Sumner’s Single Fin Mingle returns for salty seals and landlubbers alike

A popular Christchurch surf festival is going from strength to strength in its ninth year.

More than 1,000 people are expected to attend a street party for the Single Fin Mingle in Sumner on Saturday night, the centerpiece of three days of surfing competitions, art exhibitions, films and other events.

This year’s field of about 85 is made up of about half international participants, including surfers from Australia, the United States, Brazil, Japan and Finland.

Festival founder and director Ambrose McNeill said the crowd would be the largest yet, with hundreds in Sumner on Friday, with many more expected over the weekend.

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McNeill and sister Mahalia lead the organization behind the festival, with the help of around 40 volunteers, a growing number of sponsors and enthusiastic local support.

“So many people in the community lend a hand in special ways. Honestly, I think it would be impossible to do something like that without that support network,” he said.

In addition to the $7,000 prize pool, the top-ranked New Zealand surfers would be invited to “quite a prestigious competition” in Mexico.

While shortboards dominate world titles and much surfing media, the Single Fin Mingle revolves around longboards – surfboards over 2.74 m long, with one fin – modern boards based on the traditional style of the 1960s.

McNeill said the rolling waves at Sumner suited a larger board, making for a strong local longboard community.

Longboards were “all about the style and flow,” he said. “It’s really easy for non-surfers to appreciate because there’s a real kind of dance involved. It is quite an achievement to see the surfers running up and down the boards on the waves.”

But the festival, which McNeill said gained momentum every year, wasn’t just for surfers.

“We have a saying: ‘Whether you’re the saltiest seal or you’ve never seen the sea, the mix has something for you.'”

McNeill, who now lives in Australia, said the different approach to surfing as a sport was grim when he came home to Aotearoa.

“It really is a legitimate sport there, comparable to rugby league.

“People would be surprised to know how globally recognized surfing is. Many of the videos we’ll release may be seen by nearly a million people around the world, but the people of Christchurch would have no idea the festival is going on.”