The 3rd annual Reef/Sweetwater Pro-Am Surf Fest wraps up in Wrightsville Beach, NC this weekend after handing out the event’s largest prize purse to date. With 128 competitors and a $30,000 purse, the Reef/Sweetwater is the second largest pro-am contest on the east coast.

Waist-high waves came in unusually consistent for the Atlantic in summer, making for a fun two days of surf, July 14-15. The final heat paired up Reef team riders Ben Bourgeios and Rob Machado with Tim Curran and Asher Nolan. In the end, Jacksonville, FL native Asher Nolan grabbed first place and $7500.

Ben Bourgeois came back to Wrightsville Beach to claim second place in front of a fired up hometown crowd. “There was a big turnout. Lots of people flew in from the west coast giving the whole town a high energy vibe,” says Bourgeois. “Getting little, fun waves in the middle of summer is great, everyone was pumped!”

Asher had two solid waves early in the heat with multiple, fluidly linked, fast top turns. Ben had one great wave and needed one more to take over the lead, but the bigger and better sets stopped rolling in with about 8 minutes left in the heat leaving Asher on top.

“The Reef/Sweetwater Pro-Am Surf Fest is unique because it is the only pro event in the mid-Atlantic right now,” explains Jeremy Saukel, Reef Domestic Team Manager. “The larger purse gives east coast riders a chance to make some money in their own backyard.”

In addition to the pro division, the event featured categories for over 15, 14 and under guys, girls, longboarders and even a Guppy division for future ASP competitors.

The Reef/Sweetwater Pro-Am is made possible with generous support from Reef, Sweetwater Surf Shop, Wblivesurf.com, Hummer of Wilmington, Red Bull, Eastern Surf and Skate Supply, Spy Optics, DaKine, JS Surfboards, Red Bull, Tower 7, King Neptune, Café Del Mar, Wilmington Power Sports, Stuart Franck Realty, Sunbelt Rentals, Sage Island, Board Retailers Association, Red Dogs, AvAlive, Futures Fins, A and M Screenprinting, WB Surf Camp and Nixon.


Pro Division Results:
1st Asher Nolan-$7500
2nd Ben Bourgeois-$5000
3rd Tim Curran-$3000
4th Rob Machado-$2000
=5th $1000
Alek Parker
Aaron Cormican