MALUA Bay will be a sea of coloured surf life saving caps for the first senior Far South Coast Branch carnival on Sunday.
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Entrants from Batemans Bay, Broulee, Moruya, Narooma, Bermagui, Pambula and Tathra will line up at 10am for surfboat racing.
Organisers expect between up to 200 entrants at the senior carnival and each Eurobodalla club will field a good numbers.
Batemans Bay Surf Life Saving Club secretary Sue Hunt said the club would have under 19s men’s and women’s surfboat crews, and entrants in the beach and water events.
“Senior carnivals aren’t necessarily a big carnival for our branch so hopefully we have that many competitors,” Hunt said.
“Our focus is life saving so we have not been a really competitive club.”
Broulee usually fields more numbers than other Eurobodalla clubs at branch carnivals, however a large contingent of regular entrants will be away competing at Coolangatta Gold on the Gold Coast.
Batemans Bay will face stiff competition from Broulee in surfboat racing as Broulee hopes to send four boats; an under 19s men’s, under 23s women’s, under 23s men’s and a reserve crew to the carnival.
However, Eurobodalla club Moruya will not nominate any crews for the event.
“The surfboats will definitely be exciting at Malua Bay so hopefully it plays nice and it’s not too rough,” Hunt said.
The day’s program includes regular beach races such as sprints and flags and water events on surf skis, boards and the energy-sapping Ironman.
Hunt believed the Ironman events were also another good event for spectators because of the competitiveness of the athletes.
“It’s always hotly contested and it will be again with a number of young blokes against the older blokes,” Hunt said.
“The 50-plus are really competitive.
“But it’s also a fun day for all the clubs to be able to get together and socialise with a barbecue after.”
The first branch carnival kicks off the surf life saving sports season and South Coast athletes have a long summer ahead, which includes three more Far South Coast carnivals, the NSW Country Championships at Mollymook in January and the NSW and Australian championships later in 2015.