Author: AdminBallitoPro

The Ballito Pro Presented By O’Neill, the world’s longest running professional surfing event,  will become the premier event for South Africa and the African continent on the World Surf League (WSL) and Surfing South Africa (SSA) calendar for 2021, showcasing the best Men, Women and Juniors surfing at Willard Beach in KwaDukuza from 7-18 July 2021.

Within the ambit of the current global pandemic, the 52nd edition of the Ballito Pro Pres. By O’Neill will be a Qualifying Series (QS) 5,000 rated event. Athletes from all over the African continent are expected to participate including Morocco, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Namibia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, Covid-19 travel restrictions dependent. The 96-strong entry field provides local WSL Africa members with coveted ranking points, in addition to earning well-deserved prize money.  This world-class competition will have a notable impact on the QS rankings and presents an opportunity for the top five South Africans to qualify for the Challenger Series campaign in 2022. The Ballito Pro Pres. By O’Neill will retain its high season and favourable surf conditions within the South African school holiday period of July 2021.

Competitors in the Ballito Women’s Pro pres. By O’Neill QS1,000 will be awarded prize money and points on the WSL Africa regional rankings. Surfers in the U18 Division of the O’Neill SS Smth Shapes Rookie Junior Pro (JQS1,000) will be striving for the prestigious WSL title. These surfers will aim for a strong start to the season as a good result could see them competing in the WSL World Junior Championships at the end of 2021. The U12 to U16 surfers will compete in the event as part of the SA Surf Tour and will earn prize money and ratings points for their efforts.

“As the KwaDukuza Municipality we are very pleased to implement one of our key Tourism Recovery element by supporting the retention of Ballito Pro presented by our partners O’Neill. The adopted 2020 KwaDukuza Socio-Economic Recovery Plan identified the retention of this event in the new normal, as the launching pad for our digital destination marketing strategy focusing in attracting domestic and international tourism. The livestreaming of this event local and international will contribute immensely in reminding and keeping KwaDukuza Tourism Brand in the mind of would be tourist.  The KwaDukuza Municipality calls all our private sector partners and our tourism establishments to embraces the 2021 Pro Ballito event which will be delivered strictly in line with the COVID 19 Health and Safety Protocols, whilst ensuring that it remains one of the top 5 KZN prime sports tourism event. We thank our sponsors and partners who continue to provide their support and resources to making this event a successful event for the region and the whole country. We look forward to hosting the prestigious 55th  Surfing South Africa Championships for the first time in KwaDukuza and wish welcome all districts to our region for this completion.” – Mayor of KwaDukuza.

“On behalf of O’Neill, we are extremely proud and honoured to be involved in the Ballito Pro again this year. It has been an extremely tough two years for all competitive surfers and I am very excited to see such a prestigious and integral event on the South African Surfing calendar go ahead once again. I would also like to extend a huge thank you to the KwaDukuza Municipality for their continued support of the Ballito Pro and surfing in South Africa.” – Brand Director Paul Canning (Sector Group).

“With the disappointment of no events in 2020 behind us, we are excited to be able to host a world class event like the Ballito Pro Pres. By O’Neill. South Africa’s young surfers are hungry to make an impact on the QS and a good result at this prestigious event could catapult you into the big league.  We look forward to another spectacular event. Our sincere thanks and praise to the KwaDukuza Municipality, the sponsors and all the residents of Ballito for welcoming us back to their wonderful town and magnificent beaches.” – WSL Africa Regional Manager Colin Fitch.

This year will also welcome the  South African Surfing Championships, being hosted on the shores of Ballito for the first time in history.

Ninety-six South African men and women representing eight Districts will compete for the prestigious Men’s and Women’s titles and the historic Presidents Cup at the O’Neill Ballito 55th South African Surfing Championships.

The annual competition is the longest running surfing tournament in South Africa and Africa, and one of the longest running National Championships in the world.

First held in 1965 at Kommetjie in Cape Town, the contest attracted a handful of surfers from Durban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. It was won by Natal, with the iconic Durban surfer George Thompson clinching the first of his four National titles.

As surfing in South Africa grew, more surfers and teams participated in the SA Championships, hosted by different venues each year. The event included an Open division for Men and Women, as well as a Junior and Masters Division.

Up until 2001, the KZN team dominated the SA Championship, winning the Presidents Cup 30 times with Western Province winning it on six occasions.

