of momentum. McGillivray has EP teammates Tim Baard and Jerry van Wyk with him in the last eight along with KZN Central’s Nthando Msibi and Shane Sykes, Michael Monk (Border) and Jordy Maree (WP).

The U13 boys provided some of the standout performances of the day with defending champion Adin Masencamp (Boland), the leader in the Citroën Highest Heat Score award and the winner of each of his three heats to date, again on fire. Ethan Fletcher and WP teammate Max Elkington also take heat-winning confidence into the final day and they will be up against Koby Oberholzer (SKZN), Luke Malherbe (Border) and 2011 finalist Jose Faulkner (EP) in his home surf.

The prestigious inter-provincial Freedom Cup is still up for grabs with the holders Western Province, KZN Central and hosts Eastern Province all having plenty of team members in contention for honours and earning points towards their team’s total.

The Red Bull Airshow and its winner-takes-all R5 000 prize-purse will feature the contest’s best aerial competitors flying high above the waves just before the finals start tomorrow.

The top surfer of the event will take home the Hurley Surfer of the Contest title which, in association with All Aboard Travel, earns the winner a R20 000 travel voucher that can be used to visit destinations worldwide.

And there are also the Zigzag Blowing Up Award and R3 000 for the surfer producing the most impressive performances during the event, the Skullcandy Team Spirit award for the provincial team displaying the best camaraderie and support for their teammates and the Citroën Highest Heat Score title that honours the surfer who posts the biggest heat tally across all divisions throughout the entire five day event with a R3 000 payout.

Sunday’s schedule starts with the girls and then boys semi-finals followed by the Red Bull Airshow and then the six finals, with the awards ceremony scheduled for 4pm at the beach.

Daily blogs, interviews, video uploads, images, event schedule and results from the Hurley SA Junior Champs are posted on www.sajuniorchamps.co.za with results and info also found at www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za at the end of each day’s action.

Follow the event via the Hurley Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/Hurley.ZA, on Twitter @HurleyZA and on Instagram HURLEY_ZA, both using the hashtag #sajuniorchamps.

The South African Development Academy Team is supported by a grant from Sport and Recreation South Africa.

Surfing South Africa (SSA) is recognised as the national governing body for surfriding by the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and Sport and Recreation SA. SSA is a member of the International Surfing Association (ISA), the world’s governing body for surfing.

The 2012 Hurley SA Junior Champs is supported by Citroën Port Elizabeth, Skullcandy, Red Bull, Zigzag and All Aboard Travel.

ENDS

Pictured: Adin Masencamp, the defending U13 boy’s champion, powers through the lip on a perfect wave at the Point in Jeffreys Bay on Day 4 of the Hurley SA Junior Champs at Jeffreys Bay
Photo: Hurley / Roy Harley

About Hurley
Hurley is an authentic youth lifestyle brand rooted in surfing, skate, music and art

Compiled and Distributed by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel: +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Mobile: +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email: lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

Hurley SA Junior Champs
A Premier Surfing South Africa (SSA) event
The Point, Jeffreys Bay
3 – 7 October 2012

Excitement is building amongst the country’s best young surfers for the start of the Hurley SA Junior Champs which gets underway in the iconic waves of Jeffreys Bay on Wednesday and runs until Sunday.

Outstanding conditions forecast for the opening days and a powerful new swell predicted for the final day has the cream of SA’s 17-and-under surfers frothing to compete at J-Bay for the first time in the history of the event.

“The Hurley SA Junior Championships is the most important junior tournament on the South African calendar and Hurley’s support and commitment has turned it into a five star event.” Robin de Kock, GM of Surfing South Africa (SSA) said.

“This is where our next generation of surfing stars get to strut their stuff and the fact that it will take place in Jeffreys Bay for the first time in its 16 year history adds to the stature and excitement for this special event.”

Competitors selected by nine provincial associations will be competing for individual SA junior titles in Under 17, U15 and U13 categories for boys and girls and the team accumulating the highest points tally will take home the coveted Freedom Cup.

Adding further prestige to the event are five special awards headed by the Hurley Surfer of the Contest title which, in association with All Aboard Travel, earns the winner a R20 000 travel voucher that can be used to visit any destination in the world.

Progressive aerial manoeuvres will be rewarded with the competitor successfully landing the best technical aerial pocketing R5 000 in the Red Bull Air Show. Citroën Port Elizabeth have stepped in to recognise the surfer who posts the biggest heat tally across all divisions throughout the entire five day event with the Citroën Highest Heat Score title and a substantial R3 000 payout..

The Zigzag Blowing Up Award and R3 000 goes to the surfer who racks up the most impressive performances during the event and the provincial team that collectively displays the best camaraderie and support for their teammates walks off with the Skullcandy Team Spirit award.

