![](\"https:\/\/www.saltwater-dreaming.com\/news\/imagesnews\/shark-island.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAn International Bodyboarding Association (IBA) Men\u0092s World Tour event (MWT)
\nShark Island, Cronulla \u0096 N.S.W \u0096 Australia
\nTrials \u0096 In memory of Brett Young: 16th \u0096 18th of June
\nMain event: June 27th to July 31st, 2006 (A 35 day waiting period)<\/p>\n
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The Human Cronulla Shark Island Challenge \u0096 10 years in the making \u0096 the most prestigious bodyboarding event in the world today. $40,000 up for grabs<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.saltwater-dreaming.com\/news\/imagesnews\/shark-island1.jpg\")
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The Human Cronulla Shark Island Challenge presented by Rockstar Games is celebrating its 10th year anniversary, with $40,000 AUD up for grabs. The event will be opened by The Human Cronulla Shark Island Challenge Trials \u0096 In memory of Brett Young which will enable a minimum of 6 lucky trials to automatically qualify for the main event.The main event will see 32 of the worlds most radical bodyboarders, all trying to find the biggest barrel, vying to hit the biggest section to hopefully be the top 2 riders from their heat of four to progress straight to the quarter finals. First round will be eight heats of four, with 16 progressing to quarter finals on day two of competition. This will set day two of the event as one of the most exciting days ever with Human Cronulla Shark Island Challenge winner for 2006 being announced on the headland with a hefty $20,000 AUD first prize cheque on offer, still the most lucrative first prize cheque in the sports history.<\/p>\n
Event Organiser, Mark Fordham – \u0093This years event marks a special page in the sport of Bodyboarding \u0096 an event that started as a local challenge between the underground Cronulla Bodyboard crew and some of Australia\u0092s main stream bodyboarders back in the mid 90\u0092s to being now considered as the most prestigious event on the IBA Men\u0092s World Tour (MWT) calendar, attracting the world\u0092s best riders and portraying the most radical side of bodyboarding to the world stage today.<\/p>\n
Mike Stewart, 1999 Shark Island Challenge champion and an International wildcard for this years event – \u0093In the spectrum of bodyboarding; on one side you have your first wave experience of maybe a thrilling white water run to the beach; on the exact opposite end of this scale is the island event. To survive it is succeeding, to actually perform on it, as the most technical in the world can, is a mind altering activity that has to be seen to be believed.\u0094<\/p>\n
The $40,000 AUD Human Cronulla Shark Island Challenge will gather the world’s best bodyboarders, including current IBA world Champion Ben Player (Australia), 2 x World Champion Damian King (Australia), defending event champion Guilherme Tamega and 6 x World Champion (Brazil), Hawaiian Jeff Hubbard, Australian\u0092s Sean Virtue and Mitch Rawlins who, along with the rest of the International field will now be battling it out for the $20,000 AUD first prize cheque.<\/p>\n
The 35 day waiting period enables the organizers to select the optimum wave and weather conditions at the Australia\u0092s most famous bodyboarding wave \u0096 Shark Island, considered by many as one of the heaviest reef breaks in the world. Shark Island is renowned for its thick end section the infamous Surge, breaking on a shallow sandstone shelf, incrusted with cunje and sharp gouging barnacles that leaves any unlucky competitor that bounces of the reef with a good flogging to remember. Waves reach heights of up to 8 -10 ft, as the wave jacks up on the reef it seems to have a mind of its own. Often defying gravity, the pitching lip or curl of the wave can be up to 4ft thick.<\/p>\n
Its victims are never in control, the island makes all the moves. As the wave wraps and bends down the reef, the face of the wave becomes littered with lumps and steps from the shallows contour of the reef, just inches below the waters surface. It\u0092s only the determination and skill of the competitor that will define a true champion. <\/p>\n
Many a local and competitor will stand by the old saying – Shark Island always has the final say. The question is who will step up for the challenge in 2006?<\/p>\n
Prize Money breakdown >>><\/p>\n
\u0095 1st – $20,000
\n\u0095 2nd – $3,000
\n\u0095 3rd – $2,000
\n\u0095 4th – $1,400
\n\u0095 2 x 5th – $1,000
\n\u0095 2 x 7th – $800
\n\u0095 4 x 9th – $600
\n\u0095 4 x 13th – $500
\n\u0095 8 x 17th – $400
\n\u0095 8 x 25th – $300<\/p>\n
Additional prizes include;-
\nBest Barrel award \u0096 Return Airfare from Australia + a two week boat trip to the Mentawai Islands donated by Surf Travel Co
\nBest Move award \u0096 71 percent water \u0096 Ocean Gallery
\nThe Human Cronulla Shark Island Challenge (July 27th \u00b7 July 31st).
