The buzz of catching a wave never gets old for John Gisby.
Mr Gisby, 70, of Gisborne, was the first winner of the inaugural over-70s division at the 2024 National Surfing Championship at St Clair Beach, in Dunedin, yesterday.
He was competing against Ben Hutchings and Ross Moodie, also from Gisborne, and Clive Barron, of Piha.
"I’ve had my best contests here so this is special to me ...
"I’ve never lost at St Clair yet."
Mr Gisby, who had been surfing since he was 12, has attended 40 NZ National Surfing championships.
"I reckon, if you’re bummed out with something on land, you go out on the water and it’s forgotten."
Ben Hutchings, 78, who had been surfing for 65 years, was runner-up.
"I’ve had a new shoulder. A new hip and a knee may be coming, but if we can stand up then we’ll do it.
"We’re competitive and we like to do really well, but in the end it’s just about being down here together."
"It comes out of demand from the guys.
"They always come to us like ‘we wanna older division'.
"Some of them are ex-national champions, some have 34 titles.
"They have some great stories."
This year marked the ninth time Dunedin had hosted the event since it began in 1963.
"This [event] brings everyone together — that's what makes it special.
