Taj and Bodhi Simon have swept the Surfest Indigenous Classic field, taking out the open men's and open women's divisions of the 2024 event.
Held at Newcastle's Mereweather beach, the Indigenous brother-sister duo were two of five Simon family entrants in the two-day competition.
Their father Mark also took to the water, along with siblings Summer and Malia in a competition which saw 40 entries across men's, women's, junior men, junior women and masters divisions.
Competing in a field of 17 athletes, Taj finished the open men's competition ranked first with a score of 13.85, winning the final by 0.6 ahead of Finn Hill.
Bodhi joined her brother on the winners podium after comfortably wining the women's final with a score of 7.40, finishing 2.6 points ahead of Kauri Heuston-Connor.
She said she took up surfing after watching her siblings when she was younger.
"Growing up I was always watching Summer and Taj, so I just wanted to be like them, so that's what got me into it," she said, via ABC.
11-year-old Malia Simon finished third behind her sister in the junior women's division with a score of 3.00, with Bodhi (6.55) coming second to Kauri Heuston-Connor, who won the division by a comfortable margin after scoring 11.75.
"It's just a fun sport and you feel happy when you're in the water," Malia told ABC.
Omar Moltzen (12.35) won the junior men's division ahead of Reko Moltzen (7.40) with Jay McKenzie (9.25) winning the masters division.
Held for the past 26 years, the Surfest Indigenous Classic is regarded one of the most highly regarded Indigenous surfing meets in Australia.
12-time surf champion at the Indigenous Classic, Russ Molony, said it was important the event involved the wider community when spreading awareness about Aboriginal culture and knowledge.
"My advice to fellow Aboriginal surfers is to give Surfest a go, have fun, connect with your mobs and enjoy our connection to the ocean," he said.
"The Indigenous comps are always a good reminder to gather, connect, share stories, surf, listen and inspire each other and I encourage everyone to get involved."
New South Wales Minister Minister for Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty, said the event provides Indigenous surfers worldwide exposure.
"As the largest surfing festival in the southern hemisphere and broadcast internationally, Surfest is a fantastic opportunity for our Aboriginal surfers and businesses to boost their profile and showcase their unique talent on the world stage," Ms Moriarty said.
New South Wales Minister for the Hunter, Yasmin Catley said surfing is part of the story in the Hunter region and Surfest is huge reason why.
"The Indigenous Classic has come a long way in 26 years. It started as The Kooris V The Cops and today it's among the premier Indigenous sports competitions in Australia," Ms Catley said.
"This is the beach, at Merewether, that Mark Richards made famous with his four world titles.
"To celebrate First Nations surfers like this is a fantastic part of Surfest."
