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Thursday, February 20, 2014

Madi in Noosa


Jose and Zizete, waiting for swell at First Point. Photo Tessa Mapstone/Noosa Today.


NOOSA FEST UPDATE: FIRST IN, BEST DRESSED
Wednesday, 19 February 2014

International competitors start arriving. The Poms are lurking in Coolum and Byron Bay, waiting for the swell to come up, but the first official international arrival in Noosa was on February 12, all the way from Oporto, Portugal. Over 50s competitor Jose Pedro Marcos flew in for his first ever Noosa Surf Festival with his mother, Virginia (“Zizete”) Marcos, to begin a 42-day stay.

“I have been dreaming of coming to this event for many years,” Jose told local newspaper Noosa Today. “Friends have been telling me about it and I have seen the photos and the videos for more than a decade, but always there has been a reason I could not come – obligations with my work or other travel plans. Now I am here, I can see with my own eyes that it is a very beautiful place. All we need is some surf!”

Neither Jose nor Zizete has been to Australia before, and Zizete plans to take time out from Noosa to visit the Sydney Opera House and other attractions. But for Jose, this holiday is a Noosa mission. “I want to meet the local surfers, get to know the town, and most importantly, experience those beautiful waves on the points.”

Jose, 51, has worked in real estate development in his home town, and also in the surf industry, running surf schools. A year-round surfer most of his life, he admits that Oporto’s cold winters these days force him to “surf indoors” at the gym. “Europe was cold and stormy when we left, and now this,” he exclaims, taking in a beautiful, sunny afternoon at First Point. “We are very happy to be here.”

It’s been unseasonally flat for more than a week. Jose has 33 days left and counting, and there’s a little pulse on the horizon for late weekend. Pray for surf!

ALL MONEY DIVISIONS EXCEPT SEAGLASS FINLESS NOW FULL
Due to unprecedented demand from around the world, the three major pro divisions at the festival are now full, with waiting lists for the Vans Logger Pro and the Golden Breed Noserider Pro. The Seaglass Project Finless still has a few slots open. Most age divisions are now close to full too, and the Classic Malibu Teams Challenge is full with a waiting list.

Festival director Phil Jarratt said: “It breaks my heart when great surfers like the Delpero brothers from France can’t get a start in the pros, but we have a very full week of competition and there’s not much we can do. I guess the message is, get your entries in early.”

Phil advised competitors and hopefuls to keep a close watch on the Competitors tab at the Cricks Noosa Festival of Surfing website:
noosafestivalofsurfing.com


in, Pacific Longboarder Mag

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