Gisborne Black Fins dig deep but Aussies triumph in International Surf Rescue Challenge

New Zealand team captain Cory Taylor dug deep for his country throughout the three-test International Surf Rescue Challenge won by Australia, with the Kiwis second. Photo / Jamie Troughton-Dscribe Media

Gisborne athletes gave their all for the New Zealand Black Fins, but Australia narrowly won the 2025 International Surf Rescue Challenge at Mount Maunganui on Sunday.

The third and final day of the event was packed with excitement on the beach and in the surf before the Aussies were crowned overall champions among the 11 competing nations.

The Australians amassed 550 points across the three tests, with New Zealand second on 524 and South Africa third with 421.

Surf conditions moderated considerably after dramatic scenes in tests 1 and 2 on Thursday and Friday.

The swell dropped a lot for the final test and there were a lot of close finishes. Here, athletes head for shore on the same wave in a ski race. Photo / Jamie Troughton - Dscribe Media

New Zealand’s head coach Kevin Morrison said he was extremely proud of his team.

“They gave it everything they had, even when faced with some challenges on the final day.

“As well as being so proud of our team, it’s so great to see lifesaving sport levelling up globally.

“Conditions on the first two days were the most challenging I’ve ever seen for a competition like this, and it was tough going, but everyone stayed competitive.”

Black Fins team captain Cory Taylor (a member of Gisborne’s Dawson Building Midway club and the Northcliff club in Queensland) led from the front with another strong swim in the open men’s surf race on Sunday to place second.

He also featured again for his country on the ski with a fourth placing, was a member of the surf team who were second and was also second in the rescue tube race.

Former Kaiaponi Farms Waikanae man Oska Smith (now with Bay of Plenty club Ōmanu) won the open men’s beach sprint again on Sunday. He was also third in the beach flags and was in the beach relay team who placed third.

Olivia Corrin, also a dual member of Midway and Northcliff, was second in the open women’s board rescue, was part of the beach relay team who were second and was fifth in the board.

The NZ Black Fins were dealt a blow by the injury loss of world champion beach exponent Briana Irving (Waikanae) on Day 1.

The Junior Black Fins athletes from Gisborne performed well on the final day of the event.

NZ junior team captain Ella Sutton (Midway) was second in the ski and the board, and third in the ocean (iron) race.

She was also in the second-placed beach relay team.

Jacqueline Kennedy (Midway) was third in the junior ski, second in the ski relay, was part of the second-placed Junior rescue tube team and was also in the successful beach relay team.

The Junior Black Fins team were second to Australia, who won the youth division comfortably, with South Africa third.

Morrison said the younger athletes were “outstanding” in challenging conditions.

“Our (NZ) junior and pathways teams were doing the damage all over the beach and the ocean.”

Gisborne also featured in the Mount Monster endurance race run on Saturday in between the second and third test days of the ISRC.

The gruelling long-distance race along the Mount coastline featured a 10km ski paddle, 5km beach run, 1.5km swim, 5km board paddle and short sprint to the finish line.

Midway’s Yahni Brown was third overall and second in the Under-19 men’s division in 2hr 20min 15sec.

The race, which attracted the strongest field in its history, was won for the fifth year running by Mount Maunganui’s Jayden Murphy (2:17:03) from Mairangi Bay club member Ethan Storey (2:19:20).

Kate McHardy, of Lyall Bay, won the women’s title for the third year running in 2:28:57.