Surf stays up for final day at Surf Fest

The ocean wasn’t so great for swimmers this weekend, but the waves were ideal for surfers at the Reef/Sweetwater Pro-Am Surf Fest.

The surf was up again at Wrightsville Beach on Sunday and surfers at the competition were digging it.

“The waves are pretty sick and I’m pretty siked on this place,” said Chris Waring, a pro surfer from California.

“This is by far the best surf that we’ve had out of the four contests so far,” said Brad Beach, one of the event’s organizers.

For the third consecutive day, Hurricane Bertha swelled, producing waves higher than six feet. Not bad for summer on the east coast, when the ocean is usually pretty flat.

“It’s like any good day in California,” Waring said. “I never expected the east coast to ever get like this. I’m shocked and I’m stoked.”

Event organizers say the Surf Fest is one of the top three surf competitions on the east coast. It brought in 96 pro surfers from all over the world. Some came from as far as Australia to compete for the cash prizes, a total purse of twenty thousand dollars. The winner took home five thousand.

This year’s winners are:

1. Jeremy Johnston (FL) – $5000
2. Nick Rosza (CA) – $2500
3. Aaron Cormican (FL) – $2000
4. Lucas Rogers (VA) – $1500

=5th- Tim Curran (CA), Chris Waring (CA) – $900
=7th- Alek Parker (FL), Shane Upchurch (NC) -$700
= 9th- Gabe Garcia ( ), Phillip Goold (VA), Spencer Regan ( ), Zander Morton (FL)- $500
=13th- Erik Schub (NC), Fisher Heverly (NC), Tommy Grooms (FL), Jimmy Blumenfield (FL)- $300
=17th- Kyle Garson (FL), Tonino Benson (HI), Michael Powell (NC), Asher Nolan (FL), Nils Schweiser (FL), Matt Keenan (NJ), Aamian Goodwin (HI), Shawn Clark (FL)- $175
=25th- Kalani Robb (HI), CT Taylor (FL), Heath Walker (AUS), Dustin Richardson ( ), Blake Jones (FL), Anthony Osment (NC), Rob Cordero (NC), Brendan Petticrew (VA)- $150

Amateur Results-2008 Reef Sweetwater Pro Am

Girls Open Longboard

1. Kate Easton

2. Kayleigh Winslow

3. Jo Pickett

4. Madison Huckabee

Girls 18-Over

1. Jasset Umbel

2. Haley Watson

3. Jo Pickett

4. Darsha Pigford

Girls 17-Under

1. Jasset Umble

2. Haley Watson

3. Chandler Von Cannon

4. Kate Easton

Guys Open Longboard

1. Tony Silvagni

2. Drake Courie

3. Ty Roach

4. Sean Simmons

Guys 14-Under

1. Michael Ciaramella

2. Weston Williams

3. Cam Richards

4. Dylan Kowalski

Guys 15-over

1. Owen Moffet

2. Jonathon Mincher

3. Cole Richards

4. Jimmy Blumenfield