SURFING: The Khao Lak Surf Festival 2023 came to a close yesterday (June 18) with perfect weather conditions making for great surfing which was followed by a community-led beach clean up.
The three-day event, organised by the Thailand Surfing Federation, brought together a diverse field of surfers showcasing their talents across several categories.
Phuket’s Annissa Flynn won the Women’s Open Shortboard contest with a score of 10.00 from the judges to receive a B20,000 cash prize, while Indonesia’s Pito Wardana claimed victory in the Men’s Open Shortboard with a score of 13.65 to collect the same amount in prize money.
The Men’s Open Longboard saw Nathan Sadoun from France come out on top with an impressive score of 15.75, while the Women’s Open Longboard was won by Flora Cristin Butar Butar from Indonesia with a score of 8.20.
Several local talents made it to the podium to hint at a very promising furture for Thai surfing, including Pattana Kenkhuntod, Sitipong Chapman, Phatchara Tiangnoi, Lunlana Sinsoke, Proud Panutatsanaporn, Mathiya Ashley Holmberg, Werawat Kuru, and Suwaprapa Khambutdi.
Following the award presentation, athletes and audience members participated in a joint beach clean-up, emphasising the surfing community’s commitment to environmental sustainability.
The festival then concluded with a free-entry concert on the main beach stage featuring Ton Trakul and Maiyarap from 8:30pm until midnight.
The Khao Lak Surf Festival 2023 is among the top surfing events in Thailand, featuring a diverse blend of local and international talent. The festival acts as a platform for the sport’s growth and promotion in the region and is supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and various other local government organisations.
A replay of the Khao Lak Surf Festival’s final day is available for streaming on the Thailand Surfing Federation Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/surfingthailand. Complete results and scores can also be found at https://liveheats.com/events/139274.
Next up is the “Phuket Surf Contest 2023” which takes place this coming weekend (June 23-25) at Kata Beach. Registration is now open at https://surfingthailand.org/phuket-surf-contest-2023/.
