Windsurfing: Wave Rally World Championships hit the windy shores of the Mid West

Coronation Beach will host the first Wave Rally World Championships this weekend, promising to showcase world-class talent and be a party for all involved.

The inaugural event is set to capture the attention of the windsurfing world and the wider public as it takes to the famous windy shores of the Mid West.

Originally from Sydney, event organiser Paul van Bellen hopes the event and stunning coastline will attract people from all over Australia and the world just as it did for him.

Four years ago, van Bellen made the trip across to the other side of Australia, drawn to the wind of the Mid West, he called Geraldton home.

Discovering the windsurfing community in Geraldton and the seemingly undiscovered conditions that came with the region, the idea of hosting a world championship event in the Mid West was born.

“Geraldton is one of the best places to windsurf, and there’s not a lot going on here,” he said.

“That was sort of the motivation behind the event.”

Starting on Friday, the Wave Rally World Championships at Coronation Beach will feature some of the best talent that the windsurfing community has to offer from all over the world.

The competition will play host to a maximum of 80 participants, making it the biggest windsurfing event in WA this season.

While the event is about the talent on display, van Bellen said the aim of it was for it to be a party for everyone involved.

“The idea is to turn it into an annual event,” he said.

“It’s more of a festival vibe, it’s supposed to be fun, just something that’s helps promote windsurfing, and just give people something positive to look forward to each year.”

The event will play host to a number of international athletes, flocking to Coronation Beach to get a taste of what windsurfing in the Mid West is all about.

The Wave Rally World Championships will run from Friday, January 10 to to Sunday, January 12 at Coronation Beach.