Crunch Time at Day 3 of the Australian Junior Surfing Titles at Thirroul Beach

WOLLONGONG, NEW SOUTH WALES (December 01, 2025): The 2025 Australian Junior Surfing Titles picked up steam on Day Three at Thirroul Beach, with the first set of knockout rounds now underway.

Thirroul served up tricky conditions for competitors. The surf was groomed clean by a moderate westerly wind, but surfers faced inconsistent 1–2ft waves due to a fading southerly swell. Patience and smart heat strategy were key to claiming victory today.

Standout Performances and Heat Winners from Day Three:

U14 Girls: Malia Simon (Gold Coast, QLD), Audrey Knobel (Moruya, NSW), Amelie Wroth (Mandurah, WA)

U14 Boys: Sonny Leong (Cronulla, NSW), Ry Foley (Yallingup, WA), Raff Morris (Sorrento, VIC)

U16 Girls: Charlotte Rielly (Sunshine Coast, QLD), Jessie Silver (Fairlight, NSW), Lulu Wilson (Dunsborough, WA)

U16 Boys: Hunter Sutcliffe (Queenscliff, NSW), Brody Mulik (Margaret River, WA), Ashton Mekisic (Wollongong, NSW)

U18 Women: Amber Faddy (Sunshine Coast, QLD), Mia Baker (Byron Bay, NSW), Mia MacMahon (Norah Head, NSW)

U18 Men: Hunter Anderson (Moffat Beach, QLD), Noah Keelan (Encounter Bay, SA), Remy North (Yallingup, WA)

Ashton Mekisic (Wollongong, NSW) left his mark in Heat 3 of the U16 Boys, dropping a 7.75 for a critical forehand snap on one of the best right-handers of the day securing the heat win:

“I’d say I caught the bomb of the day and managed two nice turns on it. I was pretty stoked to get a solid score. I’m riding my Byrne Surfboards Prodigy model, and I just picked up two new ones for Aussies, and they’re going really well. We’ve got some big surf coming tomorrow, so fingers crossed for some pumping waves.

I also went to the Narrabeen High Performance Centre with Surfing New South Wales for a training camp in preparation for Aussies. Our team is feeling really strong and confident.”

In the U16 Women’s division, Charlotte Rielly (Caloundra, QLD) claimed the win in heat 1 with a 4.25 and a 4.00:

“It’s pretty slow and small out there, but the waves are clean. It was so good to surf against all the girls, and I even managed to get a couple of high-fives, which was awesome. My boards are going really well in these conditions, I’ve been riding a 5’5” from Chilli, and it’s feeling great.

Surfing Queensland has done a lot to support all the Groms. They’ve run plenty of training sessions leading up to this, including a really cool two-day camp where we learned how to prepare for heats, stay composed during competition, and be humble after a win. Overall, they’ve been an amazing support for us.”

Smart, strategic surfing from Hunter Sutcliffe (Queenscliff, NSW) saw him take out Heat 1 of the U16 Men. He opened with a 5.25, then held priority for more than 10 minutes before locking in a 5.08 to secure the win:

“It was pretty slow out there, but I managed to get two good waves. My first one was a set wave, I did one fin blast on my backhand and then on my second wave, I waited about 15 minutes, but was able to pull off two backhand snaps, so it was definitely worth the wait.

I held priority for a long time during the heat and was getting pretty nervous, but thankfully that second wave came through.

It feels great to get the win, looking forward to the third round tomorrow!”

Surfing Australia Contest Director Glen Elliott said he was impressed with how the surfers handled Day Three’s tricky conditions, especially with the first knockout heats of the event now underway:

“It’s been really impressive to see everyone step up today for the first set of elimination rounds. Conditions were tricky, but many surfers showed great maturity and smart heat strategy to claim their wins.

Thirroul has served us well for the first three days of competition, and we may see a new southerly swell tomorrow, hopefully bringing some more size and possibly a new location. Stay tuned for the morning call.”

Day Three at the 2025 Australian Junior Surfing Titles brought the first knockout rounds and with them, a new level of intensity. The draw is tightening, the pressure is rising, and every wave now carries real consequences. With momentum building, the next few days are set to showcase high-pressure heats, big moments, and the rising stars of Australian surfing.

All the finals day action will be streamed live on Surfing Australia’s YouTube channel. Watch LIVE on Friday, 5th December

For the full results and heat draw, visit LiveHeats.
 

About the Australian Junior Surfing Titles

The Australian Junior Surfing Titles encompass individual divisions for U14–U18 junior men and women, as well as a school surfing division for U16–U19 (MR Shield) junior men and women.

Champions in the U16 and U18 men’s and women’s divisions will earn selection to the Irukandjis Team to represent Australia at the 2026 ISA World Junior Surfing Championship.

The seven-day competition window runs from November 29th to December 5th 2025, with the opening ceremony scheduled for Sunday, 28th November.

Event website: australianjuniorsurfingtitles.com.

The Australian Junior Surfing Titles are proudly supported by Destination Wollongong, Fujifilm Photos, Globe, Ritual Vision, Salty Crew, Wollongong Surf Leisure Resort, BLACKROLL, and Surfers For Climate