JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – One of the world’s biggest women’s surf competitions is drawing crowds to Jacksonville Beach this weekend for the three-day Super Girl Surf Pro competition and festival.
Day 2 of the surf competition kicked off at 9 a.m. Saturday, and the heats will feature some of the biggest names in women’s surfing, including Olympic gold medalist Carissa Moore, reality star Tia Blanco and local Olympian Caroline Marks.
Jacksonville resident Moraya Prince has been surfing since she was 4 years old and was excited to watch Marks compete in person on Saturday.
“Caroline’s been my idol for a while,” Prince said.
Prince brought a surfboard with her as she cheered on the surfer, but it’s not a regular board, it once belonged Marks, who came out on top in her first surf event on Saturday.
“It was fun. The waves are pretty small, but it should get better throughout the day,” Marks said.
She signed Prince’s board: “Dream Big.”
The event is a first for the Jacksonville area and a chance to celebrate women.
The platform has grown into a series of festivals centered around providing social, athletic, cultural, educational, business, and entertainment opportunities for young women in areas where they are traditionally underrepresented.
There are also concerts, DJs, beach soccer, beach volleyball, fitness, yoga, dance, fashion, and more.
Saturday’s competition rounds run until 4 p.m. The Festival Village is open from 12 p.m. until 10 p.m. with a beer garden, gaming lounge, free classes and speakers, a women’s skateboarding competition and six concerts -- headlined by The Expendables at 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, the Festival Village is open from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. with another six concerts, including Hoobastank at 5:20 p.m. and the Plain White T’s at 6:45 p.m.
Sunday’s competition rounds kick off at 9 a.m., with longboarding finals at 12 p.m. and surfing finals at 12:35 p.m.
For more information, visit www.supergirljax.com.