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Ryan Callinan has exploited his home advantage as the revised World Surf League's Championship Tour returned to Newcastle for the first time since 1993.
Hometown favourite Ryan Callinan has ensured no awkward silence on the beach, dominating in small conditions as the World Surf League returned to action in Newcastle.
The Australian paired 7.33 and 7.93-point rides in the most impressive round one performance at Merewether Beach on Thursday, oozing confidence on his home break before being swamped by young fans as he returned to shore.
The event, part of a revised Championship Tour calendar, is the first top-level visit to the surf-mad NSW city since 1993.
"I've surfed a lot out there and in conditions like that it's really tricky," Callinan said.
"It feels good when they (the good waves) come to you, but I've had plenty of practice surfs when it's been like this growing up.
"We get really good crowds around the world, but when it's your home crowd there's something special.
"But it can go the other way if you're not doing well and they're not cheering. But today was a special one for me."
Callinan was the standout as the competition began on day one of the window, marking a tour return after more than three months since John John Florence won the season-opening Pipe Masters in December.
Surfers endured a two-week quarantine period on arrival in Australia for the new-look tour schedule after the Sunset Cup in Florence's home of Hawaii, Gold Coast's Snapper Rocks and the the annual Easter Bells Beach Classic were cancelled or rescheduled due to COVID-19.
Florence (14.56) showed no signs of rust winning his high-scoring first-round heat, while 2019 world champion Italo Ferreira caught an incredible 17 waves in 30 minutes as he worked overtime to win his heat.
Australians Mikey Wright, Matt Banting, Jack Robinson, Connor O'Leary, Owen Wright and Julian Wilson finished third in their seeding round heats and will face elimination in the next round.
Wilson led for a bulk of his all-Australian battle before Ethan Ewing and then Wade Carmichael snuck ahead of the Olympics-bound talent on their last waves in a low-scoring heat.
Callinan, Ewing and Carmichael were joined by countrymen Jackson Baker, Jack Freestone and Morgan Cibilic in the round of 32, with the forecast suggesting bigger swell as competition continues.
