Whatshot
Suncoast King of the Coast Kitesurfing
Suncoast King of the Coast Kitesurfing
Saturday saw a number of riders taking to the water in the Stand-Up Paddle boarding event with Josh Emanuel from Umhlanga taking the Course Race title. Emanuel dominated at the front as he paddled to victory through three heats where the riders took off from a rolling start running down to the water, then paddling out to a buoy beyond the breakers, rounding that and heading downwind to another buoy before making their way back to the shore. John Ivins from Morningside came second.
Race Director, Rob Crystal from Ocean2Air stated, "The course was a great leveler as the small waves played to some of the guys advantage. In the finals John was leading but Josh got lucky and piped him at the post when he managed to surf a wave to the front."
Being crowned in the Expression Session, Umdloti's Steve Hean won the double, topping the log in the SUP and the Kite-Surfing events. The Expression Session was a wave riding-contest where competitors had a time limit to ride as many waves as they could, showing off their best maneuvers.
The Kitesurfing event took place in blustery conditions on Sunday. A field of 24 riders thrilled onlookers as they boosted off waves or carved through the water.
The Wave Riding Division was won by Salt Rock rider, Will Fitzgerald, who managed some great turns in testing conditions. Second was Josh Emanuel who performed consistently in both the SUP and Kitesurfing.
"The conditions for the Kitesurfers were tricky but the guys put on a good display." Crystal enthused, "The two days were amazing, and the weather for this time of the year couldn't have been better planned for both events."