Promising Forecast For Rip Curl GromSearch Long Beach Presented By Sea Harvest

Long Beach, Kommetjie, Cape Town - The long-range format for this weekend's Rip Curl GromSearch looks promising at this stage, with good swell and favourable winds on the cards. 

The contest venue is Long Beach, a beachbreak with good left and right-breaking waves. It is an ideal venue for the best young competitors in the country to display their surfing skills to spectators and the judges. 

Judging Criteria

Judges analyse the following major elements when scoring a ride:

- Commitment and Degree of Difficulty

- Innovative and Progressive Manoeuvres

- Combination of Major Manoeuvres

- Variety of Manoeuvres

- Speed, Power and Flow

The contest runs over the weekend, starting on Friday 21st, with finals on Sunday 23 February, and comprises U12, U14, U16 and U18 Girls and Boys divisions, with U16 recognised as the premier division.

The swell looks like it will be small but contestable when the event commences, but a new swell fills in for the last two days of the event. Winds are forecast to be light and variable, finishing with an offshore south-easterly on Sunday. 

Long Beach © Keahlo Van Gysen

While the competition is still quite far away, and the forecast models could change a little, it is a very positive event forecast for the first Rip Curl GromSearch event of 2025. 

Rip Curl GromSearch International Finals

The Rip Curl GromSearch Series 2025 comprises four contests. These will take place at Long Beach, Port Alfred, Dairy Beach in Durban and Seal Point in Cape St Francis. Series winners are decided on the best three results out of the four tournaments. The Premier U16 Girls and Boys division winners will win an entry into the Rip Curl GromSearch International Finals, the venue still to be disclosed. 

Last year's U16 Division winners - Rory Dace and Louise Lepront - competed in the Rip Curl GromSearch International Finals held in Bali. 

The Rip Curl GromSearch contests are all premier SAST events, with 1,000 points going to the winners and prizemoney per all premier events.

The Rip Curl GromSearch Long Beach contest is a Surfing South Africa tournament supported by Sea Harvest.

Complimentary high-resolution images are available for media outlets.

About Surfing South Africa

Surfing South Africa is the official National Federation for Surfing in South Africa. SSA is a member of the South African Confederation of Sport and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and is recognised as the governing body by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.

Surfing South Africa is responsible for developing the sport, hosting National tournaments, sanctioning International events, and selecting National teams in all SSA disciplines. SSA is a member of the African Surfing Confederation (ASC) and the International Surfing Association (ISA), the  World governing body.