DURBAN’S Slade Prestwich reached the quarterfinals of the Martinique Surf Pro in the Caribbean on Sunday before he was eliminated in equal fifth place overall in the World Surf League QS 3,000 rated event.
Starting in the round of 128, Prestwich advanced through five heats before narrowly losing out to Luke Hynd (Australia) by 0.14 of a point in his first man-on-man heat. Tied on two-wave totals of 13.30 at the end of the heat, the result was determined by a count-back to each surfer’s best ride, with the Australian advancing to the semifinals by 6.97 to 6.83.
Prestwich’s haul of US $2 500 (about R37 500) and 1 260 points saw him jump 102 places up the QS rankings to No. 68 – the first time he has featured in the prestigious Top 100 since February 2014.
The event was won by Frederico Morais who defeated Gony Zubizarreta in excellent 1.0 to 1.5 metre peelers in the final.
