Angourie surfer Chris Zaffis has followed up his ninth place at the Flight Centre Burleigh Pro with a fifth place at the Mothernest Tweed Coast Pro held at Cabarita Beach over the weekend. On the penultimate day of the competition, Zaffis locked in an 8.50 for a combination of solid snaps and carves as he claimed an easy heat win and the chance to surf on finals’ day in the World Surf League qualifying series (QS1, 1,000) competition. “I was nervous about how good it was, my legs were shaking because I didn’t want to blow any waves,” Zaffis said after the heat win. “It’s so glassy it was hard to make out the contours of the wave, it’s a pretty good problem to have. “It’s a beach break, but it feels like a point; I was getting four or five turns on every wave. “I’m so stoked to make it to finals day and I hope conditions are like this again tomorrow.” This week Zaffis surfs in Vissla Great Lakes Pro (February 7–11).