In 2002 Border/Buffalo City won the Presidents Cup for the first time and repeated this feat seven times, and they are the current defending champions.

Since 2002 KZN/eThekweni have won the Presidents Cup five more times with WP/Cape Town and EP/Nelson Mandela Bay each winning it twice. KZN/Ugu have only tasted victory once.

The South African Surfing Championships has been held in Durban, Cape Town, East London, Jeffreys Bay, Seal Point, St Michaels on Sea, Victoria Bay, Mossel Bay, Trafalgar and Richards Bay. 2021 will see this event for the first time on the shores of Ballito, KwaDukuza.

Heather Clark of Ugu Surfriders is the overall individual South African title holder with eight National titles and Greg Emslie of Buffalo City holds the record in the Men’s Division with five National titles.

Most of South Africa’s top surfers have won at least one South African Championship title. The most notable exceptions are 1977 ASP world Champion and five time Gunston 500 winner Shaun Tomson and 1978 ISA World Champion Ant Brodowicz.

This year’s event will feature eight District teams, six men and four women, featuring a total of 96 competitors. These surfers would have competed in a series of trials within their Districts in order to be selected to represent their District at the national level.

The Western Cape Districts are Cape Town Surfriders, Cape Winelands Surfriders and Eden Surfriders. Nelson Mandela Bay Surfriders and Buffalo City Surfriders will represent the Eastern Cape and the KZN Province will feature host district Ilembe Surfriders as well as eThekweni Surfriders and Ugu Surfriders.

“Surfing South Africa is stoked to be associated with the Ballito Pro in the form of our annual South African Surfing Championships. The 55th edition of this iconic event is particularly important as it determines the South African Men and Women’s Champions and decides which District will take home the coveted Presidents Cup. Surfing South Africa is proud that despite the tough year the World and South Africa has endured, we are able to celebrate our 55th National Championship in Ballito for the first time. We are grateful to the KwaDukuza Municipality for putting their faith in us and we are confident that the athletes who have been competing in selection trials in order to be included in their District teams will embrace the opportunity to sample Ballito’s famous surf.” Robin de Kock – General Manager, Surfing South Africa.

The Ballito Pro Pres. By O’Neill 2021 will continue to host developmental surf contests and invitational showcases, not only celebrating the legacy of the sport, but to create a platform and opportunities for all communities within our region and country as a whole.

The surfing competitions will be supported by a tailor-made festival programme within the Ballito and KwaDukuza region presenting the region’s best experiences and entertainment programme featuring music, arts, recreational activities and hospitality within the beautiful natural environment of the North Coast.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ballito Pro pres. by O’Neill 2021 event will adhere strictly to related government guidelines and restrictions.

Events:        Men – Ballito Pro Pres. By O’Neill ( WSL – QS5000)

                     Women – Ballito Pro Pres. By O’Neill ( WSL – QS1000)

                     Juniors – O’Neill SS Smth Shapes Rookie Rippers Pro Juniors 

                     (WSL – JQS1000 Men and Women)

                    55th  O’Neill Ballito South African Surfing Championships

The continued COVID-19 pandemic has placed wide and significant restrictions on the staging of events as well as international and domestic travel. Such limitations have obviously affected major sporting events around the world and recently the World Surf League (WSL) announced the postponement of all events through June 2020 and a redesigned tour structure for 2021. As a consequence of this announcement, the Ballito Pro Presented by O’Neill 2020 scheduled for June/July 2020 is postponed.

The WSL and the KwaDukuza Municipality (KDM) are continuing to work with various governmental authorities to monitor the situation and determine the way forward in respect of the Ballito Pro Presented by O’Neill event.

“As the local authority for the region, KwaDukuza Municipality’s primary focus during these unprecedented times is directed to protecting our communities and fighting the pandemic. It is recognised that the Ballito Pro Presented by O’Neill International Sporting and Lifestyle Festival is a key economic driver for the region, therefore, as the Council, we will continue to strategise and seek approaches to support and assist the organisers towards the sustainability of the event going forward,” said Acting Mayor Cllr D Govender.