Daily blogs, interviews, video uploads, images, event schedule and results from the Hurley SA Junior Champs will be posted on www.sajuniorchamps.co.za with results and info also found at www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za.

Follow the event via the Hurley Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/Hurley.ZA, on Twitter @HurleyZA and on Instagram HURLEY_ZA, both using the hashtag #sajuniorchamps.

The South African Development Team is supported by a grant from Sport and Recreation South Africa.

Surfing South Africa (SSA) is recognised as the national governing body for surfriding by the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and Sport and Recreation SA. SSA is a member of the International Surfing Association (ISA), the world’s governing body for surfing.

The 2012 Hurley SA Junior Champs is supported by Citroën Port Elizabeth, Skullcandy, Red Bull, Zigzag and All Aboard Travel.

ENDS

Pictured: Jordy Maree (WP), winner of the Surfer of the Contest award last year, will be amped to repeat that performance in the Hurley SA Junior Champs at Jeffreys Bay from 3-7 October
Photo: (c) Karen Wilson / Hurley

About Hurley
Hurley is an authentic youth lifestyle brand rooted in surfing, skate, music and art

Issued on behalf of:

Hurley SA
Contact: Josh Salie
Cell: 083 456 6644
Email: josh@Hurley.co.za

For further information:

Contact: Robin de Kock, GM of Surfing South Africa
Cell: 082 454 1149
Email: surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com

Media Enquiries:

Contact: Craig Jarvis
Cell: 082 376 4443
Email: info@craigjarvis.co.za

Complied & Distributed by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel: +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Mobile: +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email: lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

 

Hurley SA Junior Champs
A Premier Surfing South Africa (SSA) event
The Point, Jeffreys Bay
3 – 7 October 2012

Country’s top surfers to contest Hurley SA Junior Champs at Jeffreys Bay in October

The country’s top young surfers will be flocking to the surfing Mecca of Jeffreys Bay next month to compete for prestigious team and individual national titles in the annual Hurley SA Junior Champs.

Scheduled for 3-7 October, this premier Surfing South Africa (SSA) event features the best 17-and-under surfers selected by their respective provincial associations and will be staged at the high performance surf break known as The Point for the first time in its 16 year history.

“Junior surfing is what drives the future of South Africa’s next crop of great surfers and the dream of adding to the pool of World Champion from our shores,” says Jevon le Roux, MD of Hurley SA. “Hurley is proud to be associated with Surfing South Africa’s Junior champs as the kids are an inspiration to us. We look forward to them showing up and blowing up at J-Bay in October.”

Competitors from defending team champions Western Province and hosts Eastern Province will be joined by squads from KZN Central, Southern KZN, Border, Boland, Zululand, Southern Cape and the SA Development Academy in their quest to secure the Freedom Cup and SA titles in Under 17, U15 and U13 categories for boys and girls.

Western Province will be determined to repeat their domination after a narrow second successive team victory in Durban last year. Josh Smit (KZN Central), Adin Masencamp (Boland) and Kai Woolf (EP) will be back to defend their U17 boys, U13 boys and U13 girls’ titles respectively while new champions will be crowned the other three of the six individual divisions.

Last year’s U17 girls’ champion Sarah Baum (KZNC) is now competing on the World Tour and U15 boys and girls’ champions, Max Armstrong (WP) and Tahra Uren (EP), have moved up to the U17 division leaving the way clear for the top contenders to stake their claim for a place in the annals of South African surfing history.

Eastern Province surfers, including 2011 finalists Tahra Uhren, Kai Woolf, Matt McGillivray (U15 boys) and Jose Faulkner (U13 boys), will benefit from hometown advantage at Jeffreys Bay but face strong challenges from the defending champions and the likes of McGillivray’s SA national teammates Benji Brand and Max Armstrong (both WP), Steffen Burrows (Boland), Nicole Pallet (KZNC) and Chanelle Botha (SKZN).

Others expected to contend for individual glory include Bryce Burness (KZNC), Diran Zakarian (Boland), Brandon Benjamin (WP) and Courtney Ellish (SKZN) in the U17’s; 2011 ’Surfer of the Contest’ Jordy Maree, fellow WP surfer Donovan Wichmann, Simo Mkhize (SKZN) and Anousch Zakarian (Boland) in the U15’s and Koby Oberholzer (KZNC) and Ethan Fletcher (WP) in the youngest division.

In addition to the national titles at stake, winners will also be crowned for the Citroën Surfer of the Contest, All Aboard Travel Highest Heat Score, Zigzag Blowing Up Award, the Red Bull AirShow and the Skullcandy Best Team Trophy, which is awarded to the provincial team that displays the best team spirit throughout the event.

