Air brothers claim victory at Kiama Grom Surfer Series event

The brothers have shown considerable improvement throughout the 2018 Grom Surfer series, with Cruz taking out the under eights mixed division and Taj the under 10 boys division at the Cronulla event before Sunday’s double victory in the same divisions in Kiama. 

Both Taj, nine, and Cruz, seven, have been surfing competitively for four years and their mother Jodie credits this year's development to the amount of time they spend in the water.

“They both really love surfing and both work really hard,” Jodie Air said. “Taj especially, this is his first year of actually winning competitions, it’s the first year he’s really progressed and grown up a lot. They’ve always been passionate about surfing and they can’t get enough of it, Taj surfs basically every day.

“They’re both getting a bit better at the whole competition side of the sport, getting more practice with how events are run.

“They’ve also both made friends with the other kids, which keeps them relaxed. Winning is a bonus, the best part is hanging out with friends.”

The brothers were among a host of south coast surfers to shine at the Kiama event, with Culburra’s Keira Buckpitt claiming the 14 girls division ahead of Illawarra surfers Holly Wishart, Oceanna Rodgers and Clara McDonald. Kiama Downs duo Lani Cairncross and Alice Hodgson also medalled in the under 10 girls final.

While the Air brothers are achieving considerable success at the junior level, Jodie views the social aspect of the sport as the biggest positive from their involvement in surfing. 

Naturally, Taz and Cruz are extremely close, with the pair able to share their passion for surfing. But the boys have also made numerous friends with their competitors, something, Jodie feels, that is unique to surfing. 

“There aren’t many sports for kids where they can hang out, then go and surf against each other and go straight back to being best mates.”