Hosts Mount Maunganui took an early lead on an emotionally-charged first day of the Eastern Regional surf lifesaving championships.

The carnival started with a tribute to Mount club member Hamish Rieger, who died a week earlier after being washed off rocks, with many of the 1000-strong athletes donning black armbands in his honour.

Action from the Eastern Regional surf lifesaving champs. Photo: Jamie Nilsson.

With an easing 1m swell, it was a far cry from the heavy tropical cyclone-infused conditions that had dominated the buildup to the championships, with Mount responding best and collecting 64 points on the first day, 31 points ahead of Waikanae, with Orewa third on 26. They won four of the six surf teams races and finished second in the open men's, behind Mairangi Bay.

Max Beattie (Omanu) showed his class in the surf race, heading home Adam Simpson (Mount) and former New Zealand representative Michael Buck (Mairangi Bay), while another Mairangi Bay athlete, Jake Hurley, took home the under-19 and open beach sprint double, then joined with Dan Peacock, Kevin Morrison and Sam Paterson to win the beach relay.

Otago swimmer Carina Doyle (St Clair) won the open women's surf race, with Jess Miller second; Miller linked with Mount teammates Katie Wilson, Johanna O'Connor and former French Olympic swimmer Magali Rousseau to win the surf teams race.

Another former Olympian, Steve Ferguson, paired with Ben Gillies to win the board rescue for Piha, while Devon Halligan and Ashley Cochrane dominated the women's board rescue for Omanu.

In the surf boats, Red Beach took out the open men's and open women's short course final, with Waimarama (men) and Red Beach (women) winning the long course canoe finals.

Results from the first day of the Eastern Regional surf lifesaving championships in Mount Maunganui on January 30, 2016:

Men:

Open: Surf race: Max Beattie (Omanu) 1, Adam Simpson (Mt Maunganui) 2, Michael Buck (Mairangi Bay) 3. Surf teams: Mairangi Bay (George Hunter/Michael Buck/Bjorn Battaerd/Henry Wiseman) 1, Mt Maunganui (Adam Simpson/Perry Farrell/Oliver Puddick/Julien Lalanne) 2, Piha (Steven Ferguson/Ben Gillies/Sean Newcombe/Hayden Church) 3. Board rescue: Steven Ferguson/Ben Gillies (Piha) 1, Julien Lalanne/Andrew Newton (Mt Maunganui) 2, Lewis Clareburt/Tyler Maxwell (Lyall Bay) 3. Beach sprint: Jake Hurley (Mairangi Bay) 1, Murdoch Finch (Omanu) 2, Daniel Rippon (Piha) 3. Short course boat: Red Beach Boomers (Shamas O'Halloran/Jed Wright/Charles Graham/Hayden Shaw/Shane O'Halloran) 1, Titahi Bay (Jono Boyd/Brett Hamer/Jordan Tyrrell/Chris Middleton/Wil McDowell) 2, Mairangi Bay Merkins (Wayne Simeon/Adam Jackson/Matt Kirke/Time Camerson/Terry Burbidge) 3. Canoe long course: Waimarama (Ben Cross/Michael Harmam/Luke Harman/Benjamin Morgan) 1, Piha (Joshua Perese/Oscar Junior/Nick Berry/Christopher Mehak/Steven Ferguson/Adam Parker) 2, Lyall Bay(Craig Jones/John Elsmore/James Flannery/Matt Flannery) 3. Beach relay: Mairangi Bay (Jake Hurley/Daniel Peacocke/Sam Paterson/Kevin Morrison) 1, Mt Maunganui (Cameron Witney/Malcolm MacDonald/Haydn Reardon/Sam Roy) 2, Piha (Adam Parker/Nick Berry/Daniel Rippon/Ryan Gilmour) 3.

Under-23: Short course boat: Whangamata Barry's (Sam Stockley/Lyndon Vickers/Josh Kerridge/Brandon Dromgool/Andrew Jujnovich) 1, Orewa Chargers (Callum Thomason/Ethan Hutchinsom/Jasper Ballantyne/Ryan Carrigan/Mark McCarthny) 2, Red Beach Pirates (Rhye Jacka/Kyle Lennon/Alex Cassidy/Max Anstis/Ryan Davenport/Shane O'Halloran) 3.

