San Diego, CA (September 4, 2024) – Three U.S. kneeriders earned world titles at the Cine FX Kneeboard Surfing World Titles held at Jeffreys Bay, South Africa and several other Americans performed well amongst the most talented field ever assembled for a world titles. The event was held August 17-25 in good to epic conditions at one of the world’s premier point breaks.
Australia’s Chayne Simpson and Albert Munoz – both former world champions – finished first and second respectively in the Open division, outlasting more than 120 competitors from 11 countries. The event was the largest-ever gathering of kneeboarders and the performance level was an all-time high.
San Juan Capistrano’s Kevin Skvarna, current U.S. champion, won the Pro Junior division (ages 20 to 29), San Diego’s Brad Colwell won the Immortals division (ages 65 to 69), and Ventura’s Scott Wessling won in the Invincibles division (ages 70+). Skvarna and Wessling both successfully defended titles won in 2022 at the most recent world titles held at Costa Nova, Portugal. Colwell previously earned a world title in 2017 in Somo, Spain in the Legends (ages 60 to 64) division.
Other notable results included a 2nd Place finish in the Women’s division for Patti Hook, who traveled from Outer Banks, North Carolina. San Diego’s Jack Beresford finished 2nd in the Kahuna’s division (ages 55-59). San Clemente’s Sean Noone and Hawaii’s Shaun Murphy finished third in the Legends (ages 60-64) and Seniors (ages 30-39) divisions.
The U.S. also finished third in the “Aloha Cup” a team competition which pitted five kneeriders from each country against each other in a tag team format. South Africa won the event with Australia finishing second.
Finals day featured some of the biggest waves of the competition with sets topping 8 to 10 feet and offshore conditions. The event was held at the Point section of Jeffreys Bay, which offered rippable waves each day of the contest. The event was broadcast daily on YouTube including the finals day.
In all, 17 U.S. kneeriders traveled to South Africa to compete and test their skills at Jeffreys Bay, a bucket-list destination for surfers because of how the point transforms raw ocean energy into perfectly shaped waves. Most U.S. competitors qualified for the world titles by competing in the 2024 Kneeboard Surfing USA Titles held in February at Huntington Beach Pier.
Established in 2003, Kneeboard Surfing USA is dedicated to promoting camaraderie in the sport of Kneeboard Surfing through competitions, kneelo gatherings and other activities. The next KSUSA titles will be held February 14, 2025 in Huntington Beach. For more information, visit ksusa.org.
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Photo Caption: U.S. kneeboarders celebrate with Brad Colwell (yellow jersey) on the beach at Jeffreys Bay following the Immortals division final. The finals were held Saturday, Aug. 25 in solid overhead surf.
