The Surfest event pits teams of four students against each other in two rounds on Tuesday before finals are held on Wednesday. 

About 48 boys teams and 13 girls teams will take part. 

Defending boys champions Narrabeen Sports High have entered four teams while 2017 champion Illawarra Sports High will bring two teams north. 

Surfest's Ted Bassingthwaighte said the event provides junior surfers an experience within the professional set-up of Surfest.

"It's about giving an opportunity to high schools, because there's such a wide breadth of talent - everything from beginners to really, really good surfers," he said. 

"It's all about helping promote the sport in the junior ranks, and bettering their ranks where some will go on into the professional ranks."

Mr Bassingthwaighte said there would be an array of Hunter schools involved in the competition, which had featured the likes of Matt Wilkinson and Jackson Baker over the years. 

 "The Sydney schools tend to dominate," he said. 

"Whitebridge High and Hunter Sports High, where you've got the guys from Redhead Boardriders and Catho, they're pretty strong. 

"And St Francis Xavier, they've always been pretty strong. They come from as far north as Coffs and as far south as Moruya." 

The event may be moved down the beach depending on the conditions but the first heat of the day is scheduled to begin about 7.30am. 

The winners of the boys and girls events take home a $2500 sports equipment voucher from Go Kindy.