Top surfers flock to Coast

The Coast’s own Macy Callaghan won the event in 2022

Surfers from all over the country will converge on the  Central Coast this week as it hosts the second stop of the NSW Pro Surf Series 2024.

The Ryde Central Coast Pro runs from Monday to Friday, March 4-8, co-sanctioned with the Asia region for the second time in as many years.

It will mark the second to last event of the 2023/24 World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS).

The Central Coast Pro will allow competitors nationwide to potentially secure 3,000 ranking points and position themselves in a safe spot on the QS leaderboard ahead of the Challenger Series set to commence internationally in May.

The event will see beaches such as Shelly, Copacabana, MacMasters and Avoca available for almost 200 fields of competitors.

The Central Coast has a rich surfing history with surfers such as current World Tour athlete Molly Picklum, Challenger Series competitors Macy Callaghan and Joel Vaughan, and former World Tour competitors Adrian Buchan and Wade Carmichael all coming from the region.

Minister for Tourism John Graham said the series would showcase the NSW coastline and boost the Australian surfing community.

The first stop of the NSW Pro Surf Series Event was held at Port Stephens on February 22-23.

The Ryde Central Coast Pro as part of the 2024 NSW Pro Surf Series is supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.

It will also be supported by Central Coast Council, Ryde, URBNSURF, Camplify, Surfers Rescue 24/7, WSL and Surfing NSW.