Competition Heats Up On Day 4 Of The Rip Curl GromSearch Phillip Island, Presented By Bass Coast Shire Council

With a drop in swell, Day 4 of the Rip Curl GromSearch Phillip Island, presented by Bass Coast Shire Council, shifted to the rip bowl waves of Cape Woolamai. After a rainy start, the sun emerged, shining on Cape Woolamai’s 1-2 foot left and right peaks.

Heat 1 of Round 3 in the Under 16 Boys division saw fireworks as the three competitors split peaks, with action on both the lefts and rights. Jesse Fergusson (Sunshine Beach, QLD) and Henry Dowling (Sunrise Beach, QLD) stuck to the left-hand side of the bank, while Max McGillivray (Evans Head, NSW) focused on the right.

Dowling opened the heat with a series of solid backhand hits, earning a 5.30 and an early lead. Fergusson quickly answered with powerful vertical hits and a swift finish, scoring 7.00 for his display of strength on the wave. 

It wasn’t until the latter half of the heat that McGillivray posted major scores, but it was worth the wait. He went back-to-back on two waves, scoring a 6.07 on his first and, on the second, sent spray flying with a dramatic tail drift, earning a 9.07. This not only secured his heat win but also the Surf Better Now Wave of the Day.

On a combined total of 15.14 points, McGillivray earned his spot in the quarterfinals, with Fergusson joining him. 

“There was a big flurry of sets, and I was so lucky to get that wave, I’m so stoked,” McGillivray said. 

“It was a really good heat, all the others are such great surfers. There was some wind up the face, so it was a bit tricky, but I’m stoked to get through,” he continued. 

Later in the day, McGillivray maintained his momentum, winning his quarter final and semi-final to secure a spot in tomorrow’s final.

As the Under 18s quarterfinals kicked off, the competition intensified, with every surfer eager to advance. In the opening minutes of Quarterfinal 1, Soren Smith (Cronulla, NSW) and Darcy Dwyer (Cooroibah, QLD) both dropped into the same wave in the heat of the moment, resulting in Smith receiving a non-priority interference penalty.

Fueled by the incident, Dwyer unleashed a series of backhand hammers all the way to the beach, finishing cleanly to score an 8.83. He then backed it up with a 5.17, giving him a combined total of 14 points and a spot in the semi-finals.

“I’m so happy to make it through that heat. It was slow out there, so I was just happy to get that 8-point ride and a back-up before it went dead,” Dwyer said.

“On that wave, I really wanted to rip it up, and the wave kept giving, so I kept tagging it all the way through,” he added.

In the semi-finals, Dwyer faced a tight battle against Michael Peterson (Noosaville, QLD) but ultimately lost, although he remained one of the standout performers of the day.

As conditions shifted, the Under 16 Girls paddled out, contending with a stiff side shore wind. Heat 2 of the quarterfinals was a frantic contest, with all competitors taking advantage of the available waves. Midway through the heat, Anna Huppatz (Bilinga, QLD) scored the highest wave of the heat, with a well-timed series of left-hand hits on critical sections.

The battle for second place was close, with Alice Hodgson (Kiama Downs, NSW) making a late push, scoring 5.23 after connecting with a couple of backhand snaps. Her score was enough to secure a semifinal spot alongside Huppatz.

“My game plan was just to try and get a couple of long ones and put in some good turns. The waves were fun but a bit challenging with the wind,” Huppatz said. 

“It was good energy out there; all the girls are great people.”

As an added bonus, the top four competitors in the Under 14 and Under 16 divisions will be awarded wildcards into the Rip Curl GromSearch National Final, to be held at URBNSURF Sydney on October 21 this year.

With finals day set for tomorrow, the official call for Day 5 of competition will be made in the morning, with all updates posted on Surfing Victoria’s social media channels and the competitors’ WhatsApp group.

Live scores and schedule can be found via https://surfingvic.com/ripcurlgromsearchphillipisland/

Rip Curl GromSearch Phillip Island presented by Bass Coast Shire Council and supported by the Victorian Government Significant Sporting Events program, Park Lane Phillip Island, Cancer Council Sunscreen, GoPro, SurfBetterNow.com and Surfing Victoria.