DANIEL Collins is widely regarded as one of the country’s best surf swimmers but now there’s one statistic that makes that a fact.
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The 19-year-old Redhead Surf Life Saving Club competitor moved into outright first on the national Summer of Surf rankings after taking out Round 3 at Alexandra Headland on Sunday.
Collins was at the front from the start - but on the way out to the turning cans he was content to let former world champion, Northcliffe’s Dev Lahey, set the pace.
He made his on the way back to shore, so effectively that he managed to bodysurf his own wave back to the beach to take the win - a rarity in the sport.
Northcliffe’s Nikolas Green came through for second, while Lahey held onto third.
Collins also featured on the podium again in the Run-Swim-Run, this time finishing second behind Newport’s Ollie Signorini.
While Collins was the Hunter’s only competitor who made the trip, his results proved valuable for his surf club.
Redhead now sits 11th on the Champion Club pointscore, with Cooks Hill in 19th, Swansea Belmont in 21st and Caves Beach in 26th.
The series now heads south to Thirroul for Round 4 on December 5.