Competitors for The Human Cronulla Shark Island Challenge are as follows
\nTop 16 Competitors
\n1 Ben PLAYER \t– Australia
\n2 Mitch RAWLINS \t– Australia
\n3 Damian KING \t– Australia
\n4 Dave WINCHESTER \t– Australia
\n5 Uri VALADAO \t– Brazil
\n6 Ryan HARDY \t– Australia
\n7 John SHOWELL \t– Australia
\n8 Guilherme TAMEGA \t– Brazil
\n9 Cedric DEFUARE \t– France
\n10 Sean VIRTUE \t– Australia
\n11 Josh KIRKMAN \t– Australia
\n12 Toby PLAYER \t– Australia
\n13 Dave HUBBARD \t– Hawaii
\n14 David PEREZ \t– Spain
\n15 Jeff HUBBARD \t– Hawaii
\n16 Luis VILLAR \t– Brazil<\/p>\n
Local Wildcards<\/p>\n
17 Christian RIGUCCINI \t– Australia
\n18 Dave BALLARD \t– Australia
\n19 Alex LEON \t– Australia
\n20 Ryan Mc KINNON \t– Australia<\/p>\n
Sponsor Wildcards<\/p>\n
21 Doug SHOWELL \t– Australia
\n22 Chris JAMES \t– Australia<\/p>\n
International Wildcards<\/p>\n
23 Yeray MARTINEZ \t– Canary Islands
\n24 Mike STEWART \t– Hawaii
\n25 Sam WELLS \t– New Zealand
\n26 Pierre COSTES \t– France<\/p>\n
Trialist will take places from 27 – 32<\/p>\n
For all your official and up to date information and media releases \u0096 log onto;<\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.cronullasharkislandchallenge.com <\/p>\n
The Human Cronulla Shark Island Challenge
\nIs proudly sponsored by – <\/p>\n
For event information please contact \u0096<\/p>\n
Mark Fordham
\nHuman Cronulla Shark Island Challenge
\nPhone: +61 (0)417 660 323
\nEmail: markjfordham@bigpond.com
\nwww.cronullasharkislandchallenge.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An International Bodyboarding Association (IBA) Men\u0092s World Tour event (MWT) Shark Island, Cronulla \u0096 N.S.W \u0096 Australia Trials \u0096 In memory of Brett Young: 16th \u0096 18th of June Main event: June 27th to July 31st, 2006 (A 35 day waiting period) The Human Cronulla Shark Island Challenge \u0096 10 years in the making \u0096 … Continue reading “The Human Cronulla Shark Island Challenge presented by Rockstar Games”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[24],"class_list":["post-13472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-surfing-news-archive","tag-surfing-news-archive"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saltwater-dreaming.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saltwater-dreaming.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saltwater-dreaming.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saltwater-dreaming.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saltwater-dreaming.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13472"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.saltwater-dreaming.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13472\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17905,"href":"https:\/\/www.saltwater-dreaming.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13472\/revisions\/17905"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saltwater-dreaming.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saltwater-dreaming.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saltwater-dreaming.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}