Hopes dashed by tsunami threat | Bay of Plenty Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Bay of Plenty

As a beautiful summer swell rolled into Mount Maunganui's Main Beach yesterday, groomed by a gentle offshore breeze, the stands should have been packed and the beach jumping.

Instead, finals day at the Ocean Athlete under-14 national surf lifesaving championships turned into a fizzer - albeit a dramatic one - after tsunami warnings from the massive earthquake in Chile.

Only the sound of surf and seagulls punctuated an eerily deserted Main Beach as the 800 competitors, team officials and supporters were warned to keep their distance.

- Read more in today's Bay of Plenty Times