Some decent waves should arrive just in time for the Noosa Festival of Surfing’s main events after the carnival hit the water in front of a massive crowd on the weekend.
Organisers are checking the charts “every hour” during the nine-day festival, which boasts plenty of action.
There should be some competitive surf for the marquee divisions to be held at Noosa’s iconic First Point later in the week.
“It looks like we’re going to get a small swell hitting us on Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning,” event manager Josh Allen said.
“That’s when we are scheduled to have the professional divisions, like the Lite N Easy Logger and the World Surfaris Open (Longboard).”
“So, we’ve got our eyes set on those day.
We’re keeping an eye on the forecast pretty well every hour. It’s a full-time job at the moment.”
But festival goers have made the most of the conditions during the opening couple of days.
More than 4000 people were at Noosa Main Beach for the famous dog surfing event on Saturday, when small one-foot waves were ‘pawfect’ for canines.
A pug called Pickles, owned by Dan, stole the show with his winning rides.
“The waves were absolutely perfect for the dogs on the big SUPs and at one point more than half of the dogs caught one wave, which got the crowd going,” Mr Allen said.
Board riders also competed in various divisions at Castaways Beach, amid great waves on Saturday, and near Access 11 at Noosa Woods on Sunday.
Juniors and seniors were among the action.
“The older boys might be mates on land at the bar, but once they’re in the water they’re definitely enemies,” Mr Wells said.
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There’s much more than boardriding at the festival.
The inaugural Chiggy’s Skate Festival, at Noosa Woods, has proved to be a hit.
“We’ve had some great nights with our Beach Bar, and our Skate Bar has been a great success,” Mr Wells said.
“Plenty of people turned up to try out the new halfpipe, which was built specifically for this event.”
The festival essentially started on Friday night, with an anniversary beach party.
Partygoers celebrated 30 years of the festival, which has evolved to include entertainment, stalls, surf art and celebrities. The event also acknowledges the World Surfing Reserve and the new Noosa Surfing Museum.
“There’s a really good vibe in the community and amongst the competitors,” Mr Allen said.
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While there are fewer international visitors this year, there has been a strong turn-out from board riders from around Australia.
“There are a lot of people from interstate, who haven’t been able to get into the competition in the past due to the demand,” Mr Allen said.
“The internationals have left some spots for those who have been trying to get in the comp for a couple of years.”
World Surfaris took over the running of the event in 2019 and Heads of Noosa Brewing Co is the presenting partner this year.
