The top ocean ski athletes from around the world will come together in a surf sport discipline that is exciting for both competitors and spectators alike. The constantly changing ocean conditions hold the power to make or break a competitor’s race. In an ocean ski race, it is anyone’s race for the Gold medal.
Each surf ski race will see competitors splintering through the barrelling Gold Coast waves, to get beyond the break and pass the buoys, before finding their way back to shore.
To know what happens in the various ocean ski events, see the descriptions below.
For the Surf Ski Race, the start of the race is like no other. Competitors start in knee-deep water, within seconds of the starting signals, competitors jump into their ski whilst balancing the ever-changing waves. The athletes battle through the waves to reach the line of buoys, approximately 300m from shore, and have the perfect combination of skill and luck to make their way back to shore and cross the in-water finish line. For this race, the competitors need more than just one skill, they need endurance and knowledge of the surf to battle the break and bring home the Gold.
Three (3) of the most skilled surf ski athletes will make up each team. The teams will compete in a relay format, each competitor staring in the water, racing around the sting of buoys placed 300m from the shoreline and sprinting a short distance to tag their next team mate starting in the water. This race is full of unpredictable turns and requires a high level of expertise with the surf craft. The Gold Coast waters present the perfect location to power through the distance of behind the break and catch a ride to shore on a wave.
LWC24 acknowledge the original inhabitants of this area, including the Yugambeh people and family groups within, and recognise their connection to the land, waters and resources in the area now known as the Gold Coast. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.
© Surf Life Saving Queensland 2022. All Rights Reserved. Surf Life Saving Queensland is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO Provider 2804).
