Sydney, Australia – Day 6 (final day) of the VW State Classic 2026 delivered everything a closing day should. Local heroes, dominant champions, a returning legend and crowds that made themselves heard. A week of surfing across Coffs Harbour’s best breaks came down to this, and the field made sure it was worth the wait.
JUNIOR STATE TITLES | Park Beach
The decision to move the junior finals to the Coffs Harbour boat ramp turned out to be one of the calls of the week. Grindy 2 to 3 foot waves that looked modest from the beach produced some of the best surfing of the entire event. The boat ramp was barreling and pumping and the kids treated it like their home break.
The Under 12 Boys set the tone early. Insane skill, perfectly timed turns in a challenging and dynamic break. The calibre of surfing from surfers that young in those conditions was something that needed to be seen to be believed. The future of NSW surfing is in very good hands.
Then came the Grainger sisters. Mila and Chloe from the Northern Beaches competed in both the Under 12 and Under 14 finals and put on a performance that the whole beach watched. Chloe took the win and Mila finished second. When Chloe came in, her friends chairlifted her all the way up the rocks into her mum’s arms.
Everley and Levi were interviewed by the local media and handled it like they’d been doing it for years. Articulate, funny and full of personality.
Maverick Magugan had been building through the week in the Under 14s and saved his best for last. He combination scored the field in the final and left spectators genuinely speechless. A dominant performance from a surfer who clearly came here with something to prove.
Poppy O’Reilly was the standout of the afternoon. Blistering backhand surfing in the Under 18 Girls final, speed carves and committed finishes that had the judges reaching for high numbers. Her second win in two weeks.
The biggest noise of the day came from the Under 16s. Hamish Harrigan, Coffs Harbour local, came from behind in his final in front of a crowd packed with friends and family and got the win. The place went nuts.
Ben Zanatta closed the week the way he opened it, by making it look easy. A 9.13 on his first wave in the Under 18 Boys final, backed up by an 8.5. The field was combination scored before they knew what had happened. Lachlan Arghyros from Kingscliff pushed hard and on another day could have gone very close. But this was Zanatta’s week and he made that clear from start to finish.
STATE MASTERS | Sawtell
Finals day for the Masters kicked off at Park Beach in very solid conditions with the Open Men’s Round 3. Jett Blue surfed three back-to-back heats and showed the kind of endurance that doesn’t get talked about enough in competitive surfing. Tiaan Cronje from the water safety team took the win in the opening heat by the narrowest of margins.
Liam Gason showed real composure in the Under 21 Men’s requal to take the win and keep his campaign alive.
Wild and woolly surf greeted competitors for the finals showdown and the field rose to meet it. What followed was an impressive afternoon of surfing in front of a strong crowd along the Coffs Coast.
Baxter Hurt from Long Reef Boardriders took the Under 21 Men’s State title with a performance that stood out for its composure and flair in difficult conditions. Hurt had carried strong form from Sawtell into finals day, locking in two high 6-point rides before sealing the division ahead of Murray Bamberry in second, Angus Linnegar in third and Liam Gason in fourth.
Dean Bowen has been head of water safety all week, keeping every competitor safe across every venue. In the Over 30 Men’s final he stepped out of that role and into the arena, posting a near-perfect 9-point ride in building surf and taking a commanding win. The reigning Australian Champion showed exactly why he holds that title. Hayden Blair finished second, local standout Chad Schomberg third and Vincent Primel fourth.
The Open Men’s final was the one everyone had been waiting for and Dom Thomas from Newcastle delivered. Power, precision and the kind of surfing that had spectators on their feet. Thomas took the prestigious title ahead of Van Whiteman in second, Robin Henry Micale in third and Jett Blue in fourth. The margin between first and second was 0.06 of a point. As close as it gets.
LONGBOARDS | Arrawarra
Six foot surf greeted the Open Men and Women first thing Saturday morning and the field didn’t flinch. What followed was a showcase of progressive longboard surfing that had the crowd on their feet from the opening heat.
Will Crowe stepped back onto the competitive stage for the first time in a couple of years and reminded everyone exactly why he belongs there. The standout performer of the Open Men’s finals, Crowe surfed with the kind of fluency that doesn’t disappear with time away from competition.
Amy Main came in from her final not knowing what the result was. When it was announced on the shore she was visibly emotional, caught completely off guard by the win. One of the genuine moments of the week.
