Sarah Baum hopes it's third time lucky at Surfest in 2024 after West Australian Bronte Macaulay ensured the Newcastle-based South African was runner-up for successive years at the women's contest on Sunday at Merewether.
In slow, small waves, the goofy-footers competed for the $10,000 first prize at the 5000-point Qualifying Series (QS) event safe in the knowledge they were assured a place on the second-tier Challenger Series (CS). The focus for most of the field this week had been on securing a CS spot at the QS finale.
Macaulay had a slight edge early, 6.17 to 5.63, on best two-wave totals until earning a 7.0 with a backhand hit with 15 minutes of the 35-minute decider gone.
It left Baum, who has chased her Championship Tour (CT) dream while living in Newcastle for the past few years, needing a 7.34. Baum had a best score of 4.83 in the bank and caught three more waves for a best of 1.83 from one backhand slash.
With six minutes remaining, Baum snuck in two backside turns but got only a 4.0. Macaulay improved her position just inside the final two minutes with a 5.23 from a vertical backhand snap, leaving Baum after a 7.4.
Despite a frantic search for a suitable wave, Baum failed to ride another and Macaulay won 12.23 to 8.83.
Baum, who has a South African regional wildcard onto the CS, was second to Central Coast's Macy Callaghan in a four-woman final last year at Surfest.
She was philosophical about Sunday's loss and happy with her run at the event, which ended with a $5000 prize. She adds that to the $10,000 earned from victory at the Tweed Coast Pro as she prepares for a second shot at the expensive six-event CS.
"Third time lucky hopefully next year, but I'm still stoked," Baum said.
"When it's like that, it's out of my hands. I needed a seven and I could have maybe tried to edge away at it, but there wasn't a seven out there at that point.
"But these events are where I'm really trying to finetune my surfing, so I'm really happy with how I performed and I'm really proud of myself, so I'm feeling good going into the Challenger Series."
Macaulay has a CS spot after finishing eighth last year - three places from a CT return. The winner at Surfest in 2020, Macaulay said the focus this year was getting heat practice for the CS.
"I'm so rapt," Macaulay said. "I love Surfest, I've come here the last couple of years and I always have the best time.
"It was more about just getting the heat practice because I hadn't had an event for three or four months."
In the men's final, Bateau Bay's Joel Vaughan beat Manly's George Pittar 13.83 to 8.17. Both had already sealed their CS place by making the semi-finals and it was Vaughan who scored the bonus win after his busy approach paid dividends.
The 19-year-old rode 13 waves to Pittar's six, building an early lead and leaving his rival chasing a 6.9 in the final eight minutes. He put an exclamation mark on the win in the last 90 seconds, landing a massive air for an 8.0.
Both celebrated career-best results with supporters on the beach. It capped a special week for the Vaughan family after Joel's 16-year-old brother, Hugh, made it to the semi-finals, where Pittar edge him out late.
"It feels really good," Joel said.
"I came from 19th on the rankings to make the top seven. When I made it into the semi-finals, I qualified, so everything after that was a bonus, and I'm so stoked to take it out.
"The waves were pretty slow so I just wanted to stay busy and get some waves under the belt and just feel comfortable, and it ended up working out."
Pittar's friends showered the 20-year-old with champagne after the final.
"The boys made it feel like it was a win," Pittar laughed.
"But it's been a great day and I'm really, really thankful to everyone. I had a lot of pressure on me at this event to qualify for the Challenger, but just to make it this far is definitely the highlight of my career.
"I was 14th coming into it and I needed a semi-final, and I got a final, so I'm really, really happy."
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