Day 2 of the 2024 Australian Indigenous Surfing Titles presented by Rip Curl saw Lee Winkler (Coffs Harbour, NSW) drops a perfect 10 point ride on his way to winning the Mens Masters division, while Ocea Curtis (Lennox Head, NSW) emerged victorious in the Open Women division.
With lines stacked to the horizon and finals set for the afternoon, competitors were amped to make the most of the conditions with only four people in the lineup. Capitalising on his 20 minutes was last year’s Masters champion, Lee Winkler, who continued to put on a magical display of surfing at Djarrak. After allowing his competitors to snag a couple of set waves early, Winkler took off on a bomb, laying into a massive forehand gouge that sent spray flying into the air before he completed a variety of forehand snaps. This put a clear difference between him and his competitors, leaving the judges in awe and awarding the ride a perfect 10 points. This also earned Winkler a spot in the Masters final as well as the Surf Better Now Wave of the Day.
“It feels really good to take out the Surf Better Now Wave of the Day; it’s just really fun to be part of this event,” said Winkler.
“Yeah, it was a good heat. We’re in the Masters, so it’s pretty respectful out there. I just let those boys have the waves at the start, and then I picked that one with the clean wall and surfed what was in front of me, and it all came together!”
Coming off his excellent ride earlier in the day, Winkler continued his amazing surfing in the final, making the strategic decision to move just to the left of the Bells Bowl, to Rincon. This allowed him to work on the long-running right-handers, fitting in a range of carves and snaps. He surfed his way to a 7.43 point ride early in the final and didn’t hold back, locking in a 6.03 point ride a couple of waves later. Winkler proceeded to take out the final with a combined heat total of 13.46 points. Coming in second was Day 1’s Surf Better Now Wave of the Day competitor, John Craig (Newcastle, NSW), with Anthony Hume (Torquay, VIC) and Glenn Curtis (Lennox Head, NSW) placing third and fourth, respectively.
In the Open Womens final, competitors faced challenging conditions with a changing tide and easing swell, which required careful wave selection to achieve high scores. Bohdi Simons (Coolangatta, QLD) initially held the only decent score, a 4.33 point ride, within the first 10 minutes. Ocea Curtis then surged into the lead with a 6.50 point ride, executing a big swooping carve right in the pocket. Kauri Heuston-Connor (Reedy Creek, QLD) scored a 5.00 with a series of forehand slashes, while Meg Day (Moonta, SA) earned a 4.00 point ride by zigzagging her way through a wave out the back.
The final was tightly contested, with all competitors needing only minor scores to overtake Curtis. In a dramatic turn, Simons caught a wave all the way to the shore, smashing the end section with a high degree of commitment, earning herself a 4.50 point ride and the lead with just eight minutes remaining. However, Curtis battled her way back into the lead shortly after, scoring a 3.47 point ride. In the closing moments, Simons made one last effort to reclaim the lead, making the most of a smaller set wave but ultimately falling just short. This left Curtis as the 2024 Australian Indigenous Surfing Titles Open Womens champion. Placing second was Simons, with Heuston-Connor and Day coming in third and fourth, respectively.
“Before I paddled out, I could tell it was slowing up a bit, so I knew I had to be patient and try to get at least one alright one, but it was fun,” stated Curtis.
“It’s an honor to take out the Australian Indigenous Surfing Titles; all the other girls rip, and it came down to the last minute, and I thought Bohdi was going to get the score, but I’m stoked on the win,” she added.
The final day of the 2024 Australian Indigenous Surfing Titles is set to be an epic conclusion to the event, with the Open Men’s Final looking to kick things off first thing in the morning. Sunday morning’s call will be a 7:00 am check-in for a 7:30 am start at Djarrak / Bells Beach.
Live scores and schedule can be found via australianindigenoussurfingtitles.com
The Australian Indigenous Surfing Titles is presented by Rip Curl and Headsox and supported by the Victorian Government, Surf Coast Events, VicHealth, Surfing Australia, Play it Safe by the Water, Waddawurrung Traditional Owners, Indigi-Print, Jessi Rebel Art, Cancer Council Sunscreen, Feed Me Surf Coast and Surf Better Now.