Stylish surfing sealed Movember win for Leppan

Beach Bums restaurant on Casuarina Beach was transformed into a swinging 70’s hotspot when they hosted the popular Off The Lip Movember Surf Jam.

The event, a collaborative effort between Quiksilver and Movember South Africa, saw surfers of all ages getting together to relive the glorious days of 70’s surf style to create awareness and raise funds for the Men’s Foundation as the licensees of the Movember campaign in South Africa.

These funds will be used for a variety of men’s health programmess and to promote healthy lifestyles and early cancer detection for men.

Short boardshorts, ‘steamy’ moustaches, retro surfboards and old school rock ‘n roll tunes rekindled the vibrant era.

More than 60 surfers took part in the surf event which had competitors riding original surfboards from the 70s and 80’s era with traditional beach starts and six-man heats in play.

The judging criteria was all about style and the surfer’s unique approach to every wave ridden.

Fun, clean 2-3 feet surf conditions with light variable winds made for a great setting, a very festive crowd were treated to some classic and original surf manoeuvres by the competitors.

Quiksilver’s Dane Patterson was overwhelmed with the support, “This event gains more momentum every year, it was so well supported by the surfers and the spectators alike. The surfing was insane to watch, especially the Legends, they were on fire!

“We’re happy to be able to support Movember through this event, men’s health issues are a reality and we enjoy being able to make a difference.”

Umhlanga’s Chris Leppan, a three-time finalist at the event, managed to impress the judges the most with his stylish and flowing surfing to take out the open men’s division, beating a very polished performance by Lee Bisset (Morningside).

“I am so stoked to finally win this event. It’s my favourite event, it’s not too serious and there is always a good vibe down here,” said Leppan.

Other finalists who stood out on the day included Stanley Badger from Cape St Francis, Josh Redman (Durban North), Mikey Venter (Warner Beach) and Andrew Banks (Westbrook).

The Legends division, for surfers over 50 years of age, saw a hotly-contested final with 2015 winner JJ Jones going head to head with the ultimate style-master Grant Gilmore (Glenashley). Gilmore looked silky smooth in the clean conditions posting some high scores into the excellent range to win the title and a one year’s supply of beer courtesy

of Flying Fish. Other finalists included Barry Campbell, Murray Niven (Glenashley), Paul Izzard (Glenashley) and Spider Murphy (Durban North).

There was a great representation in the ladies division. Christy Gilmore made it a clean sweep for the Gilmore family by narrowly edging out former World Championship surfer Heather Clark (Port Shepstone).

Clark is a Mo Sista and a Movember ambassador and was inspired to surf the event due to her parents both being cancer survivors.

Other ladies who surfed well on the retro boards to make the final were Teal Hogg (Ballito), Lynne Mackey (Durban), Danielle Le Roux (Cape Town) and Brittany Gadd (Durban).

Specialty prizes were handed out for the following awards:

Best MO In Character/Best Dressed – Rob Whyte (La Mercy)

Toes On the Nose/Best Hang Five – JJ (North Beach)

Float The Boat/Best Floater – Shane Sykes (Salt Rock)

Spin To Win – Mikey Venter (Warner Beach)

Larry Layback – Lee Bisset (Morningside)

Red Bull Stand Out Surfer – Lee Bisset (Morningside)

Wave Waster/Worst Wipeout – Karl Liebenberg (Durban North)