Bea Conroy wins at Byron Bay Surf Festival

POINT LONSDALE surfer Bea Conroy has continued her stellar competitive form, winning the Open Women’s Mermaid Logger division at the Byron Bay Surf Festival at Wategoes Beach.

The 19-year-old knocked off some of her surfing heroes along the way, ousting World Longboard Tour powerhouse Tully White and Hawaiian superstars Sierra Lerback and Mason Schremmer.

Conroy said she was filled with joy upon beating some of the same ladies she tried to emulate her surfing on every days.

“It was definitely a confidence boost to get the win against some of these amazing ladies and to prove to myself that I can mix it with them when I’m surfing my best.

“I’m always aiming to do what they are doing so to actually beat them was fantastic, especially in such a huge event like the Byron Bay Surf Festival.

“I actually rang my dad (Myles) to tell him who I was against pre-final, and he said to just send it and to not worry about it if I came last.

“To be around all these incredible women and men during the event only makes me want to continue to travel with my surfing and to see how far I can really push it.”

Conroy said her first Byron Bay Surf Festival final was a phenomenal experience, and noted the level of respect and sportsmanship on show between all competitors was second to none.

“The final was tight throughout its entirety and it was quite a scrap to get the best waves.

“One of the things I love about competing is that universal respect between the surfers to take it in turns in getting the best set waves.

“By taking turns it showed the immense respect between all of us and I certainly wasn’t going to hustle to get waves against some of the ladies I look up to.

“Waiting and biding my time worked in my favour and I ended up getting some of the better ones and luckily I took it out.”

Conroy said that recently undertaking mentoring from Sydney longboard icon Matt Chojnacki had given her the extra drive to succeed in the sport and filled her with plenty of confidence she could mix it with the world’s best.

She hoped to continue refining her surfing in the coming months before taking on the World Longboard Tour Qualifying Series in 2023.