Frothers charge at Drainos Charity Surf Classic

ON Grand Final morning, 18 of Torquay’s mediocre and untrained surfers took to the water for the annual Drainos Charity Surf Classic.

The event is held at Drainos, a break just north of Torquay main beach, and is in its third year of running. With a dropping tide, head high sets and a slight off-shore breeze, the event kicked off at 7.30am, with event commissioner Rob Dunne instructing heat one to hit the water.

“Some competitors have been down here since sunrise surveying the break, waxing their boards, changing fins. The feeling is electric and everyone is just pumped to get out there; I’m frothing hard,” he said.

The event was started in 2016 between a group of mates and the concept was simple: use Grand Final morning to get a bunch of local, non-professional surfers into the water and see who can snag the best one on the day.

Due to the increase in popularity the event formed the Drainos Internal Steering Committee (DISC) to ensure compliance to GORCC requirements and leverage commercial opportunities.

Local businesses have jumped at the opportunity to support this charity event with equipment, food and drinks.

There is an entrance fee for surfers and a sausage sizzle on the day, with all monies raised going to a charity chosen by the winner.

“We’d like to thank GORCC for their support for the third year in a row, as well as local sponsors Blackmans Brewery, Eco Beach Landscape, True Design Homes, Future Construction, and Ample Investments Group, for their support of this prestigious event,” DISC representative and competing surfer Jake Davis said.

The comp format typically allows four heats, elimination semis, and a final where the winner is crowned, although due to deteriorating conditions event commissioner Rob Dunne elected to skip the semis and send the eight top surfers back into the water in teams of two to battle it out.

The Drainos Charity Surf Classic winners for 2018 were Tristan and Caleb Crowe of Jan Juc. They’ve chosen to donate winnings to the Australian Marine Conservation Society.