BOAT Harbour’s newly crowned Under 18 national junior surfing champion Eden Hasson mastered the waves at the Surfest 2024 Burton Automotive Pro Junior classic at Birubi Beach last weekend.

Over 100 of the Australian-Oceania region’s best junior male and female surfers travelled to Port Stephens last week to participate in the Junior Pro and chase valuable regional junior ranking points.

Seventeen-year-old Hasson and fellow home-grown rising star Jimmi Hill of Anna Bay caught the eye with their surfing manoeuvres at the World Surf League (WSL) Junior Qualifying Series event.

Competing on their home patch at Birubi Beach, the talented duo turned in sharp performances in a red-hot field to further enhance their reputations.

Hasson finished a creditable 25th after reaching the Round of 32 where he scored 7.73 points in his heat behind Cronulla’s 2022 World Junior champion and top seed Jarvis Earle (9.77), Sunshine Coast’s Zeb Stokes (9.74) and Cronulla’s Kash Brown (8.57).

In an earlier heat, the teen titan advanced with a score of 10.40 after finishing second behind Palm Beach’s Ty Richardson (10.93) – the son of five time Australian Surf champion Mark Richardson.

Hill, who prepared for the event at the Surfing NSW High Performance Camp, reached the Round of 64 and finished 49th.

Australia’s two most recent World Junior Champions and top seeds Jarvis Earle (2022) and Coolangatta’s Sierra Kerr (2023) clinched the male and female Pro Junior titles respectively.

Local heroes Hasson and Hill are two of the country’s most promising surfers and have demonstrated their exceptional board riding skills on the WSL Junior Qualifying circuit.

The naturally-gifted Hasson claimed a maiden national title after toppling close mate Hill in last December’s final of the Australian Junior Championships at Phillip Island’s Cape Woolamai.

Luke Bartlett, President of Bay Area Boardriders, told News Of The Area how exciting it is to see young surfers like Eden and Jimmi doing well in elite competition.

“We know they have a lot of local support, and the people from the Port Stephens area love getting surfside to cheer them on,” he said.

“The Junior Pro is great for the region and gives aspiring surfers an opportunity to see just where the bar is being set at a high-level competition which provides the gateway to the sport’s elite contests,” revealed Bartlett.

“Bay Area Boardriders would like to give a big thanks to Kim Burton and the WSL for their ongoing support of surfing in the local area and for bringing the WSL Pro Junior and recent wildcard trials to Birubi Beach,” he added.

Eden’s national championship triumph secured him a spot in the Australian team to contest the International Surfing Association World Junior titles to be held in Surf City El Salvador from May 3-12.

Hill, who finished 16th on the Men’s Junior Tour in 2023, is one out of the box.

Several days prior, Hill finished fourth in the 2024 Camplify Port Stephens Pro, a World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 1000 event, also held at Birubi.

By Chris KARAS