Follow the event via the Hurley Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/Hurley.ZA and on Twitter @HurleyZA using the hashtag #sajuniorchamps. Daily blogs, interviews, video uploads, images and results will be posted on www.sajuniorchamps.co.za and can also be found at www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za.

The South African Development Team is supported by a grant from Sport and Recreation South Africa.

Surfing South Africa is recognised as the national governing body for the sport by the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and Sport and Recreation SA. Surfing South Africa is a member of the International Surfing Association (ISA), the world’s governing body for surfing.

The 2012 Hurley SA Junior Champs is supported by Citroën, Skullcandy, Red Bull, Zigzag and All Aboard Travel.

ENDS

Pictured: The perfect waves at Jeffreys Bay will host the Hurley SA Junior Champs for the first time in the 16 year history of the event from 3-7 October

Photo: Hurley

About Hurley
Hurley is an authentic youth lifestyle brand rooted in surfing, skate, music and art

Issued on behalf of:

Hurley SA
Contact: Josh Salie
Cell: 083 456 6644
Email: josh@Hurley.co.za

For further information:

Contact: Robin de Kock, GM of Surfing South Africa
Cell: 082 454 1149
Email: surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com

Media Enquiries:

Contact: Craig Jarvis
Cell: 082 376 4443
Email: info@craigjarvis.co.za
Complied & Distributed by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel: +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Mobile: +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email: lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

 

 

 Cape Town, South Africa (17 June 2010) – Sea Point surfer Thomas Catlin will be heading off to Huntington Beach for the Hurley US Open of Surfing in August after winning their unique Win A Trip To California Competition.

Catlin’s efforts to take the prize saw him donning a Tiger Shark suit and surfing freezing Cape waters, wearing a mask and wings while skateboarding along the Sea Point promenade holding a Hurley Bird sign and constructing a Squidman suit which he wore along with pink smoke bombs for added special effects.

His prize sees him win an all-expenses paid trip to the Hurley US Open of Surfing in California, VIP treatment among the 600,000 fans expected at the event, meeting the Hurley International team, touring Hurley/Nike/Converse Action Sports headquarters and finally designing his own Hurley product at 225 Forest.

“I am really, really excited,” said Catlin after the win. “When I heard, I was so stoked that I just started screaming in the parking lot at Buffels Bay… all the heavy locals from Kommetjie were there wondering what was going on, so I told them and they’re all my best friends now! They didn’t recognise me because in all the photos I had a shark’s head and so on… but I remember giving them hot coffee, then running around the parking lot like crazy!”

The competition attracted close on 100 entrants from around South Africa, eventually narrowed down to ten finalists for the last two weeks of the competition. Catlin was judged the winner by an international panel of judges which included Bob Hurley (President and Founder of Hurley), Pat O’Connell (Hurley Sports Marketing Manager), Evan Slater (Former editor of Surfing Magazine and now Digital Content Manager for Hurley International), Jason Haynes (Marketing Manager for Hurley Australia) and Liam Wood (Hurley South Africa Team Manager). 

“The competition was a huge success,” said Liam Wood, “and we were especially happy with the final round. The top ten all stepped it up a level in the last two weeks with unique creative profiles and super interesting blogs. All ten were deserving winners, but from the very beginning Thomas Catlin went all out. Only entering 3 weeks before the end of the first round, Thomas shot through the rankings overnight due to putting a little bit more effort thanks to his costume designs, social networking, and even board shaping!”

The international panel of judges agreed that Catlin’s nail in the coffin was shaping a quad fish (four finned surfboard) with artwork depicting his costumes through the various stages of the event. “I’m going to take the quad with me,” said Catlin, “and I want to give it to one of the pros – hopefully Brett Simpson. He does mad aerials and to see him ride the board would be awesome. I’d love him to bust an air where you can see the underside of the board. I’ll tell him ‘bro, if you break it, snap it, whatever, just go crazy!”

Despite his job being done and the prize secured, Catlin has also vowed to wear his Hurley Tiger Shark suit when he boards the plane headed for California.

The Hurley US Open of surfing runs from August 2^nd to 8^th, and sports the largest purse on the World Qualifying Series with a massive $250,000 total prize money. The first place winner’s cheque of $100,000 is the largest of any event in professional surfing.

