
Merewether's Jackson Baker will defend his Surfest men's crown on his home break after gaining a late entry into the event, which kicks off on Monday.
The Championship Tour surfer became the first Novocastrian to win the men's contest at Surfest last year when he posted a best two-wave score of 15.5 to defeat Nathan Hedge (11.23), fellow Merewether star Ryan Callinan (10.9) and Billy Stairmand (9.9) in the final.