Sonorylin Adlawan brightened up the lineup again in her signature polka dot wetsuit. At this point it’s as much a part of the event as the waves.
Then there was Alan Morrison. For more than two years Alan has been finishing second to Jason Livingstone. The rivalry is one of the best in NSW longboarding and today it finally flipped. Morrison came in from his Over 60 final with ten minutes left on the clock. He didn’t want to paddle back out. Then Tony Rae caught a wave in the dying minutes of the final needing more than a 5-point ride, and got it. Lucky for Morrison there was a second chance in the Over 55 Men and he took it. When it mattered most, Morrison surfed the heat of his life, pushed Livingstone harder than anyone had all week and took the win. Two years of second place and he finally got there. The reaction said everything.
The Under 18 Boys and Girls followed the open divisions and brought a different kind of energy. Younger surfers in serious surf on longboards going for it without hesitation. They put on a show.
FINAL | Results
High School Finalists
Junior Girls
- St Peters Anglican College
- Bulli High
- Woolgoolga High School
- Evans River School
- St Luke’s Grammar School
Junior Boys
- St Francis Xavier College
- McAuley Catholic College
- Bulli High
- The Scots College
Senior Boys
- St Francis Xavier College
- Waverley College
- Bulli High
- The Scots College
Senior Girls
- Illawarra Sports High
- McAuley Catholic College
- Warilla High School
- Bulli High
- Cape Byron Steiner School
SUP Finalists
Open Women
- Rebecca Dunning
O40 Women
- Rebecca Dunning
O40 Men
- Marty Cole
- Matthew Russell
- Giovani Mazza
O50 Men
- Adam Robinson
- Blaire Moore
- Rohan Evans
- Justin Dunning
O60 Men
- Jonathan Gatt
- Adam Robinson
- Craig Caldwell
Open Men 9ft+
- Marty Cole
- Connor Linz
- Alan Salazar
- Rohan Evans
O50 Men 9ft+
- Paul Haile
- Rohan Evans
O60 Men 9ft+
- Jonathan Gatt
- Craig Caldwell
- Paul Redman
O70 Men
- Phil Baggs
- Steven Harpur
- David Sands
Masters Finalists
O21 Women
- Isla Schomberg
- Jasmine Iredale
- Emily Falconi
- Leyla Blue
O21 Men
- Baxter Hurt
- Murray Bamberry
- Angus Linnegar
- Liam Gason
Open Women
- Leihani Zoric
- Bonnie Hills
- Arabella Tarpey
- Alice Mood
- Leyla Blue
Open Men
- Dom Thomas
- Van Whiteman
- Jett Belue
- Rohnin Henry Micale
O30 Women
- Talina Christensen
- Alice Mood
- Lou Simpson
O30 Men
- Dean Bowen
- Hayden Blair
- Chad Schomberg
- Vincent Primel
O40 Men
- Chad Schomberg
- Vincent Primel
- Peter Hayes
- Karl Lavis
O40 Women
- Audrey Hills
- Gee Cormack
- Samantha Oakes
- Belinda Koorey
O50 Men
- Paul Snow
- Paul Parkes
- Dan Dignam
- Peter Armstrong
O50 Women
- Belinda Koorey
- Samantha Oakes
- Natasha Gee
- Greta Francis
O55 Men
- Michael Callendar
- Robbie Page
- Ian Spencer
- Jay McKenzie
O60 Men
- Rob Baldwin
- John Schmidenberg
- Scott Abbott
- Ged Cook
O60 Women
- Greta Francis
O65 Men
- Rob Baldwin
- Stephen Cox
- Mark Gobbe
- Richard Sargeson
Junior Finalists
U12 Girls
- Chloe Grainger
- Vada Wessel
- Maya Lily Johnson
- Tilly Dempsey
U12 Boys
- Levi Lowe
- Taylor Bartlett
- Joshua Andrade
- Yadin Byrne
U14 Girls
- Everly Morgan
- Mila Grainger
- Alanni Morris
- Audrey Knobel
U14 Boys
- Maverick Macgugan
- Reko Moltzen
- Hayden Mee
- Billy Daniel
U16 Girls
- Leihani Zoric
- Mali Adam
- Talia Tebb
- Eve Campbell
U16 Boys
- Hamish Harrigan
- Jacques Callebaut
- Kade Kelly
- Tommy Hainsworth
U18 Girls
- Poppy O’Reilly
- Lani Cairncross
- Madora Barton
- Malia Barron
U18 Boys
- Ben Zanatta
- Lachlan Arghyros
- Taj Air
- Sully Tucker
Longboard Finalists
U18 Junior Women
- Freya Abbott
- Olive Morriss
- Heidi van Leest
U18 Junior Men
- Gwil Barnes
- Elijah Cornejo
- Kobi Chau
