Rip Curl GromSearch Seal Point

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The Rip Curl GromSearch 2023 was the most successful element of surfing in South Africa for 2023. While The Corona Open JBay and the Ballito Pro were resounding success stories, they were Championship Tour and Challenger Series contests, respectively. They did very little for local surfers, as the entries are closed and restricted to those who qualify for the tournaments.

The premier division of the Rip Curl GromSearch is the Under 16’s. They are the heroes of the series. Levi Epenetos (Melkbos) and Louise Lepront (Scottburgh) were the Rip Curl GromSearch Premier U16 Division 2023 Series winners. At the culmination of the series finale at Seal Point, Cape St Francis, when all the points had been tallied, the two emerged victorious to take their trophies and prizes.

The Seal Point contest had some challenging conditions, including moving the heats to the beachbreak on the final day as the waves at the Point were too small in the morning. It was a sold-out event in what has fast become the most popular surfing series in South Africa and the most well-attended series of surfing contests in the country.

With over 150 competitors, the Seal Point contest had the biggest entry of any event in the country for 2023 outside national champs. Seeing the interest, passion, excitement and competitive spirit around these events is incredible. Rip Curl has committed to a third year of the series in 2024.

Levi Epenetos from Melkbos had an excellent year on the Rip Curl GromSearch Series 2023, with a win in Cape Town and Victoria Bay, a second at Scottburgh and a second in this Seal Point tournament, and the goofy-footer was a popular winner.

5 events, three days each, about 7 hours of surfing daily. That’s 105 hours of surfing. Up to 150 surfers entered, but this includes some doubleentry heats. Venues included Long Beach, Scottburgh, Port Alfred, Victoria Bay and Seal Point. Waves were good at all contest sites, with Port Alfred being the biggest.

Similarly, another goofy-footer, Louise Lepront from Scottburgh, secured a victory in the Scottburgh event, Victoria Bay and Port Alfred. These wins, along with a third in Cape Town and a second in the Seal Point contest this weekend, secured her victory.

As mentioned, the Seal Point tournament started the finals day at the beach break. However, as the day progressed and the new swell started filtering through, the event returned to the Point and some excellent rides. After a few low-scoring heats on the beachbreak, the first wave on the point, ridden by Nate Tayler, scored an 8.17, vindicating the organiser’s decision to move. Moving a contest during a surfing day is always tricky, but the Point was the prime venue, and the beach was the backup only.

Charlotte Copson stood out in the U12 Girls division at Seal Point, banking an 8.33 for her highest-scoring wave and the win. The U12 Boys saw Marcello Zedde continue his dominance in this division.

Emily Jenkinson continued her winning ways with a comfortable win in the U14 Girls. At the same time, Adam Faclier took his maiden victory in the GromSearch series in the U14 Boys.

The U18 Girls division saw Louise Lepront emerge victorious. At the same time, local Cape St Francis surfer Rory Dace snatched the win in the U18 Boys. Cover page surfer Dace has had a stellar surfing year. When you read this, he would have returned from the ISA World Junior Games in Brazil, where he represented his country.

Exciting surfing from Remi Fourie saw her win in the Premier U16 Girls Division. At the same time, Rory Dace continued his utter dominance of competitive surfing at his home break by taking the double and winning the Premier U16 division.

The Rip Curl GromSearch Series 2024 calendar dates are on the www. surfingsouthafrica.co.za website. There is also talk of a new contest called The Rip Curl Cup to join the contest calendar in 2024.