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Ex-Oak Bay High student wins surf competition

An Oak Bay High grad, Hanna Scott, cleaned up at the Queen of the Peak surf contest last weekend.
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Oak Bay High grad Hanna Scott

Hanna Scott, 20, won first place in both the shortboard and longboard surfing competitions, taking away $1,500 cash and a new longboard worth $1,000.

“It’s fairly unbelievable that one of our girls won both competitions,” said contest organizer Krissy Montgomery, owner of Surf Sister where Scott works as a surfing instructor.

In its second year, Queen of the Peak attracted 80 female surfers to the two-day event on Oct. 15 and 16 – with the shortboard contest the first day and longboard the next. Last year Scott finished fourth in the shortboard event, and didn’t compete in longboard.

“She’s been working really hard over the past year,” said Montgomery. “She’s so keen. She’s the first one in the water every day.”

Scott’s father, Ian Scott, made the trip from Oak Bay with his wife to watch their daughter compete.

“It’s nerve wracking seeing her out there,” he said. “It’s luck of the draw what she’s going to get as far as waves.”

Judges rank surfers based on their two best rides, so the more waves they catch, the better their chances.

Ian said the wins will help his daughter on her way to becoming a professional surfer.

She’s already secured some big-name sponsors. She couldn’t be reached for comment on the day following the competition because she was out on a remote photo shoot for Roxy clothing.

“We’re very proud of her,” her dad said. “She was a multi-sport athlete growing up, but has really settled into surfing as what she wants to do.”

Scott learned to surf on a family vacation to Hawaii when she was 10. After graduating from Oak Bay High in 2008, she moved to Tofino to focus on the sport.

editor@oakbaynews.com