This is the first time pristine waters of Andaman and Nicobar is witnessing an international-level competition when the inaugural edition of the Little Andaman Pro 2026 kicked off on Friday. The event witnessed the participation of around 86 surfers, including international competitors, competing across multiple categories such as Men’s Open Surfing Shortboard, Women’s Open Surfing Shortboard, Men’s Open Stand-Up Paddleboard (SUP), and Women’s Open Stand-Up Paddleboard (SUP).
As expected, Tamil Nadu surfers dominated on the opening day of the inaugural surfing and stand-up paddling championship at the iconic Butler Bay beach. The event, organized by the Surfing Federation of India and sponsored by Andaman Tourism saw teenage sensation Kishore Kumar (15.00), Sivaraj Babu (15.17), Srikanth D (13.00), and Ramesh Budhial (13.67) enthrall the crowd in surfing Men’s Open category. In the surfing Women’s Open category, Kamali Moorthy (5.94), Shrishti Selvam (9.50), and Sugar Shanti Banarase (9.63) delivered strong performances to secure their spots in the quarterfinals scheduled for Saturday.
In the surfing Men’s Open category, a total of 38 surfers competed across 10 heats in Round 1. Out of these, 20 surfers advanced directly to Round 3 by finishing in the top two, while the remaining 18 surfers will compete in the repechage (Round 2) on Day 2. Among the other top performers who qualified for Round 3 are 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 who will compete 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 surfing Women’s Open category, additional surfers who advanced 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 to secure their places in the knockout stage.
“The conditions were good today, with consistent two to three-foot waves allowing us to complete a full day of competition without interruptions. The format worked well, with non-elimination heats ensuring all surfers get another chance through the repechage. Butler Bay, being a reef break, offers conditions very different from mainland India, making it a unique and valuable experience for most of the surfers competing here”, said Mr. Nawaz Jabbar, Competition Director.
The day also witnessed action in Stand-Up Paddling (SUP), where 16 stand-up paddlers competed across three quarterfinal heats in the Men’s Sprint category. Out of these, top 4 advanced to the semifinals, which are scheduled for the last day. Sekar Patchai clocked the fastest time of 1:04.70 in the 200m regatta, followed closely by Dinesh Selvamani (1:05.89). The other athletes progressing to the semifinals include Manikandan M (1:06.30) and Rajesh D (1:06.50).
In the Men’s SUP Technical category, two semi-finals were held, with Sekar Patchai once again leading the field, finishing the 2km race with the fastest time of 6:01.15. He was followed by Manikandan M (6:05.66), Rajesh D (6:08.02), and Dinesh S (6:14.28), all of whom have advanced to the finals scheduled for the last day of the national championship.