Stylish Sky Howes secures the Summer Snap

If you didn’t attend the 14th September’s Surf Summer Snap Competition organized by the Malta Surf & Sup Association, you missed out!

20 surfers took part in the second edition of the Summer Snap at Ghajn Tuffieha, and boy did the bay deliver. Massive winds all week brought giants to the beach, slamming closeouts, gnarly wipeouts and some of the most stylish surfing we’ve ever seen on the island.

The competition was broken down into five heats making up Round 1, then onto three heats for Round 2, before trickling down into two heats for Round 3. As surfers were eliminated one by one, we eventually got to the final four surfers and split these into two: the battle for third place and the final, with both rounds housing two surfers.

Round 1, Heat 1 – Flynn, Timmy, Matthew and Luka.

All the surfers in this heat were fantastic and had one aim in mind: to catch that wave and score big points for various wave tricks and manoeuvres. Flynn and Luka showed their energy in this heat, leaving Timmy and Matthew behind as they advanced to Round 2.

Word on the sand was that the support on the beach radiated through everyone’s cheers and words of encouragement hit the surfers as they left the water and re-entered on loop.

Round 1, Heat 2  – Sky, James, Matteo, and Victor.

This heat was full of energy, wipe-outs like there’s no tomorrow and more importantly absolutely beautiful waves. The judges loved this round so much as Sky and Victor put up a show, eliminating Matteo, who was also brilliant.

Round 1, Heat 3 – Valerio, Tonio, Alejandro and Ben.

This round was a true representation of what the surfing community is about, it was a highly supportive yet competitive heat with impressive skills and a natural ability to carve waves.
Crowd pleaser Valerio went through with Ben Martinet, one of the OGs of surfing on the island advancing alongside him.

Round 1, Heat 4 – Hadrien, Tobias, Luiz and Diego.

This heat set the tone for the rest of the surf competition, as the waves kept pumping and growing throughout the day. The energy on the beach was groovy with tunes that kept everyone dancing as the competitors competed in this heat. 

Reef Rampage winner Hadrien Meller flew through his heat with Argentine lifeguard Tobias joining him in the next round.

Round 1, Heat 5 – Julian, Davide, Pablo and Timmy 2.0

This round was the ‘what to expect when not expecting’, with one surfer unfortunately unable to make it, Timmy stepped in again for Round 2. 

True surfing spirit was evident when facing this obstacle, with the wild card thrown into the mix! Davide Casserta, on fire throughout the day, make it through to the next round with Pablo.

Round 2, Heat 1 – Flynn, Sky, Hadrien and Alejandro

This heat was a classic battle, full of absolutely meme-worthy wipeouts and super-skilled surfing. This created a wholesome moment for the judging panel as they watched their fellow friends shred. Flynn and Sky pipped Hadrien and Alejandro out, advancing through Round 3.

Round 3, Heat 2

Victor, from Barcelona, commanded his first local competition, shredding into the battle for third place against Flynn in Round 3. Seeing two aggressive surfers take turns and score big points in this snap was pleasing on the eye and brilliant to watch.

Davide shone throughout the day, however, surprise package Victor caught everyone off guard with skill and versatility in this round. He nabbed third place, but Davide’s fantastic smile wasn’t wiped away, as he managed his highest finish in a local competition.

A final for the ages: Sky v Valerio

This final was absolutely epic. There was a touch of the new school vs. the classic, a sprinkle of the apprentice overcoming the master, and wow, did these two deliver! They went toe-to-toe right to the death, with Sky carving out his victory after saving the wave of the day for the very last heat. Both surfers surfed their lungs out, but only one could be hoisted as champion—all be it after we lifted the runner-up accidentally! 

“…I did really want to win from the start…I was determined because making it into the final three times and not winning was tough” said a beaming Sky right after the final. Adding that W to his portfolio is exactly what he deserves and as the Summer Snap trophy moves from Tiago to Sky, its so good to add a fresh winner to the list! 

Sky’s presence in surfing has been growing for years now, reaching the final of both the Cold Water Invitational and the Reef Rampage, and at last, he’s got his hands on the trophy. This was a well-deserved victory, and Sky’s performance has improved so much in every competition he’s taken on. This became clear as he went head-to-head with Valerio to claim the snap in style. Valerio’s bombastic energy on the day was excellent, and having the most experienced surfer in the final shows a different level of class and athleticism.

All in all, the day was full of fantastic energy from all the judges who took part, all the surfers and even the crowd’s endless support and encouragement. A mammoth amount of sponsors provided the awesome prizes, including:

• A merch bundle from Souvenirs That Don’t Suck
• An illustration by Te Fit Tazza
• Go Pro accessories from Dickens
• Trophies by Malta Surf School
• A photo session by Jon Brincat
• And, of course, a coveted Bomba hoodie and keychains for the best wipeout (Sorry, Tonio, but you seem to love the reef!)
• All the surfers were fuelled by Stretta, who provided us with the new and lovely Session IPA, which went down so well in the heat! 

A huge thanks to the photographers on the day; we’ve never ever had so many lenses being pointed our way, and this is awesome and a special thanks for Yaz from NoticeNewsNetwork for helping with the report and snapping the photos. Catch you at the next swell fam.

Featured photo and gallery by Jon Brincat, all rights reserved:

https://www.instagram.com/jonathannbrincat/
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