Darwin youth surfers chase finals glory at Mindil Beach this weekend

Darwin’s best young surfers will paddle out at Mindil Beach on Saturday for the NT Surfing Championships finals, a season-ending event that pits more than 120 junior competitors against each other in what organisers call the biggest youth surf day on the Territory calendar.

The event, run by Surfing NT, crowns champions across under-12, under-14, under-16 and under-18 divisions for both boys and girls. It marks the culmination of a six-month competition season that began in late January with heats held at Casuarina Beach and Nightcliff.

Saturday’s finals carry extra weight this year. Surfing NT officials say that, for the first time, the under-18 winners will earn direct entry into the Australian Junior Surfing Titles-a pathway that was not available to Darwin youth surfers before 2025.

Local talent on the rise

Among the competitors to watch is 15-year-old Mia Chen from Rapid Creek, who won the under-16 girls division at the Casuarina leg in March and is favoured to claim the season title. Her rival, 14-year-old Zoe Turner from Fannie Bay, finished second at Nightcliff in April and has been training at the Darwin Surf Park in Berrimah.

The boys’ under-18 field includes Jack Morrison, 17, of Parap, who leads the season standings after winning three of five qualifying heats. Morrison, who started surfing at Mindil Beach at age eight, told The Daily Darwin earlier this year that he hopes to represent the Territory at the national titles in Queensland.