How “Best Turn” Was Won In The Air
A marvellous Monday at the Quiksilver Festival.
TL;DR
- La Nord becomes more approachable
- Performance levels rise
- First perfect 10s drop
Sunny, warm, plenty of swell, and glassy.
Another idyllic day in Southwest France, this one starting mid-morning, in keeping with the local mode de vie.
“Everyone had a big night… of sleep,” Jeremy Flores said, as the first heat of the day entered the North Atlantic.
On the very first wave of the morning, Nathan Fletcher found a clean left and laid a textbook roundie across sheet glass. The day’s theme was “Best Turn,” though whatever label they try to hang on it, the Quik Fest simply just rewards good surfing.
Holly Wawn played to her strengths, adding her power to La Nord’s for a forehand downcarve the judges thought was worth an 8.00.
Cronulla’s Kash Brown was one of the most watchable surfers of the morning, electric and easy on the eye at once. The 18-year-old is teamed with “Huggy Vauggan,” who landed a big straight air sans grab — moments after his teammate had come in from his heat — for a 10. The first perfect score of the event.
Eimeo Czermak went full QS mode, looking like he wanted his half of that $10k as badly as he’d want the wave of an XXL swell at Teahupo’o. He also owned one of the biggest scores of the day, an 8.50, for a reentry with a good amount of violence in it.
Parker Coffin brought back some of his opening day form with a 7.77 for a single backside blowtail on what was pretty much a crumbly closeout.
Justin Becret and Joan Duru found waves nobody else could connect with and got a solid 7 and 6 respectively. The beach was busy, because who works on a Monday around these parts. Much was expected of Bruce Irons against an all-French draw, but he lacked the local knowledge, or fortune, his opponents did.
At the tail end of the day, Jeremy Flores fed the beach a club sandwich thing that looked, at first, hail mary’d. He got lost somewhere in the recovery on a frothy right and somehow rode it out anyway. 8.27.
In the same heat, Noah Beschen got a left running toward the shorebreak and hucked himself upside down for a big inverted full rote into the wind. Second 10-point ride of the day. Also, at the Quik Fest, a 360º rotation is technically a “turn.” No complaints on our end.
Eithan Osborne seemed to take Noah’s exhibit personally and, he too, went hunting ramps on the left: first a rev with a rusty landing that couldn’t get near a 6, then what would have been the biggest air of the day, and the event, had he landed it. Close but nah.
Three days in and the format is starting to separate crème from crop. Hughie and Kash lead, Eithan and Parker are within reach, Jeremy and Michel just behind.
Tomorrow is a lay day, but they are aiming to run at least two more days, which shouldn’t be hard with this forecast.
Quiksilver Festival 2026 Leaderboard
- Hughie Vaughan & Kash Brown 29.67
- Eithan Osborne & Parker Coffin 26.80
- Jeremy Flores & Michel Bourez 26.30
- Eimeo Czermak & Noah Beschen 25.73
- Kyllian Guerin, Sam Piter & Noa Dupouy 24.79
- Joan Duru & Marc Lacomare 24.03
- Kai Odriozola & Hans Odriozola 22.96
- Coco Ho & Milla-Coco Brown 22.96
- Justin Becret & Francisco Ordonhas 21.96
- Tosh Tudor & Aritz Aranburu 20.27
- Macy Callaghan & Holly Wawn 20.10
- Jack Freestone & Matt Wilkinson 18.86
- Mikey Wright & Clay Marzo 18.37
- Maud Le Car & Frankie Harrer 16.83
- Juliette Lacome & Sky Brown 16.50
- Bruce Irons & Nathan Fletcher 14.60
- Alana Blanchard & Zoe McDougall 14.04
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