DAY 1 - Future Surf Stars Launch 2015 Hurley Australian Open of Surfing

MANLY BEACH, Sydney, NSW/AUS (Saturday, February 7, 2015) - Day 1 of the Hurley Australian Open of Surfing kicked off with the junior divisions taking to Manly’s shifting beachbreak peaks. Clean left and right hand breaking waves peeled through non-stop giving the future stars of surfing plenty of scoring opportunity, as well as making for some nail-biting finishes.
A field of 70 guys was whittled to just 32, and 16 contenders now remain in contention in the girls division.
 
Chris Zaffis was among the early standouts, the Northern New South Wales surfer the surprise winner of a hotly contested heat that included top ranked junior seeds and Queenslanders Kai Hing and Ethan Ewing.

Ewing received a penalty interference that virtually guaranteed his elimination. Some searing, sharp turns and inverted aerials saw Zaffis advance comfortably ahead of Hing with Ewing eliminated in third along with local Northern Beaches surfer Luca Elder bowing out in fourth.
 
“There was a lot of hassling going on, the surf was small and there wasn’t a lot of waves. I just tried to focus on what I wanted to do and not get caught up in it all,” said Zaffis. “It felt good to get a few early waves and pull off a few moves.”
 
International visitor, Kanoa Igarashi looked right at home in Manly’s small, fun waves today. Igarashi calls Huntington Beach, California ‘home’ and is one of the most decorated surfers in the USA junior scene. He won two heats today to set up a Round of 32 birth.
 
“I like the waves at Manly a lot, it feels a lot like home,” said Igarashi. “I also have the best possible board for these conditions so I’m feeling really good.”
 
Narrabeen surfer Jordy Lawler was looking down the barrel of a first round loss at his local event with just poor throwaway scores secured by the halfway mark of his heat. Lawler was able to shift gears however, posting an excellent 8.90 and an 8.50 in quick succession to claim the heat win and bragging rights as having the highest two-wave heat total of the day.
 
No surprises to see a couple of World Junior Champions progress through in the women’s division with both Mahina Maeda (the reigning champ from Hawaii) and 2013 champ Ella Williams (from New Zealand) register excellent scoring waves in both of their respective heats.
 
Maeda is looking in great form; she finished first ahead of Sunshine Coast surfer Isabella Nichols while Williams advanced comfortably into the next round alongside Tessa Thyssen, here to compete at Manly having travelled all the way from beautiful St Barts in the Caribbean.

Tomorrow will see the junior divisions continue, along with all the other fun activities to see and do.  More info http://www.australianopenofsurfing.com

AUSTRALIAN OPEN OF SURFING
The 2015 Hurley Australian Open of Surfing, owned and operated by IMG, will run from 7 – 15 February. The nine day, one-of-a-kind festival will bring together some of the world’s top athletes in surfing and skateboarding combined with two days of live concerts on the Channel [V] music stage, art/photo installations and interactive sponsor displays – all taking place on iconic Manly Beach, Sydney
 
All events are free and open to the public. Live webcast can be viewed at www.australianopenofsurfing.com <http://www.australianopenofsurfing.com/> . The surfing event will be broadcast live on FOX Sports at the following times:
 
Friday Feb 13 - 0730 – 1600 – Fox Sports 2
Saturday Feb 14 - 0730 – 1430 – Fox Sports 4
Sunday Feb 15 - 0730 – 1600 – Fox Sports 4
 
It will also be broadcast internationally via a highlights show, bringing all the action to over 110 countries across the globe.
 
ABOUT HURLEY
The essence of Hurley is based on our love of the ocean and its constant state of change.  With deep roots in beach culture, we are all about inclusion and positivity. Our brand was started with the idea of facilitating the dreams of the youth.  Music and art are the common threads that bring us all together.  We are passionate about freedom of expression and the individual voice.  We place a premium on smiles.  Welcome to our world, imagine the possibilities http://www.hurleyau.com <http://www.hurleyau.com/> Or http://facebook.com/HurleyAus <http://facebook.com/HurleyAus>

ABOUT DESTINATION NSW
Destination NSW is the lead NSW Government agency for tourism and major events sectors. The NSW Government, through Destination NSW, assisted with securing the Hurley Australian Open of Surfing for Manly in 2015.
The role of Destination NSW is to market Sydney and NSW as one of the world’s premier tourism and major events destinations; to secure major sporting and cultural events; to work in partnership with Business Events Sydney to win major international conventions and incentive travel reward programs; to develop and deliver initiatives that will drive visitor growth throughout the State; and to achieve the NSW Government’s goal of doubling expenditure within the State’s visitor economy by 2020.