The week’s rough conditions and high surf had resulted in excellent banks at Redhead beach on the weekend, where the Lake Mac Festival of Surfing was under full steam on Saturday and Sunday.
Surfest’s Warren Smith said the conditions were excellent at the weekend for a “showcase of all aspects of surfing”.
“Without the large swells, we didn’t have any good banks around the place,” Mr Smith said. “(We have) some excellent banks for the short and longboards.”
“(It’s) a whole display of what the guys and girls can do.”
Read more: High surf hits Newcastle beaches
Stand-up paddleboards were a new addition to the Festival in 2018, with the $23,000 ‘battle of the paddle’ – the country’s richest stand-up paddleboarding contest expected to draw contenders from far and wide.
Mr Smith said the highlight was seeing the next generation of surfers alongside the likes of “true waterman” Harry Maaskel, Nat Rawson and Glen Turnner taking on all challengers in the open events.
“(It was) great surf, good weather and very talented surfers,” he said.