Catlin’s profile, along with all of the entries throughout the competition, can be viewed at http://www.hurley.co.za

Ends

Pictured: Thomas Catlin’s hand-shaped quad showing the Hurley Tiger Shark, Hurley Bird and Squidman

Photo: Thomas Catlin

NB: High resolution version of this image is available rights free to Media outlets

Issued on behalf of:

Hurley South Africa
Liam Wood
Hurley Team Manager
liam@hurley.co.za
Tel: 021 426 5212

Compiled by:
Craig Ritchie
craigjritchie@gmail.com
Tel: 079 493 6533

  

  

Cape Town, South Africa (14 May 2010) – There have been some crazy happenings down in the Cape recently, with lots of shark activity on the False Bay side and even official warnings from the Shark Spotters about heightened great white activity. But around the corner on the Sea Point side, there’s been a strange sighting that has perplexed both curious locals and shark experts alike.

 

Perhaps it has to do with the Thermopylae pollution or just perhaps the general wackiness of Cape Town, but initial reports described the enigmatic creature as a human/tiger shark hybrid – those in the know, however, have identified it as the product of mad scientist and eccentric Sea Point surfer Tom Caitlin.

 

“What happened was, well, I’ve got a man cave,” explains Tom, a shoe wholesaler and part time scientist specializing in experimental marine biology. “Every guy has got a man cave where he fixes something, stores linen, goes to get some time away from the wife. It’s very close to my heart, and I go there on Saturdays after surf with a bottle of whiskey to read surf mags, and work on my projects. So I decided to make a shark’s head and got to work on a chicken wire frame surrounded by fiberglass. The teeth are made of foam and the eyeballs are from a squashball cut in half. The whole thing took about 3 weeks”.

 

As with many scientific experiments, failures in the lab can lead to injury and possibly even death to the poor scientist, and Professor Tom Caitlin didn’t come away completely unscathed himself. “I bought a filter,” he says, “which is like a gas mask. You need this while working with all the polyurethane fumes. Now, I was basically breathing them in for 2 weeks with the door closed. I ended up with lacerations on the inside of my lungs because I had not put the filters onto the mask properly!”

 

Tom had to go to the doctor and was put on a prescription of antibiotics to help his troubled lungs. Still, undeterred, he went back to the man-cave lab and proceeded to finish his masterwork.

 

“I live in the same block as Justin Strong,” says Tom, “and he walked past with his baby one day and he was amazed by the shark’s head and told me to show it to him when it was done. So when that day came around a friend and I spray-painted ourselves – we sprayed his bald head blue and my face pink, so there was this blue smurf and this pink faced thing running around this quiet, well to do Jewish community. They don’t like too much noise in my complex, and next thing I feel a tapping on my sharks head – it was the caretaker. The moment he saw me he called everyone to come look, but as soon as they saw what was going on they refused to look at me because my testicles were sticking out of the wetsuit g-string. So I went up to the 9^th floor to show Justin, and we ended up getting a shot that he took of me where my balls are literally hanging out.”

 

All in the name of science.

 

“I put the shark’s head aside for a while, and I shaped myself a 7’2 step up board – with a ‘tiger shark’ design on it. After surfing Silverstroom, my friend Dan cut my wetsuit quite hectically in the back – the cut was so high it was like a g-string. Anyway, I went for a surf at Thermos in this thing. I paddled out at low tide and it was freezing because I was wearing practically no rubber. It was a very tough paddle and on the way out a 3-foot wave broke on me, so I actually had to bail the board while I held on to shark suit. There were loads of guys on the side of the road going “what is this ou doing??” and a bunch of surfers in the water who couldn’t believe what they were seeing. I also made a flag out of cardboard but I couldn’t paddle out with because I was being annihilated by the sets. I made it to the back and caught one wave, which was really difficult because the shark’s head had filled with water. I just just made it to the flat section because it was closing out and I managed to go straight and come in.”

 

So what was Tom Caitlin’s crazy escapade in aid of? What is the meaning of this? Is it the poignant tale of one man’s struggle to come to terms with the human condition in the dawn of the 21^st century, or was there another motive behind his actions?

 

“A friend told me I should put the Hurley logo on and enter their competition,” explains the good professor, “so we sprayed a logo on the suit and another friend Anton du Preez took some photos.”

 

Hurley’s Win A Trip To California competition runs until June 15^th, so there’s still plenty of time to head over to http://www.hurley.co.za/ and put together your most creative entry and stand a chance to attend the Hurley US Open of Surfing first hand.

 

Ends

 

Pictured: The Hurley Tiger Shark in action at Thermos

Photos: Anton du Preez

 

NB: High resolution versions of these images are available rights free to Media outlets

 

Issued on behalf of:

 

Hurley South Africa
Liam Wood
Hurley Team Manager
liam@hurley.co.za
Tel: 021 426 5212

 

Compiled by:

 

Craig Ritchie

craigjritchie@gmail.com