10月28日（水）、静岡県・御前崎ロングビーチで｢whitebuffalo OMAEZAKI PRO 2026｣が開幕した。大会初日は男子QS2000のラウンドオブ80､ラウンドオブ64を実施。その後､男子プロジュニアのラウンドオブ56へと競技が進んだ。
天候は晴れ。前日からの西風が吹き続け､波はセットで腹程度のサイズとなった。風の影響に加え､潮位によって波の崩れ方が変化する､難しいコンディションでの戦いとなった。潮が引いた時間帯は､沖側のアウトサイドで崩れた波が途中で力を失い､ライディングを続けにくい状況が見られた。技を仕掛けられる斜面も限られ､選手たちには慎重な波選びが求められた。
一方､潮が満ちてくると､岸寄りのインサイドで技を入れられる場面が増加。潮位が低い時間帯に比べて得点を伸ばしやすく､インサイドの波を捉えたライディングが高得点につながった。
ここまでの競技で､この日のシングルハイエストスコアを記録したのは西野龍成。残り1分を切ったところで形良い波をつかみ､ノートリムで３発リップアクションをメイクし7.17pt をマーク。1 本の波に対する採点で､この日最も高い得点をマークした。
また､プロジュニアでは地元御前崎市から高校生サーファー渡辺エイルがエントリー。過去の4回大会は裏方として大会を支えてきた彼が､大会を手伝っていく中でプロサーファーに憧れ､自身も大会に興味が湧き今回初エントリー。まさに今回の大会テーマでもある『波がつなぐ､未来をつくる』ではないだろうか？まだまだ荒削りではあるが､今後も彼の成長を見守っていきたい。
明日10月29日（木）、大会2日目のファーストコールは午前6時30分。オールクラススタンバイとなる。
whitebuffalo OMAEZAKI PRO 2026 - Day 1 Report
The whitebuffalo OMAEZAKI PRO 2026 kicked off on Wednesday, October 28, at Omaezaki Long Beach in Shizuoka, Japan. On the opening day, the men's QS2000 competition got underway with the Round of 80 and Round of 64, followed by the Round of 56 in the Men's Pro Junior division.
The weather was sunny, but the west wind that started blowing the day before continued throughout the day. Waves were around stomach-high on sets, making for challenging conditions. The way the waves broke changed with the tide, adding another challenge for the surfers. During low tide, waves breaking on the outside often lost their power before reaching the inside, making it difficult to maintain a ride. With only a few sections offering opportunities for maneuvers, choosing the right waves was key. As the tide came in, however, more opportunities to perform maneuvers appeared on the inside, closer to shore. Compared to low tide, it became easier for surfers to score points, and those who found the right inside sections were able to put up higher scores.
So far, Ryusei Nishino has recorded the highest single-wave score of the day.
With less than a minute remaining, he caught a clean-looking wave and landed three solid lip maneuvers without trimming, earning 7.17 points. It was the highest score awarded for a single wave on the opening day.
In the Pro Junior division, high school surfer Eiru Watanabe from the local city of Omaezaki also entered the competition. During the previous four editions of the event, he had supported the contest behind the scenes. While helping out, he became inspired by the professional surfers and developed an interest in competing himself. This year, he finally made his debut as a competitor. His story feels like a perfect example of this year's event theme: “Waves Connect Us, Creating the Future.” He still has plenty of room to grow, but we look forward to following his progress in the years ahead.
The first call for Day 2 is scheduled for 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 29, with all divisions on standby.
