Little Andaman, April 10 (NationPress) — Surfers from Tamil Nadu showcased their dominance on the first day of the inaugural Little Andaman Pro 2026, marking the first-ever national surfing and stand-up paddling championship held in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The event kicked off on Friday at the renowned Butler Bay beach.

The Men's Open category saw standout performances from young talents including Kishore Kumar (15.00), Sivaraj Babu (15.17), Srikanth D (13.00), and Ramesh Budhial (13.67), who displayed remarkable skill and control over the waves. In the Women's Open category, competitors Kamali Moorthy (5.94), Shrishti Selvam (9.50), and Sugar Shanti Banarase (9.63) excelled to secure their places in the quarterfinals set for Saturday.

This championship is organized by the Surfing Federation of India and is fully sponsored by Andaman Tourism.

In the Men's Open category, 38 surfers faced off in 10 heats during Round 1. From this, 20 surfers advanced directly to Round 3 by finishing in the top two positions of their heats. The remaining 18 surfers will compete in the repechage (Round 2) on the second day.

Notable surfers who qualified for Round 3 include Akilan S (10.50), Sanjay Selvamani (10.33), Sanjaikumar S (10.16), Logesh S (8.93), Ruban V (7.90), Ajeesh Ali (7.13), Nithish Varun (7.03), Prahlad Sriram (6.70), Harish M (6.66), Sheik Davudh (6.13), Raju Pujar (5.83), Kamesh S (5.73), Hareesh CJ (5.17), Pradeep Pujar (4.50), Selvarasan Nagamuthu (4.07), and Jeevan S (3.96).

The surfers participating in the repechage round include Naveenkumar R (3.34), Raghul Paneerselvam (6.33), Yogesh A (4.54), M Selvam (5.30), Sanku Karthek (4.27), Manikandan M (5.64), Manivannan T (1.96), Rajaguru S (3.64), Arland Thomas (2.80), Sekar Pachai (4.43), Thirunavu Karasan (0.17), Ram Kumar (4.17), Biswajit Bose (2.04), Yash Sinojia (1.80), Tayin Arun (5.83), Harish P (5.63), Som Sethi (3.30), and Praveen Ratod (3.13).

In the Women's Open category, additional surfers advancing to the quarterfinals include Devi Ramanathan (2.93), Sandhya Arun (2.80), Nitisha Sethia (3.46), Riva Aurora (4.16), and Arti S (3.24). Meanwhile, Aparna S (2.14), Garvita Baldua (1.93), Ishita Malaviya (2.10), and Avantika Mishra (3.04) will compete in the repechage round for a chance to enter the knockout stage.

“Today’s conditions were excellent, with steady two to three-foot waves that allowed us to complete an entire day of competition without any interruptions. The format functioned effectively, with non-elimination heats giving all surfers another opportunity through the repechage. Butler Bay's unique reef break provides conditions vastly different from mainland India, offering a remarkable experience for the majority of the surfers competing here,” stated Nawaz Jabbar, Competition Director.

The day also featured action in Stand-Up Paddling (SUP), where 16 paddlers competed across three quarterfinal heats in the Men's Sprint category. The top four paddlers advanced to the semi-finals scheduled for the final day. Sekar Patchai achieved the fastest time of 1:04.70 in the 200m regatta, closely followed by Dinesh Selvamani (1:05.89). Other athletes progressing to the semi-finals are Manikandan M (1:06.30) and Rajesh D (1:06.50).

In the Men's SUP Technical category, two semi-finals took place, with Sekar Patchai once again leading the charge, completing the 2km race in the fastest time of 6:01.15. Following him were Manikandan M (6:05.66), Rajesh D (6:08.02), and Dinesh S (6:14.28), all of whom have advanced to the finals on the last day of this national championship.

This championship signifies the start of India's surfing season, uniting top talent from across the nation and emphasizing the Andaman & Nicobar Islands' emerging reputation as a premier surfing destination in India. With crucial repechage rounds and knockout qualifications imminent, Day 2 promises even more thrilling action at Butler Bay.