Well done Bianca and Shaun!

Mr Price Pro Junior completed - Shaun Joubert and Bianca Buitendag take top spots!

Southern Cape surfers Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay) and Bianca Buitendag (Victoria Bay) outshone the local competition at Durban’s New Pier today, winning the 3A rated Surfing South Africa Mr Price Pro Junior in clean 0.5 meter waves.

Joubert, 17, sealed the deal with the only perfect ten-point ride of the competition, defeating the KwaZulu-Natal trio of Kyle Lane (Umhlanga), Rudy Palmboom (Bluff) and Casey Grant (Scottburgh) by posting a two wave heat total of 15.25 (out of a possible 20.00).

“It’s amazing,” Joubert said. “I’ve never done it before, I’m really happy with a ten and to win was even better!”

Joubert took home R4000 as well as a coveted wildcard spot into the Men’s Round of 144 in the 6-Star ASP Men’s World Qualifying Series Mr Price Pro that gets underway on Monday.

“It’s probably as good as the win,” Joubert said referring to his wildcard. “It’s huge for me because I’ll be starting the WQS next year so it’s a big stepping stone to getting there.”

Despite only waist high waves on offer at New Pier, Joubert managed to paddle into a reeling right hander, executing a series of powerful snaps and finishing off with a furious front side air-reverse to earn the perfect score.

The victory marked Joubert’s second major Pro Junior victory at the same break this year after winning the Oakley Pro Junior at Easter.

“New Pier has been good to me,” Joubert confirmed. “It’s a fun wave and I always enjoy it. The water is warm and it is long rights so I couldn’t ask for anything better!”

Kyle Lane, 18, put on a similarly impressive display, jumping from fourth to first in the last five minutes when he posted an excellent 8.00 point ride off a punchy inside wave - relegating Palmboom and Grant down one place to third and fourth respectively.

“The whole heat I was sitting out there and didn’t really get any waves, then as soon as I got that 8, I thought ’maybe I have a chance, maybe I can win this’,” Lane said. “But well done to Shaun, he got that 10 and won and second is still good, it’s better than third or fourth.”

Two times South African U14 champion Bianca Buitendag, 14, defeated a trio of girls three years her senior to capture the biggest victory of her career, earning R4000 as well as a wildcard into the 5-Star Women’s WQS Mr Price Pro.

“I’m very happy and stoked because I really trained for this,” Buitendag said. “I was expecting to do well but never to get this far! I’m excited that the Mr Price Pro is coming up, so I am going to start focussing on that."

Despite being penalised for interferences in both the semi-finals and finals, Buitendag let her surfing do the talking posting an excellent 8.75 point ride off her last wave of the heat to defeat Chantelle Rautenbach, 18 (Melkbosstrand), Tarryn Chudleigh,18 (Kommetjie) and Faye Zoetmulder ,17(Port Elizabeth).

“I just think that the interferences, they might just be a bog-out for some people, but if you think past that and stay focussed you might be able to make it through,” Buitendag said. “After I got the interference in the final I was just thinking ’what happens if I get the interference and I still win!’ and I did, so it’s not impossible.”

Competitors in the Mr Price Pro will enjoy a lay day tomorrow, while Monday sees the start of the 5 and 6-Star Women’s and Men’s ASP World Qualifying Series events underway.