Surfing beasts from the east triumph down south

Sri Lanka’s southern shores erupted in a breath-taking sea battle of creativity and virtuosity as the east coast’s top surfers dished out a heavy dose of excitement in the waters of Mirissa and Galle, to trump their counterparts from the south coast and clinch the first leg of Red Bull Ride My Wave.

The east’s surfers got their noses ahead during the opening day of the southern leg at Mirissa, with each team member unafraid to reach deep into his thick bag of tricks, much to the thrill of the large crowd gathered along the beach.

The south coast launched a counter-offensive at Kabalana Beach in Galle on the second day, exploiting the ideal surfing conditions on offer to even things out and set the stage for a nail-biter.

The battleground for the third and final day of the contest was once again Kabalana and the east coast surfers, now more accustomed to the different breaks and other variations in the waves, went on to outclass the home team.

The east coast’s captain Asanga Laurence banked on his superior experience and uncanny knack to shine on the big stage to piece together a sublime surfing spectacle, which elicited wild cheers from the beach-camped army of surf aficionados and spectators.

His mind-blowing master class pushed him way ahead of the competition and garnered him the Red Bull Ride My Wave southern round’s top surfer title. More importantly, Asanga’s consistent and inspired performance went a long way in lifting his team to a 164.8 to 142.3 point conquest over the south coast team.

"I am delighted with the result. It is a reflection of the hard work of each surfer. It was an honour to captain this team," Asanga revealed.

"This is only going to be good for the future of surfing in Sri Lanka. I am also very proud to be named the best surfer from the three heats as there are many good surfers on both teams."

The south coast captain, Shaggy, despite losing out in this round was equally magnanimous, saying, "I am very happy with the way the guys performed today. Even though we did not win the first leg, as a team we are very confident that we can overturn the loss in Arugam bay on the 5th-7th August, that’s what makes this competition so exciting. A few young guys really performed well and this is a good sign for the future of surfing not only in the south but throughout the island."

Red Bull Ride My Wave also opened up an avenue to young local surfing talent by stipulating in the competition’s rules that it was mandatory for each team to field one surfer under the age of 16.

Capitalising on this opportunity, the east coast’s Dixon and his southern peer ShohanMadushanka both left it all out in the water in a bid to provide a clear glimpse of Sri Lanka’s sizeable surfing potential. But having grown up on the southern waves, Madushanka took full advantage of the familiar terrain to glide his way to the prize for the best junior surfer. Both senior category champ Asanga and Madushanka were gifted with dazzling golden surf boards for their wave-riding pyrotechnics.

The action will now shift to Arugam Bay, where from August 5-7 the second leg of Red Bull Ride My Wave will decide which region of Sri Lanka truly holds the country’s best surfers. The victorious team will gain a chance to travel to the Maldives and surf its waters.