Red Bull Aeriality Takes Surfing to New Heights in Perth
Western Australia’s surfers soar at Scarborough Beach, at inaugural Red Bull Aeriality
MAVERICK WILSON and ISI CAMPBELL have today been crowned inaugural Red Bull Aeriality champions, after a day of high-flying surfing played out in front of a crowd of thousands at Western Australia’s Scarborough Beach.
Twenty of the state’s most exciting surfers took to the water in the jet ski-powered aerial surfing competition, going head-to-head in a knockout format designed to reward Innovation, Elevation and Progression.
Towing in behind jet skis sees competitors attack waves with greater speed than traditional paddling allows, and today this saw them launching spectacular aerial manoeuvres and rotations high above the Indian Ocean, to the delight of over 4,000 spectators.
Dunsborough’s Maverick Wilson claimed the men’s title in commanding style from Margaret River’s Cruz Sheridan, opening the final with a pair of stylishly stomped rotations that ended up as his two winning scores.
“My performance was based on my confidence in knowing I can land airs, and knowing if I get a section, I could put one down,” said 18-year-old Wilson.
“I’d seen Cruz going big all day and I didn’t know if my two scores would hold up, so I had to keep pushing it right to the end.
“We’ve all grown up together, we all push each other, and the competitive side is always there when you’re standing up on a wave, but we’re all friends at the end of the day, and to compete in an event like this is epic.
“It’s been so free flowing and well put together. It’s hard to draw a crowd like this, I loved the atmosphere, and I feel like that’s when I do my best. The whole day has just been so much fun, it’s definitely a winning formula!”
Denmark’s Isi Campbell beat Margaret River’s Willow Hardy in the women’s final, to further cement her status as the best female aerialist in the state.
“I’m just stoked I got to land a few airs and put on a bit of a show,” said the 19-year-old apprentice electrician from WA’s Great Southern region, who is also a highly accomplished skateboarder and standup paddleboarder.
“This is the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen here at Scarborough; it was so cool to see everyone get around the event and come down and watch.
“These comps are different, we’re all pushing each other to be better, rather than being super competitive. It’s more of a chill environment (than a regular surfing competition), but I think that lack of pressure, and everyone enjoying themselves, makes it so much easier to perform.”
Reigning World Junior Champion Dane Henry swapped the athlete zone for the judging booth and commentary box at Red Bull Aeriality and relished the chance to see competitive surfing through a different lens.
“Massive airs and big wipeouts, today was epic!” said Henry.
“The four finalists had been consistently sending it the biggest throughout the day, and that lead to a deserving set of winners.
“It was such a great day at Scarborough Beach, there were thousands of people, on the beach and in the amphitheatre, everyone was so fired up, it was sick!”
Unlike traditional surfing competitions, where surfers rely on the power of the wave to generate speed, Red Bull Aeriality adds horsepower to the equation. The tow-in format gives competitors added speed to attack Scarborough’s sections and push the height, difficulty and creativity of their aerial surfing.
Surfers competed through 20-minute knockout battles, before the finalists faced off in 25-minute finals.
The stunning spring 25-degree day began with easterly winds that swung to the south-west around 10am, creating perfect conditions for aerial surfing.
Red Bull Aeriality brought together some of Western Australia’s most progressive surfers at Scarborough Beach in a new aerial competition, putting speed, creativity and progression at the centre of the action.
After the competition, surfers and fans headed to The Lookout at Scarborough Beach for the official after party and special screening of ‘One More’, a surf film featuring Jack Robinson, Leonardo Fioravanti and Kanoa Igarashi.
Keep an eye on Red Bull Australia socials on Instagram, X and TikTok for highlights.
FINAL RESULTS (out of a possible 60 points)
Men
- Maverick Wilson
- Cruz Sheridan
- Jack Mickle and Ben Spence (equal third)
Women
- Isi Campbell
- Willow Hardy
- Olive Hardy and Claire Bevilacqua (equal third)
