Sunday, 1 June 2025 – Pakarang Beach, Phang Nga, Thailand: The second annual Tipi Jabrik’s Grom Patrol Thailand finished up yesterday by celebrating and awarding the champions and finalists with trophies, products, and cash to conclude an amazing two day event that was blessed with great weather and wave conditions; a perfect platform for challenging the junior surfers, and also providing fun and entertainment for them, their families and friends, and spectators that came to enjoy the weekend festival
The competition was fierce in all categories, from the Under 12’s up to the Under 18’s boys and girls, but the coveted top prize on offer were the six VIP entries into the Grom Patrol Grand Final, which will be held in Bali this coming August. The winners of the Under 18 Longboard (male and female), the Under 18 and Under 16 Shortboard (male and female) have locked in their places with their wins here at Khao Lak.
Winning both the Under 18 Longboard and the Under 18 Shortboard (female) for the second consecutive year was Isabel Faye Higgs, who has been representing Thailand on the world’s surfing stage for several years now.
“I’m super excited to take these wins today, and also want to say I’m just so happy to be here at this amazing competition with everyone here, especially my family and friends,” said Higgs. “The weather and wave conditions were so good, so to win and get a slot in the Bali final, it’s just the best feeling ever. But now I need to go home and train, get my equipment ready, and focus on how to win in Bali…but also have some fun!”
Another two division winner was Ramil Arromchuen, who took the top spot on the podium in the Under 18 Longboards (male) and the Under 16 Shortboards. “I’m so happy to win both short board and longboard divisions today. I have been training hard, and happy to be able achieve that result,” said Arromcheun. “The conditions were challenging at times, especially for the longboards, but I found enough waves to score and get the wins. I can’t wait to go to Bali and compete in the Grom Patrol Final.”
Arromchuen has been to Bali previously, most recently in 2024 to compete in the Rip Curl Grom Search International Final and is one of Thailand’s best up and coming junior surfers.
Natthakron Sae-Iew earned his ticket to Bali with a win in the Under 18 Shortboard (male), and also was the runner up in the Under 18 Longboard (male). As his last year competing as a junior, he was very happy to be on the top spot of the podium and headed to Bali for the final.
“I’m really excited to go back to Bali again, so happy to win today, that I can compete in the Grom Patrol Final,” said Sae-Iew. “I won here last year even though the conditions were small, but this year it was much bigger and better so I enjoyed it even more. To win is always exciting, and I’m so happy that Grom Patrol has come again to Thailand.”
Sae-Iew has already been to Bali several times, and has also competed in previous Grom Patrol events, the first of which was the impetus for Event Organizer Taweeroj “Tah” Eawpanich to bring a Grom Patrol event to Thailand.
“We’ve come a long way since we started here about 8 years ago, and I’m so proud of the way our surfing as well as our surf culture has really progressed,” said Eawpanich. “Once time when I went to Bali with Natthakron (Sae-Iew), he joined a Grom Patrol there, and I saw it was so great and something I dreamed to bring to Khao Lak. Now this is the second year we’ve done it, and I’m so thankful for all the support we’ve had to make it happen. I hope we get more and more support and can keep doing this for a long time. This is for all the groms here in Thailand, and I’m so excited when I see how much improvement they are making. Thanks again to all who made this such a great event!”
ASC representative Tim Hain congratulated Eawpanich and his team, as well as the winners, participants, and supporters, saying “This was one of the most complete and professionally run events I’ve ever been to…there was something here for everybody. So much great food, live and DJ entertainment, great waves and weather, and a big crew of groms, their families, and supporters enjoying this amazing weekend in Khao Lak. The community here is very welcoming and the level of surfing from the Thai groms was impressive. Massive thanks to the government and all the sponsors that made this event possible, as well as the groms and their families for their participation. I can’t wait to see the winners in Bali in August, and of course to be back here again next year!”.
Tipi Jabrik’s Grom Patrol Thailand was broadcast live on Facebook at Khaolaksurftown, and you can see all the results, scores and the event schedule on Liveheats at https://liveheats.com/events/371165
Tipi Jabrik’s Grom Patrol Thailand is sponsored by the Phang Nga Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Rip Curl, Matalay, Haddthip, and organized by the Phang Nga Surfing Club, with sanctioning by the Asian Surf Cooperative with scoring and rankings by Liveheats.
Competition Details
Grom Patrol Thailand 2025 featured Shortboard divisions for Boys and Girls Under 12, Under 14, Under 16, and Under 18, as well as an Under 18 Longboard division. Competitors received THB 200,000 in cash prizes, as well as exclusive sponsor gifts and surf merchandise.
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• Tim Hain
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📞 +34 608 48 20 50
About Grom Patrol and the Asian Surf Cooperative (ASC)
Founded in 2019 by Tipi Jabrik and the Asian Surf Cooperative, Grom Patrol has become Asia’s leading youth surf training camp and competition series. Originally launched in Bali, Grom Patrol provides a positive, competitive environment for young surfers to hone their skills, build friendships, and embrace the surfing lifestyle.
The Asian Surf Cooperative (ASC) is dedicated to developing surfing across Asia by organizing competitions, training athletes, educating surf communities, and promoting sustainable surf tourism. Through programs like Grom Patrol, the ASC continues to shape the future of surfing across the region.
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