Slayde Shooter © Kody McGregor
East Beach, Port Alfred – The Rip Curl GromSearch presented by the Royal St Andrews Hotel and supported by Sea Harvest completed the younger divisions today in excellent running waves at East Beach.
The Expression Session rewarded four surfers for innovative, progressive performances, while a Channel Islands Surfboard was awarded to the Most Outstanding Surfer of the event.
A three-foot swell with light offshore winds produced clean right-handers running along the East Beach sandbank, creating ideal high-performance conditions. A brief morning drizzle passed quickly, with afternoon sunshine watching over a high standard of surfing for the rest of the day.
Expression Session
Expression Session prize winners were:
Women
- Max Kauffman
- Emma Schermbrucker
Men
- Kai Stubbs
- Sebastian Copson
Max Kauffman © Kody McGregor
Channel Islands Surfboards Most Outstanding Surfer Award
The Channel Islands Surfboard for Most Outstanding Surfer went to Cody Painter. He posted an 8.5 and a 9.5 for an 18-point semi-final heat total before going on to convincingly win the U12 Boys Final. He claimed the Channel Islands surfboard prize, valued at R13,000.
Cody Painter and The Royal St Andrews Hotel’s Justin Bekker
© Kody McGregor
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Cody Painter had a safe lead in the U12 Boys Final, and a last-minute dash by Avethandwa Mosikare saw him leap into second place as the final drew to a close.
U12 Boys Final Results
- Cody Painter
- Avethandwa Mosikare
- Jonathan Pearson
- Roadie Boddy
Adrianna Canning (Durban) controlled the U12 Girls Final, with Olivia Shooter (Cape St Francis) finishing second.
U12 Girls Final Results
- Adrianna Canning
- Olivia Shooter
- Finley Sutherland
- Zaliha Bhyat
An on-form Slayde Shooter won the U14 Boys division, with Lazaro De Bruyn in second.
U14 Boys Final Results
- Slayde Shooter
- Lazaro De Bruyn
- Marcello Zedde
- Ethan Schermbrucker
Spiderman popped in to show his support © Kody McGregor
The U14 Girls Final delivered a tight contest between Maya Malherbe and Tasla Belyaeva in high-tide conditions. Malherbe secured the win by a narrow margin to become the U14 Rip Curl GromSearch Champion 2026.
U14 Girls Final Results
- Maya Malherbe
- Tasla Belyaeva
- Brin Jarvis
- Adrianna Canning
- Summer Harding
“Congratulations to all the surfers and everyone who worked together to make this contest happen,” said The Royal St Andrews Hotel Managing Director Justin Bekker. “It was awesome to watch these talented junior surfers at East Beach, and we are proud to be a sponsor of this event along with Rip Curl.”
The Rip Curl GromSearch Premier U16 and U18 Division Finals will run on Monday before the Royal St Andrews Hotel Rip Curl Cup QS 4,000 final heats.
The Rip Curl GromSearch is a Surfing South Africa event and remains one of the most important junior events on the South African surfing calendar, forming a key part of the Port Alfred Easter Festival lineup.
