The organizers chose the location for ‘The Sunny Coast Search’ – the very first mobile IBSA Qualifying Series event - perfectly. The selection panel had the ability to choose any break over the 40 km coastline that is the beautiful Sunshine Coast. 24 hours out from the contest the call was made for Kings Beach groyne – a rock shelf left, and the first ever contest held there of any surfing discipline.
This was an also important test event for the Bodysurfing World Tour Finals which will similarly have a mobile location format on the Sunshine Coast for the ten-day period April 28th – May 7th, 2025. The mobility of The Search was an outstanding success with off-shore winds and a long period swell all day.
The event was doubly important as it was competitors’ last chance to score points towards qualification into the Australia-Asia team for the IBSA Finals. The action was fast and furious, yet still in the spirit of all Aussies comps, with competitors calling each other into waves and the line-up full of loud voices and shouts of excitement.
Aussie captain and Mens series leader Jack Lewis had to sit this one out due to a dislocated elbow and the event was wide open. After five enthralling rounds we arrived at the Mens final, with 2024 team members Jarrod Bridges and Jack Macrae making it as well as Jacob Marr putting in his third QS final appearance of the year – a feat nobody else matched, and lastly lifelong whomper ‘Hurricane’ Harry Gordon.
A terrific back-and-forth contest ensued with the lead changing multiple times, that is until Harry unleashed all his knowledge and pick off the undoubted wave of the final - no one could peg him back. Jackie Macrae blazed across barrel sections with his uncanny speed and earned high praise and second place from the judges. Jacob performed the most technical tricks to get his third podium of the season. Style-master Jarrod, with all the flow that makes him so beautiful to watch, was just behind in fourth place.
A supremely talented group of youngsters burst through in the women’s event, with the final featuring the four youngest competitors. As expected, a lot of waves were ridden. First time QS competitor Taylor was the surprise packet and was in the thick of it. Anna-Lei was attempting to back up her win in the Festival of Froth. Pipi was fearless in the line-up, just hucking herself into over lip of the biggest waves. But the win was Lyla’s, who waited patiently for the best waves and then methodically tore them to pieces.
The presentation also awarded the perpetual trophies for the Mens and Womens Series Champions for the entire 2024 QS season. Lyla won the women with a perfect record (two wins from two events) and Captain Jack ‘Sparrow’ Lewis captured the Mens title with a win and a second place.
The final presentation of the day was the one everyone had been waiting for – the announcement of those competitors that had qualified for the 2025 BWT Finals. Each member was presented with the team Aussie Osprey cap, to thunderous applause for the crowd.
The Osprey Team in Full Flight
The Osprey’s youngest member, 15-year-old ‘Perpetual’ Pipi Cathcart
IBSA Ranking
OPEN MEN
1. Harry Gordon (Australia) 1000
2. Jack Macrae (Australia) 860
3. Jacob Marr (Australia) 730
4. Jarrod Bridges (Australia) 670
5. Chris Anderson (Australia) 610
5. Patrick McNally (Australia) 610
7. Glen Murphy (Australia) 555
7. Nigel Boyd (Australia) 555
9. Ky Kinsela (Australia) 500
9. Trent Mitchell (Australia) 500
9. Matt McDonald (Australia) 500
9. Ian Pendergast (Australia) 500
13. Hunter Verco (Australia) 450
13. Simon Loone (Australia) 450
15. Reilly Hewett (Australia) 425
15. Manu Lewis (Australia) 425
15. Billy Moore (Australia) 425
15. Bernardo de Souza (Brasil) 425
19. Darren Verrenkamp (Australia) 390
20. Paul Saffigna (Australia) 385
OPEN WOMEN
1. Lyla Crouch (Australia) 1000
2. Pipi Cathcart (Australia) 860
3. Anne-Lei Petit (Australia) 730
4. Taylor Wood-Durrant (Australia) 670
5. Bridget Kruger (Australia) 610
5. Sherie Tracey (Australia) 610
7. Caroline Cotton (Australia) 555
7. Lynda Franklin (Australia) 555
9. Jaqui Cutts (Australia) 500
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