Held over Saturday 29th, Sunday 30th April and Monday 1st May, the Welsh Surfing Federation’s showpiece event played out in small surf that built into glassy head-high walls through the weekend.
The PuraVida MiPost Welsh National Surfing Championships 2023 – Llantwit Major marked the 50 years of the Welsh Surfing Federation – a period that seen the WSF start from holding Wales’s first National Surfing Champs for just men, to now hosting an Olympic pathway event with nearly 20 categories.
Fog delayed proceedings early on, with judges moving to the seashore to observe the heats on day one. Day two saw clean 2ft low-tide Llantwit develop into 3ft+, windless surf through Sunday afternoon.
The location choosen was excellent given the conditions running through the bank all weekend. All athletes adapted to the changing situations admirably produce some outstanding surfing.
The bodyboard final saw North Wales’ George Bevan (Welsh Bodyboard Club) return to the Llantwit line up to defend his 2022 crown. Tai Jackson drew first blood with two neat 360s, followed by his opponents. Earning a reputation for being in the right place at the right time, George Bevan nailed a barrel roll on a late A-frame to push his points total to 7.33 to pinch the title in the last minute from Tai.
“There were nice rights and lefts, it was just a bit of a waiting game at times. But it’s great to be part of it, there were nice clean waves so no complaints. There’s been nice head-high rippable faces all day, so I’ve been pretty stoked. It feels really good to retain the title. It’s just a great vibe here and great to be part of the scene”, said George Bevan, the bodyboard champion of the Welsh Nationals for the second year in a row.
Final results:
01. George Bevan (WBC)
02. Tai Jackson (WBC)
03. Alex Clark (WBC)
04. Rich Livock (WBC)
05. Elijah Jones (WBC)
