SOUTH Coast surfing star Nick Squiers is confident his victory in Saturday's DP Battle Royale will act as the springboard for a successful trip to Hawaii next month.
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Squiers outlasted a number of the South Coast's top boardriders to claim the Battle Royale in it's return following a one-year hiatus.
The win saw the 36-year-old outlast Gerroa's Dean Bowen in a one-on-one final, with Skye Burgess taking out the women's event.
"It was a pretty tough competition on the weekend," Squiers said.
"Turning up in the morning, I definitely wanted to win.
"I felt good all day, so to finish the day with a win I was really happy. It couldn't have come at a better time, getting ready for the Triple Crown in Hawaii."
The victory comes at the back end of a busy year for Squiers, with the veteran travelling the world to compete on the World Surf League Qualifying Series.
Squiers has two QS events remaining for the year, with the veteran set to contest the Hawaiian Pro and Vans World Cup in November and early December.
While he has experienced mixed results throughout the year, Squiers is hopeful he'll be able to finish the series on a high.
"I've travelled a lot this year, I've had a bunch of good heats, but the end results have been a little disappointing in the majority of competitions.
"The thing with surfing is it's an even playing field, there's a lot of luck involved.
"I haven't got a lot of experience over there, but I know if I surf my best, I'm definitely in the mix with winning some heats."
Earlier in the day, Culburra Beach's Keira Buckpitt (9.44 two-wave score) finished fourth in the open women's section, behind Skye Burgess (15.30), Darci Air (11.90) and Kasey Hargreaves (11.20).