Nearly 200 athletes from Bay of Plenty surf lifesaving clubs Papamoa, Omanu and Mount Maunganui are heading to Gisborne for this weekend's 2016 Eastland Port Eastern Regional junior championships at Midway Beach.

The championships are being rotated around the Eastern Region – shared between Waihi Beach, Whakatane and Midway – and Gisborne's first hosting has surpassed all expectations from organisers, with nearly 450 under-14 athletes from 15 clubs set to attend.

Waikanae's Clayden Hope competing at last year's under-14 national surf lifesaving championships. Photo: Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media.

"We feared there might be a drop-off in numbers because of the extra travel involved, but clubs have obviously decided the quality of Midway's beach and surf is too much to miss," says Eastern Region sport manager Mark Inglis.

"It's one of our most popular senior national championship venues and the next generation of surf lifesavers are pretty keen to test themselves at Midway as well."

The Cory Hutchings-coached Waikanae club boasts the biggest contingent of entries, with 69 athletes, although Midway (45) and Wainui (43) are not far behind.

Bay of Plenty powerhouses Papamoa (63), Omanu (60) and Mount Maunganui (56) are also bringing large teams, while Waihi Beach, Whakatane, Whangamata and Westshore will also be competitive across all age groups.

What's impressed Mark are the entries from Auckland, where Mairangi Bay and Orewa will both be represented, as well as a couple of athletes from Otaki and five from Hot Water Beach in the northern Coromandel.

"There are some impressive distances to be travelled to get here this weekend but the weather and swell forecasts both look particularly inviting."

Having Eastland Port on board as a major sponsor was also hugely encouraging for the future of the event, he said.

Racing starts at 7.45am on Saturday, February 13 and continues through until Sunday, February 14 afternoon, with age groups ranging from under-eight to under-14.