- Max McManus
Open Women
- Amy Main
- Suki Alford
- Sonorilyn Adlawan
- Heidi van Leest
Open Men
- William Crowe
- Archy Bemrose
- Rahn Goddard
- Matthew Hall
O40 Men
- Matthew Hall
- Rahn Goddard
- Luke Redmond
- Ben Proudfoot
O40 Women
- Sonorilyn Adlawan
- Amy Main
- Laura Pigott
- Wendy Stevenson
O50 Men
- Jason Livingston
- Daniel Miles
- Jacob Pritchett
- Mark Lamphee
O50 Women
- Wendy Stevenson
- Anne Duncan
- Di Smith
O55 Men
- Alan Morrison
- Jason Livingston
- Adam Ferrari
- Ron Galea
O60 Men
- Tony Rae
- Alan Morrison
- Jay Carter
- Ron Galea
O60 Women
- Louise Tiernan
- Anne Duncan
- Julia Magliano
- Di Smith
O65 Men
- Nick Pearson
- Craig Jones
- Paul Guthrie
- Tony Abood
O70 Men
- John Murray
- Graham Bohm
- Daniel Bond
- Earle Page
- Neil Frederiksen
Full event details, daily galleries, and updates via the VW State Classic 2026 microsite.
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For media inquiries please contact: media@surfingnsw.com.au
Beyond the Waves
The competition takes the centre, but the six-day event sits inside a wider program of activations across the Coffs Coast.
- Coopers Surf, Australia’s largest in-stock surfboard range, has every competitor covered with a $20 voucher in their pack and 20 percent off accessories with any board purchase. The team will run a shaper demo day across the week and host a movie night at Aanuka Beach House.
- Surfline returns as the event’s forecast partner, delivering daily reports and a 30 percent member discount on Premium and Premium+. URBN Surf is putting unlimited surfing day passes up for grabs at competition sites.
- Surfing NSW’s own programs are on-site all week.
The central event hub will once again be Aanuka Beach House, with the post-beach schedule coming to life across its fire pits and outdoor spaces to relax, dine and connect. Competitors can redeem 20% off food and beverage at the Aanuka Beach House Restaurant by presenting their event wristband at the counter.
“We’re excited to welcome the VW State Classic back for another year. Events like this create a great atmosphere across the Coffs region when competitors and their families are in town. We love hosting everyone at Aanuka Beach House for the activations and encourage the community to come down and get amongst it throughout the week,”
Keron McDermott, General Manager, Aanuka Beach House
The Coffs Coast Welcome
The 2026 event renews its partnership with Coffs Council and Coffs Coast Events, with three competition sites activated across the region for five surfing disciplines. City of Coffs Harbour Mayor Nikki Williams welcomed the event’s return.
“As a destination of choice, Coffs Harbour is always up for massive events and it doesn’t get any better than the Surfing NSW State Classic, Mayor Nikki Williams said. It’s a spectacular showpiece that stokes surfing culture and best of all, it embraces the grassroots community aspect of the sport.
Local competitors and fans will be wrapped to see athletes ranging in age from groms to seasoned veterans tackle the waves in a City renowned for its beach culture and warm welcome.”
VW State Classic 2026
Six days. Five titles. Year two. 18.05.2026.
- What: VW State Classic 2026
- When: Monday 18 to Sunday 24 May 2026
- Where: Coffs Coast, NSW
- On the line: Five NSW State Titles (Junior, Masters, Longboard, SUP, High School) and progressions to the 2026 Australian Titles
- Host venue: Aanuka Beach House
- Major partner: Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles
- Supporting partners: Coffs Council, Coffs Events, Coopers Surf, Aanuka Beach House, Surfline, URBN Surf, Liveheats
- Surfing NSW programs on-site: LAB, Her Wave, Surfers Rescue