Under-19: Lewis Clareburt (Lyall Bay) 1, Matthew Scott (Midway) 2, Hamish Miller (Mt Maunganui) 3. Surf teams: Mt Maunganui (Charlie Haynes/Hamish Miller/Isaac Marshall/Daniel Barron) 1, Ocean Beach Kiwi (Stuart Graham/Travis Graham/Kieran Kruger/Hadlee Dyer) 2, Lyall Bay (Ben Manners/Tom Oolders/Lewis Clareburt/Luther Maxwell) 3. Board rescue: Daniel Barron/Hamish Miller (Mt Maunganui) 1, Joshua Jarvis/Samuel Pasley (Omanu) 2, Bayden Botha/Ashton Reiser (Mairangi Bay) 3. Beach sprint: Jake Hurley (Mairangi Bay) 1, Ryan Gilmour (Piha) 2, Harry Dods (Waikanae) 3. Short course boat: Waihi (Dylan Horne/Marc Everson/Mack Smith/Nicholas Wagstaff/David Grant) 1, Piha (Benji Lines/Finn McIntyre/Kaveen Hanthi/Joseph Jacob/Mark Bourneville/Shem Broekhuizen) 2, Bethells BLT's (Daniel Wing/Elijah Fuluifaga Chan Foung/Joshua Whittington/Alex Kwak/Henry Backhouse-Smith/Joel Scheepens) 3. Long course canoe: Waikanae (Quaid Thompson/Alex Bristow/Zach Ferkins/Cole Williams/Ben Bristow/Sam Ferkins) 1, Papamoa (Liam Smith/Jake Cowdrey/Cole Forbes/Marshall Wells/Rhys Castle/Jack Bullock) 2, Ocean Beach Kiwi (Benjamin Frame/Stuart Graham/Mitchell Jackson/Max Werner/Harry Devine/Tavis Graham) 3. Beach relay: Fitzroy (Bevan Spragg/Thomas Cole/Javon McCallum/Chad Collop) 1, Waikanae (Alex Bristow/Joshua Adams/Harry Dads/Tom Dods) 2, Orewa (Cameron Pearson/Stefan Powney/Costa Owens/Xander Cuff) 3.

Under-16: Board rescue: Conor Dempster/Lochlainn O'Connor (Mt Maunganui) 1, Conor Bradding/Oscar Williams (Piha) 2, Hamish Gledhill/Sam Readman (Red Beach) 3. Surf teams: Mt Maunganui (Lochlainn O'Connor/Declan Dempster/Benjamin Rowe/Conor Dempster) 1, Lyall Bay (David Long/Luther Maxwell/Atakura Julian/Liam Chesney) 2, Papamoa (Mitch Cowdrey/John Clark/Jacob Loughnan/Liam Moffatt) 3.Sur race: Hadlee Dyer (Ocean Beach Kiwi) 1, Lochlainn O'Connor (Mt Maunganui) 2, Nicolas Cecioni (Paekakariki) 3. Beach sprint: Aiden Smith (Papamoa) 1, Bevan Spragg (Fitzroy) 2, Ishmael Perkins-Banse (Maranui) 3. Beach relay: Orewa (Thomas Paotama/Kees Ursem/Liam McCathie/James May) 1, Papamoa (Mitch Cowdrey/Aidan Smith/Flynn Grey/Jed Bullock) 2, Mairangi Bay (Robbie Bell/Joseph Wilson/Joe Holloway/Michael Slessor-White) 3.

Women:

Open: Surf teams: Mt Maunganui (Jessica Miller/Katie Wilson/Magali Rousseau/Johanna O'Connor) 1, St Clair (Carina Doyle/Olivia Gold/Devon Familton/Eilis Doyle) 2, Piha (Nicole Rosewarne/Kirsty Wannan/Hannah Williams/Annielle Ryland-Higgins) 3. Surf race: Carina Doyle (St Clair) 1, Jessica Miller (Mt Maunganui) 2, Georgia Harris (Wainui) 3. Board rescue: Devon Halligan/Ashley Cochrane (Omanu) 1, Jessica Miller/Emily Campbell (Mt Maunganui) 2, Kirsty Wannan/Hannah Williams (Piha) 3. Beach sprint: Olivia Eaton (Mt Maunganui) 1, Hilary Harper (New Brighton) 2, Casie Fyall (Waikanae) 3. Short course boat: Orewa Cobras (Becky Thomason/Nikki Jones/Nicole Keinzley/Samantha Rogers/Stuart Handford/Amie Thomason) 1. Muriwai Maine Coons (Jessica Parkin/Louise Ayling/Nicole Owen/Lisa McCallum/Ricky Butt) 2, Omanu (Hannah Taylor/Meghan Cook/Mare Haitsma/Bethany Hopper/Justine Paul Hesp) 3. Long course canoe: Red Beach (Kelly O'Dea/Kathy Kramer/Jennifer Hall/Megan McKenzie) 1, Whakatane (Marnie Fornusek/Rawinia Kamau/Tasha Von Beck/Alexa Madritsch) 2, Lyall Bay(Michelle Arnopp/Kelsey Moffatt/Juliet Dowland/Rachel Ryan) 3. Beach relay: Mt Maunganui (Olivia Eaton/Shamay King/Rosemary Knight/Devon Bowdler) 1, Waikanae (Casie Fyall/Jamie Gedye/Jessie Egan/Lucy Mossman) 2, Mairangi Bay (Georgia Newman/Ashley Harding/Marina Macartney/Rachael Dodwell) 3.

