Slade Prestwich and Zoë Steyn won the Sea Harvest Nahoon Open presented by Cell C in glassy, offshore 3-4 foot surf at the famous Nahoon Reef in East London. Surfing at her home break, Steyn was in a league of her own and she ends the WSL Africa 2021/2022 season ranked number one after winning three out of three events.
Slade Prestwich - WSL / Louis Wulff
For Prestwich, this was his first QS win since the 2019 Vic Bay Classic. As one of the in-form surfers during the event, Prestwich seemed to tap into an energy reserve that he saved for the Finals, riding more waves than anyone else. Never settling and trying to increase the points gap between him and the rest of the field, earned him the big W in the end. This result bumped Prestwich into second place on the WSL Africa rankings.
Slade Prestwich - WSL / Louis Wulff
As local hero Greg 'Big Foot' Emslie said, you have to be in rhythm with Nahoon Reef. It's not an easy wave, but it's produced world class surfers like Emslie himself. Prestwich was flowing to the Nahoon rhythm in the Final, but so was another young local star, Thomas Lindhorst. He made a strong impression and showed how comfortable he is competing at his home break. Eli Beukes and Luke Slijpen also deserved to be in the Final with their lighting fast and powerful surfing, and Beukes edged out Lindhorst in the dying seconds for second place.
Taking out the event at her home break, Zoë Steyn won three out of the three competitions on the WSL Africa 2021/2022 calendar. Steyn previously won the Ballito Pro presented by O'Neill QS 1000 in December and last weekend's Long Beach Open QS 1000.
"I'm really stoked. Thanks to my mom and dad and all my sponsors, thanks to everyone who put on such a great event and to my friends for making it so much fun and Greg for all the coaching," said Steyn.
Zoë Steyn - WSL / Louis Wulff
The down-to earth and humble goofy-footer is a fierce and smart competitor in the water. She took an early lead in the Final when she seamlessly combined five turns on a smaller wave for 7.25 points. Sarah Baum accepted the challenge from Steyn and answered back with strong, vertical surfing in the pocket of the wave to also score a 7.25. Game on. Not leaving anything to chance, Steyn quickly backed up her score with a decent 6.00. Baum tried desperately to get the required score with seconds left on the clock, but she fell agonisingly short. Fellow local surfer Aimee Du Preez finished in third and Sophie Bell in fourth.
On her way to the Final, Steyn was the only surfer (male or female) to score a perfect 10-point ride. In her Semifinal heat she silenced her competitors when she whacked out the biggest backhand attack into the lip to get the 10-point nod from the judges.
Adin Masencamp Zoë Steyn - WSL / Louis Wulff
With the WSL Africa 2021/2022 season wrapped up, Adin Masencamp was crowned the Shaun Tomson WSL Africa Men's Champion and Zoë Steyn the Wendy Botha WSL Africa Women's Champion.
Slade Prestwich and Zoë Steyn Win Sea Harvest Nahoon Open pres. by Cell C
WSL
Slade Prestwich and Zoë Steyn won the Sea Harvest Nahoon Open presented by Cell C in glassy, offshore 3-4 foot surf at the famous Nahoon Reef in East London. Surfing at her home break, Steyn was in a league of her own and she ends the WSL Africa 2021/2022 season ranked number one after winning three out of three events.
For Prestwich, this was his first QS win since the 2019 Vic Bay Classic. As one of the in-form surfers during the event, Prestwich seemed to tap into an energy reserve that he saved for the Finals, riding more waves than anyone else. Never settling and trying to increase the points gap between him and the rest of the field, earned him the big W in the end. This result bumped Prestwich into second place on the WSL Africa rankings.
As local hero Greg 'Big Foot' Emslie said, you have to be in rhythm with Nahoon Reef. It's not an easy wave, but it's produced world class surfers like Emslie himself. Prestwich was flowing to the Nahoon rhythm in the Final, but so was another young local star, Thomas Lindhorst. He made a strong impression and showed how comfortable he is competing at his home break. Eli Beukes and Luke Slijpen also deserved to be in the Final with their lighting fast and powerful surfing, and Beukes edged out Lindhorst in the dying seconds for second place.
Taking out the event at her home break, Zoë Steyn won three out of the three competitions on the WSL Africa 2021/2022 calendar. Steyn previously won the Ballito Pro presented by O'Neill QS 1000 in December and last weekend's Long Beach Open QS 1000.
"I'm really stoked. Thanks to my mom and dad and all my sponsors, thanks to everyone who put on such a great event and to my friends for making it so much fun and Greg for all the coaching," said Steyn.
The down-to earth and humble goofy-footer is a fierce and smart competitor in the water. She took an early lead in the Final when she seamlessly combined five turns on a smaller wave for 7.25 points. Sarah Baum accepted the challenge from Steyn and answered back with strong, vertical surfing in the pocket of the wave to also score a 7.25. Game on. Not leaving anything to chance, Steyn quickly backed up her score with a decent 6.00. Baum tried desperately to get the required score with seconds left on the clock, but she fell agonisingly short. Fellow local surfer Aimee Du Preez finished in third and Sophie Bell in fourth.
On her way to the Final, Steyn was the only surfer (male or female) to score a perfect 10-point ride. In her Semifinal heat she silenced her competitors when she whacked out the biggest backhand attack into the lip to get the 10-point nod from the judges.
With the WSL Africa 2021/2022 season wrapped up, Adin Masencamp was crowned the Shaun Tomson WSL Africa Men's Champion and Zoë Steyn the Wendy Botha WSL Africa Women's Champion.
Zoë Steyn
Watch a selection of images from the last event held at Seal Point.
Zoë Steyn's last-minute excellence in the morning light flips the heat from fourth-to-first to overpower heat leader Ellie Harrison as she
Fields Whittled Down to 32 Men and 16 Women in Fun Surf
Large Fields from Europe and Africa Enter Prestigious QS Event, Wildcards Announced to Challenge Seasoned Competitors.
Competitors make the most of what was on offer in Ballito on Day 2
Sea Harvest Nahoon Open
Challenger Series qualification spots are on the line.
The WSL Africa Qualifying Series heads to East London's famous Nahoon Reef.