The surfers may have been elsewhere but the crowd was at First Point for the true stars of the Noosa Festival of Surfing – the surfing dogs!
Over 4,000 surfing dog fans of all ages gathered in the sun at First Point, Noosa last Saturday for the 10th annual VetShopAustralia Surfing Dog Championships.
Held on the first day of the Noosa Festival of Surfing, the Surfing Dog Championships always draws the biggest crowd of the entire festival and the 2021 event was no exception, despite the international travel ban and moving from its usual dates in March.
The dynamic duo of Dan Bleicher and Pickles the Pug were the eventual winners of the 2021 Best Wave Award, impressing the judges with Pickles skill in her dismount.
The competitors were determined to put on a show for the crowd and had to work hard to impress despite less of a swell than previous years. Leading the pack out for another year was former world champion tandem surfer Chris de Aboitiz accompanied by his dogs Rama and new addition Fearless Foily.
Three-time winners Paul “Jonesy” Jones and his 11-year-old Spanador (Spaniel x Labrador) Hugsley were not far behind with kids Opal and Hughie coming along for a surf also.