Under-23: Short course boat: Muriwai Munchkins (Arian Tomaszyk/Dayna Lawton/Emily Hortop/Jaime Gunderson/Danny Tenheuvel) 1, Bethells Birds (Cherry Reihana/Nicole Jamieson/Lindsay Cleaver/Stephanie Hefford/Hira Edmonds) 2, Orewa Aces (Kayla Fuemana/Emma Nesbit/Courtney McConnel/Slyvie Mitchell/Stuart Handford) 3.

Under-19: Surf teams: Mt Maunganui (Libby Bradley/Grace Eglington/Amy Barron/Jardine Chapman) 1, Papamoa (Ariana Moffatt/Sophie Hayden/Michelle Dykes/Kate Miller) 2, Midway (Jamie Fisher/Danielle Scott/Olivia Corrin/Rose Simmons) 3. Board rescue: Ella Drinnan/Lucy Makaea (Orewa) 1, Kelsi Boocock/Brie Downey (Red Beach) 2, Aimee Daniels/Jenna Barrett (NPOB) 3. Beach sprint: Casie Fyall (Waikanae) 1, Sophie Twigley (Midway) 2, Chelsea Grant (Red Beach) 3. Short course boat: Red Beach Angels (Jessica Cornish/Briana Smith/Tyler McDowall/Georgia Cox/Shane O'Halloran) 1, Orewa Baby Blues (Sarah Hogg/Madeline Fergus/Vanja Joy Franich/Ashleigh Paotama/Mark McCarthny) 2, Piha Pingers (Grace Jacob/Bernadine Flaxman-Hendriks/Anna Karolczak-Young/Keisea Broekhuizen/ Cedric Bourneville) 3. Long course canoe: Waikanae (Alicia Hoskin/Courtney Hoskin/Lucy Mossman/Anna Ellingham/Ella Andrew/Aoife Fyall) 1, Opotiki(Summer Hurrell/Tynealle Fitzgerald/Lia Seufert/Lilly Jade Fell) 2, Waihi (Shanae Richardson/Grace Nelson/Jemima Smith/Maddie Scown) 3. Beach relay: Mt Maunganui (Olivia Eaton/Ella Apps/Libby Bradley/Devon Bowdler) 1, Waikanae (Casie Fyall/Jamie Gedye/Jessie Egan/Lucy Mossman) 2, Midway (Sophie Twigley/Haylea Rodgers/Tyler Burgess/Alex Bermingham) 3.

Under-16: Surf teams: Lyall Bay (Emma Riseley/Ella Kingi/Alaynah/Bettany/Megan Cox) 1, Orewa (Lucy Makaea/Eve Thomas/Kara Drinnan/Macey Franich) 2, Omanu (Grace Elisara/Sophie Sandford/Connie-Pearl Anderson/Phoebe Edwardes) 3. Surf race: Olivia Corrin (Midway) 1, Ruby Adsett (Westshore) 2, Tessa Bradley (Mt Maunganui) 3. Board rescue: Lauren Pickett/Ella Van Kregten (Waikanae) 1, Kate Blakeman/Olivia Corrin (Midway) 2, Tiana Williamson/Ashleigh Phipps (Mairangi Bay) 3. Beach sprint: Sophie Sandford (Omanu) 1, Georgia Rathbone (Waimarama) 2, Nore De Ridder (Paekakariki) 3. Beach relay: Midway (Haylea Rogers/Tyler Burgess/Alex Bermingham/Annabel Higgins) 1, Omanu (Denali Amerson/Sophie Sandford/Ella Pollock/Zara Cook) 2, Mt Maunganui (Alicia Wilson/Abbie Mortimer/Rebecca Barron/Tessa Bradley) 3.

Points (after day 1): Mt Maunganui 64 1, Waikanae 33 2, Orewa 26 3, Mairangi Bay, Piha, and Red Beach 22 each 4 equal, Omanu 21 7, Midway 17 8, Lyall Bay 15 9, Papamoa 13 10.