Finn Vette in eye-catching form

Gisborne teen surfer Finn Vette was in top form at the final event of the Billabong Grom Series. He finished third in the under-16 division. Pictures by PhotoCPL

Although he placed third in the final of the under-16 division, he held the highest single wave score of the final — 7.5 out of 10 — but could not find a second scoring ride.

Surfing New Zealand’s Ben Kennings, who provides surfing reports to newspapers around the country, said Vette was in “exceptional form” at the weekend.

Before the event, Kennings said Vette had been the form surfer of the division this summer and could sneak up and grab the series win with a big performance over the weekend.

Vette won the u16 boys’ final at the national surfing championships in Dunedin last month, when the four finalists were the same as those who took part in Sunday’s final.

At the national champs, Raglan surfers Kora Cooper, Jayden Willoughby and Navryn Malone were second, third and fourth respectively.

On Sunday, Willoughby made it three wins out of three in the grom series, Cooper was second in the event and the series, and Vette and Malone were third and fourth respectively on Sunday and in the series standings.