Surfing: Preparing for a Whalebone of a time

A big contingent of Yallingup and Dunsborough surfers will make the trip to Perth this weekend to compete in WA’s premier longboard contest.

Picture by Woolacott: Yallingup’s Dan Corbett will compete in the Whalebone Classic.

Held at Isolator’s Reef at Cottesloe annually, the Whalebone Classic would bring together close to 200 longboard surfers and their supporters, from around Australia.

Dunsborough’s former Australian champion Justin Redman would look to make the ASP Longboard Qualifying Series final after bowing out at the semi-finals stage last year, while Yallingup’s big wave charger Dan Corbett was expected to be in the mix come finals time.

The Whalebone has attracted current Australian Longboard champion Dane Pioli, from New South Wales, who just returned from the World Amateur Titles in Panama, where he placed ninth overall.

Pioli became a Whalebone regular, winning in 2009, and would again be the man to beat in the Mack Hall Real Estate Pro division.

In the amateur divisions, Richard Wain would hope to replicate his form from last year, when he made the open men’s final despite being “the oldest guy by about 25 years”.

Experienced longboard surfers Bob Monkman, Brett Merrifield, Barry Mackinnon, Nigel Coote and Mick Marlin would also represent the region in their age divisions.