Surf’s up! Tradies hit the waves in WorkSafe challenge

By Jarrod Brown Published October 14, 2024

7 Min Read

Victorian tradies swapped belts for boards last weekend as workers battled it out on the waves in WorkSafe’s 2024 Tradie Challenge.

Melbourne’s charistically grey skies cleared up yesterday to treat tradies who took time off the tools to enjoy a day of sun, sauna’s and epic surf at Australia’s first-ever artificial wave park, URBNSURF Melbourne.

Drawing in surfers from sites all across the state, workers went head-to-head across three separate surf divisions (Masters, Open or Bodyboard) to take home bragging rights as the WorkSafe surfing champ.

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But the prizes didn’t stop at the pool’s edge. Competitors and onlookers were handed free board demos courtesy of Board LAB, showcasing their range of latest makes and models for tradies to try out.

And I wasn’t kidding about those saunas either. Traditional Finnish Sauna on wheels company Hello Sauna was also treating tradies who weren’t getting their toes wet amongst the waves to their “age-old tradition” of sauna steam therapy.

Throw in a few beers and a roaring sausage sizzle, and it sounds like the annual competition once again lived up to its reputation as ‘one the best events in the Surfing Victoria calendar’.

“This is a fantastic event on the Surfing Victoria calendar and one that brings in some great surfers for a fun day of surfing,” said organisers.

Two-time Open Men’s champ Ethan Huxtable seemed to agree, encouraging any young budding worksite surfers to make the trip next year to ‘share the stoke’ of being a tradie.

“It’s always good, can’t complain! It’s at the wave pool so no matter the result it’s always going to be a good day,” said Huxtable.

“You get to surf the pool with some good mates and that’s awesome.”

“It’s always cool to meet new people in the same work area and I always like talking with the boys out the back while waiting for the waves!”

So who won?

Bodyboards

Open Bodyboards kicked off the penultimate showdown, with frontrunners Ryan Jucker and Rui Mateius dominating the pool in what would be a tight battle for the top podium finish.

After Jucker got the best of the first exchange with an el rollo into a super deep tube, followed by another el rollo, scoring an 8.83 point ride, Mateus managed to hold onto first place with a flashy spin into a tube on his second wave, scoring a 7.83 point ride.

But on his last wave, Jucker looked to secure the win, committing to a double el rollo on the first section, followed by a shallow barrel and a big air rollo on the barrel section to take home an 8.27 point ride and the trophy.

“It’s always good to get a solid one under the belt, it helps lighten the pressure going into the other waves,” said Jucker.

“It’s good to see the other surfers here as well, what a great event, it’s nice to see the guys putting something like this on.”

Final Score

1st – Ryan Jucker (Hampton East), 17.10

2nd – Rui Mateus (Ivanhoe), 15.66

3rd – Chris Watson (Rosebud), 12.47

4th – Henry Munro (Williams Landing), 11.50

Masters

In the Masters shortboard division, Callan Cross was on fire all day and it was no different in the final. He got the better of the first exchange with a 6.43, while Ross Dart closely followed behind with a 6.00 point ride.

Cross responded with a powerful second ride, scoring a 6.93, utilizing his critical backhand attack. In the final exchange, Cross was comfortably in first, with Dart the closest to him, needing a 7.36 to take the lead.

As Dart’s wave rolled through, he went for an extra deep takeoff, which led to a nosedive, leaving Cross to take the win.

Final Score

1st – Callan Cross (Torquay), 13.60

2nd – Ross Dart (Mount Duneed), 11.10

3rd – Arthur McKenzie (Cowes), 10.40

4th – Max Kight (Torquay), 10.27

Opens

The day concluded with the Open Men’s final and a tight battle between last year’s champion Ethan Huxtable and Isaac Markwell, who both started off strong, with Huxtable scoring a 7.40 point ride and Markwell scoring a 6.83 point ride.

On the final exchange, Isaac Markwell improved his scoreline, smashing out a range of forehand snaps to receive a 7.07 point ride. This increased Huxtable’s requirement as he dropped into his last wave and wrenched a big forehand carve before teeing off down the line on multiple top turns, earning him a 6.73 point ride and the top spot with one surfer to go.

That final surfer was Issac’s brother, Joe Markwell, who knew he had to pull off something big as he raced down the line launching into an air reverse and just pulling it around.

But his dreams of gold were dashed after the ride was given a 7.93, falling just short of the required score and handing Huxtable the back-to-back win to take out the day’s final trophy.