Henry-Micale, Simon sweep National Indigenous Surfing Titles at Bells Beach

Little did they know that they would be facing off in both the junior and opens finals.

Simon was able to claim bragging rights in the boys final, but Henry-Micale eventually finished the weekend on top, taking out the open mens final.

To make the boys achievements even more remarkable, Simon is just 14 and Henry-Micale 17. 

Henry-Micale’s dad Peter Micale said the open finals berth came as a surprise for both boys, but they took the opportunity with open arms.

“They had solid waves on the Friday and Saturday, but on the Sunday the swell dropped off a bit,” Micale said. “But they both surfed quite well in the conditions, they managed to handle the pressure and catch the right waves.

“Taj won the junior final and Rohnin was able to turn the tables in the final. They both beat two top quality surfers in the semis. Taj beat last year’s winner Otis Carey and Rohnin beat Russ Molony.

“We shared a house together down at Bells. It was a pretty good environment, they’ve surfed together a number of times at events and down the south coast. They have a friendly rivalry.”

Taj’s sister Summer, 16, made the weekend an Illawarra sweep, claiming the junior final and opens final for the fourth-straight year.

While Taj and Summer have been surfing since they were youngsters, Henry-Micale was a relative late comer to the sport, only making the switch from bodyboarding to surfing at the age of 13. His development since then, has surprised many.

“He just has a natural ability,” Micale said. “He’s more of a power surfer, as he’s getting more confident he’s willing to catch bigger and stronger waves. He’s been able to do man turns from a very young age.

“He’s coached by Nick Squiers from Illawarra Surf Academy who has helped with his progress, as has Dylan Perese at DP Surfboards.”