East London waveski star Bruce Viaene will be looking to build on his success at the Copa Pacifico waveski contest in Peru at the weekend when the Reef Royalty International Paddle Fest plays out at the iconic Nahoon Reef in East London from Friday until Monday.
The Reef Royalty is accredited by the World Waveski Surfing Association (WWSA), meaning all results contribute to international rankings and influence seeding for the 2026 World Waveski Surfing titles in Peru.
That event in 12 months is earmarked for Huanchaco Beach, where Viaene delivered an outstanding performance, dominating the waves and securing both the open men’s and master’ division titles at the weekend.
In the open men’s final, Viaene scored 15.40 to beat Australia’s Graham Lancaster, who had 11.80 to his name, while in the masters he was handed 13.44 by the judges and comfortably surpassed Uruguayan Otto Armando, who claimed silver with 6.67.
“I’m really happy with the win,” Viaene said.
“I came close in 2023, so pulling off a double victory was the goal and I’m stoked to have achieved it.
“Representing my country is always an honour and it was incredibly special to fly our flag high on the podium.”
At the Reef, Viaene will be joined by Andre Burger (East London) and Mike Wessels (Cape Town) and the trio will all be looking to make their mark at the 2025 event which will feature multiple world champions Mathieu Babarit and Caro Angibaud (Babarit).
The French duo will be competing in both the waveski and SUP divisions — a huge drawcard for fans and athletes alike.
The last top-recognised batch of French waveskiers who visited Nahoon Reef displayed dominance in the World Waveski Surfing titles in 2024.
On the last day of that event, the French anthem La Marseillaise rang throughout as they claimed the big fishes of the “world cup” of waveski surfing, the women’s and men’s open titles.
Lou Peter went back-to-back at the World Waveski surfing titles, defending the crown she won in Ventura in the US in 2022.
She also secured the senior women’s title ahead of teammates Océane Lucas and Baylacq Océane.
Frenchman Virgile Humbert won the open men’s event and Nathan La Bars won the senior men’s title.
Daily Dispatch
Viaene targets home advantage in Reef Royalty International
EL waveski ace upbeat after outstanding performance in Peru at weekend
Image: SUPPLIED
East London waveski star Bruce Viaene will be looking to build on his success at the Copa Pacifico waveski contest in Peru at the weekend when the Reef Royalty International Paddle Fest plays out at the iconic Nahoon Reef in East London from Friday until Monday.
The Reef Royalty is accredited by the World Waveski Surfing Association (WWSA), meaning all results contribute to international rankings and influence seeding for the 2026 World Waveski Surfing titles in Peru.
That event in 12 months is earmarked for Huanchaco Beach, where Viaene delivered an outstanding performance, dominating the waves and securing both the open men’s and master’ division titles at the weekend.
In the open men’s final, Viaene scored 15.40 to beat Australia’s Graham Lancaster, who had 11.80 to his name, while in the masters he was handed 13.44 by the judges and comfortably surpassed Uruguayan Otto Armando, who claimed silver with 6.67.
“I’m really happy with the win,” Viaene said.
“I came close in 2023, so pulling off a double victory was the goal and I’m stoked to have achieved it.
“Representing my country is always an honour and it was incredibly special to fly our flag high on the podium.”
At the Reef, Viaene will be joined by Andre Burger (East London) and Mike Wessels (Cape Town) and the trio will all be looking to make their mark at the 2025 event which will feature multiple world champions Mathieu Babarit and Caro Angibaud (Babarit).
The French duo will be competing in both the waveski and SUP divisions — a huge drawcard for fans and athletes alike.
The last top-recognised batch of French waveskiers who visited Nahoon Reef displayed dominance in the World Waveski Surfing titles in 2024.
On the last day of that event, the French anthem La Marseillaise rang throughout as they claimed the big fishes of the “world cup” of waveski surfing, the women’s and men’s open titles.
Lou Peter went back-to-back at the World Waveski surfing titles, defending the crown she won in Ventura in the US in 2022.
She also secured the senior women’s title ahead of teammates Océane Lucas and Baylacq Océane.
Frenchman Virgile Humbert won the open men’s event and Nathan La Bars won the senior men’s title.
Daily Dispatch
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