Gearoid McDaid Wins Quiksilver Expression Session

MAIN BEACH BUNDORAN, Ireland – Irish ripper Gearoid McDaid (IRL) 17, has won the Quiksilver Expression Sessions at Seasessions Surf and music festival in 2-3 Ft (1 metre) wedges at Tullan Strand. The swell report was looking small for the weekend so the event ran on Friday at the very start of the event window. The event format allowed the contest to be completed in 2 hours to take advantage of the small swell window and low tide. With the rest of Europe small, Tullan provided some fun ramps and lips for the surfers to hit and launch off. The stiff northeast offshore winds made airs easy to launch but really difficult to land.

William Aliotti was in form but couldn't rival McDaid aerial repertoire. WSL / Christian McLeod

William Aliotti (FRA) 20, the 2-time winner of the event launched a few massive punts early in the first round but just couldn't complete his maneuvers. McDaid instead used local knowledge to his advantage and picked off some of the smaller waves that ran along the bank and racked up a big wave count by landing moves. McDaid and Aliotti went wave for wave in both the semifinal and final and produced some of the best contest surfing seen in Ireland.

Quiksilver Ireland's Nial Hassett said he was “stoked to see an Irish winner against some of the best surfers from around the world. Hopefully this can be a platform for Gearoid to compete on a European and world level. With so few events here we are delighted to support an event that allows Irish surfers to compete in Irish waves against world class surfers”

The tide filling in meant the surfers started sticking to the face with power moves replacing punts. However just as we thought we had seen the last of the airs McDaid punted on a smaller inside runner and landed an air reverse to claim the €1500 top prize.

Australian Noah Lane (AUS) 25, was leading early in the final with a very smooth carving 360 and took out the Malin Waters power move prize for the second year running. Lane's surfing wasn't the flashest of the event but his smooth style was easy to watch and probably had the top 3 points totals for carving/power moves.

The 2014 Quiksilver Expression Session was scheduled from June 19-22, 2013 at the main beach of Bundoran - Ireland.