As I sat in the ISA judging truck overlooking the roaring Atlantic looking out Aughris Beach a location change from Strandhill due to large surf, the excitement in the air was electric. The 2025 Student Surfing Inter-varsities Hosted by atusligosurfclub, had drawn student surfers from all over Ireland, each eager to carve up the waves and showcase their skills and compete for there collage. As a surf judge, I had the best seat in the house

The Competition Kicks Off on Saturday at 9am

The first morning started with glassy, waist/head-high waves, perfect for the early heats. The energy on the beach was contagious—students from various universities had turned up in force, cheering on their friends, and celebrating there team mates.

From my vantage point, I was tasked with scoring surfers based on criteria like wave selection, manoeuvres execution, style, and flow. The level of competition was varied and showed the fun side of surfing as well as some surfers demonstrated technical precision throwing powerful cutbacks and manouvers, while the longboard division brought graceful cross-stepping and stylish nose rides that wowed the crowd the bodyboard showed off some flips and barrels.

Fierce Heats and Standout Performances

One of the most exciting heats of the weekend was the men’s shortboard and Womens longboard. The waves had picked up, delivering solid shoulder-high sets, and the surfers rose to the challenge. Bea Greenburg put on a beautiful performance in the longboard final, catching some solid waves and scoring some high results. 

More Than Just a Competition

While the competition was fierce in the water, the atmosphere on the beach was nothing short of camaraderie and fun. After the heats wrapped up for the day, students gathered around before heading back to Strandhill for the evenings entertainment. With @tides_surf_mag showing back to back screenings in the @nationalsurfcentre of the final episode in the Shapers Edition Series featuring Irelands No.1 surfer @gearoidmcdaid riding boards by some of Ireland’s top shapers.

As a Judge for the weekend it was good to view the competition from a different perspective as in the past I represented Sligo as a student. Looking forwards to seeing where this competition will go in the future. 

“Until next time, keep chasing the waves and living the dream! See you in the lineup!” Ione