A surfing competition at Logans Beach honouring well-known and much-loved former Warrnambool surfer Norm Cooper has been given the go-ahead for Sunday, according to event organiser Baz Law.
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The event, run by the Warrnambool Boardriders Club, hasn't been held since 2015, making for a welcome return to the surfing calendar.
It was originally designed to commemorate the legendary Indigenous surfer who died in Byron Bay in 1988 and has been on a rolling stand-by since early April as Law and his team wait for the ideal swell to bob up.
This would include a four to six-foot swell with an offshore north or north-westerly wind that could serve up clean faces and barrels for competitors.
"We've gone into a yellow alert waiting period meaning it's looking pretty good for this weekend," Law said.
"But it can be very difficult to name a date and expect the surf to comply. So we're at the mercy of mother nature."
Seventeen surfers from Warrnambool and one from Port Fairy have been confirmed for the event and will duke it out in a series heats, semi-finals and then a final for bragging rights, a brand new handmade wooden surfboard and a collection of other prizes.
"Logans Beach can be very heavy," Law said.
"It's got that Hawaiian-type power and has probably snapped more boards than anywhere I know.
"But it feels fantastic to remember Norm. It's brought up lots of old stories about him. He's still warmly remembered by the surfing community, because back in his day everyone looked up to him."
The Norm Cooper Memorial surfing competition is scheduled to kick off at 8am on Sunday with several surf jet skis on hand to ferry surfers back and forth and complete a water rescue if needed.
It will be opened by the Traditional Owners of the land with a ceremony.
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