Carl Wiersma from Port Alfred and Leah Lepront from Scottburgh are in Australia for the Rip Curl GromSearch International Final covered by Sun Bum, taking place at North Narrabeen on Sydney\u2019s Northern Beaches from 7\u201310 November.<\/p>\n
Header Image: Carl Wiersma \u00a9 Kody McGregor<\/em><\/p>\n The two South African qualifiers earned their places by winning the premier U16 divisions at the Rip Curl GromSearch Port Alfred presented by the Royal St Andrews Hotel.<\/p>\n Strong surf at Port Alfred provided a demanding test for South Africa\u2019s leading junior surfers. Wiersma beat Ben Esterhuyse in the boys\u2019 final, posting 15.50 out of 20. Lepront won the girls\u2019 title ahead of Jasmine Venter. Both earned international final berths and R20,000 travel vouchers.<\/p>\n The GromSearch was an anchor event of the successful Port Alfred Easter Festival 2026. With the Royal St Andrews Hotel backing quality surf competitions, surfing remains central to a festival that brings competitors, families and visitors into town over Easter.<\/p>\n Now the focus shifts to Australia, where 16 of the world\u2019s best U16 surfers will contest the international titles.<\/p>\n A natural-footer groomed on the rights of Port Alfred\u2019s East Beach, Wiersma brings plenty of experience in powerful beach-break conditions.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m super stoked to be here in Australia. The waves are fun, the place is beautiful, and I\u2019m grateful to have this opportunity. Now I\u2019m just keen to pull on a contest vest and get going,\u201d said Wiersma.<\/p>\n Lepront is a goofy-footer whose local break is Scottburgh\u2019s right-hand, sand-bottom point. North Narrabeen offers a different challenge: a world-class left-hand beach-break, with numerous other wave options nearby.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really looking forward to competing against some of the best U16 surfers in the world. The waves have been really fun, and I can\u2019t wait to get started and see how I go,\u201d said Lepront.<\/p>\n The GromSearch winners\u2019 list gives some indication of the standard. World champions Caitlin Simmers, Caroline Marks and Gabriel Medina have all won, alongside Erin Brooks, Brisa Hennessy, Samuel Pupo, and Leonardo Fioravanti.<\/p>\n More than 60% of the surfers on the 2026 WSL Championship Tour are former GromSearch winners. Five of the six surfing medallists from the past two Olympic Games also competed in GromSearch events.<\/p>\n The past 19 WSL women\u2019s world titles have been won by former GromSearch finalists.<\/p>\n For Wiersma and Lepront, it is an opportunity to test their surfing against a strong international field and compete for titles previously claimed by some of the sport\u2019s biggest names.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"