“We believe that the contribution of the event to a variety of sectors will be a critical ingredient in the KwaDukuza Municipality’s Tourism Recovery Plan (KDMTRP). I would like also to send the Council’s words of appreciation and solidarity to all our partners, participants, and business community of KwaDukuza who contributed to making this an unsurpassed event. We reaffirm that Events/Sports Tourism remains a strategic driver in the KDMTRP. See you in 2021, in the debut year of surfing as an Olympic sport.”

“On behalf of the entire team at O’Neill we respect and support the decision to suspend this year’s event and we believe that all focus right now must be aimed at getting us through this devastating pandemic,” said Paul Canning, Brand Manager O’Neill (Sector Group). “We are understandably disappointed, as we had an amazing campaign and programme of events lined up for this year’s festival, but right now the priority has to be the safety and health of the athletes, officials and the fans. We look forward to hosting an exciting and even more compelling program of events in 2021.”

“Coronavirus is having huge consequences for sporting events around the globe and we didn’t take this decision lightly,” said WSL EMEA GM, Francisco Spinola. “The Ballito Pro Presented by O’Neill is a really important event for us and we look forward to working with all involved to bring this event back as soon as it is safely possible.”

“WSL Africa and all our surfers would like to thank the Mayor and Councillors for their grateful understanding of where we stand right now with the COVID-19 crisis which continues to grow day by day. To all the fans and the community of Ballito you are our first priority when it comes to your safety,” said Colin Fitch WSL Africa Operations Manager. “The Ballito Pro presented by O’Neill has become the best stop on the WSL Challenger Series events. Outside of Hawaii, it is without a doubt the best location on tour and the best-attended event by all the Championship Tour surfers. It is Africa’s Major in turn of the Qualification Series and with exception of one of the 13 years, every single surfer has qualified for the Championship Tour in the following year. This shows the importance of this event on the world surfing stage.”

“As the governing body of the sport of surfing, Surfing South Africa (SSA), shares the same sentiments as WSL and KDM and we will continue to support and work alongside all role players and stakeholders through this process. We wish all athletes across the country and around the globe a safe return to competitive surfing in 2021 in good health,” said Bongani Xulu, Deputy Chair of SSA Board of Executives.

The Ballito Pro Presented by O’Neill forms part of the new WSL Challenger Series, a newly designed format that is the ultimate battleground for surfers to showcase their talents and qualify for the elite WSL Championship Tour. We extend our appreciation and support to our partners, athletes, local business, and the broader community, at this time and will update with more details as they arise.

KwaDukuza played host to another hugely successful Ballito Pro – presented by O’Neill – which brought both an international surfing contest and ongoing festival entertainment to holidaymakers from 27 June to 7 July.

“The stunning North Coast winter weather put on another spectacular performance, providing the ideal backdrop to all The Ballito Pro action,” said Event Co-ordinator, Collette Bundy. “This was an exceptionally well-supported event with the likes of Ballito Pro ambassador, Sal Masekela, and the high-calibre of retail and entertainment attracting visitors from far and wide. There were also a number of innovative environmental and community development initiatives that always form a prominent part of The Ballito Pro programme, ensuring we have a healthy ocean and new crew of upcoming, talented surfers!”

One such community development initiative was the Development Surf Day hosted on the final day of The Ballito Pro. Young surfers from KZN’s iLembe Surf Riders, Ubuntu Learn to Surf and Swim Club, Sisonke Surf Club and Surfers Not Street Children (SNSC) joined top South African surfers in an expression session. This Development Surf Day – hosted by Sea Harvest together with Surfing South Africa and the KwaDukuza Municipality – also welcomed event ambassador, surfer and international sports’ presenter, Sal Masakela.

Running alongside the international surfing contest was the fun festival programme, which included:

• The Ballito Pro Family Food Festival, presented by Ballito Junction Regional Mall, on 1 and 2 July. The event attracted visitors with its delicious programme of Cook-off Competitions, quality markets, non-stop entertainment. This year’s Cook-off was won by ‘The Cuzzies’ from Ballito, aka Abigail van der Linde (18) and Thailen von Allemann (14), with the Celebrity Cook-off winners announced as Team Booyakasha aka Bok van Blerk and Natasha ‘Bash with Tash’ Munien.

• Sal Masekela African Surf Adventure Driven by SMG Rocks and Hosted by Coco de Mer.

• The Ballito Pro 2019 FREE Music Concerts Powered by 5FM on 4 and 5 July welcomed big-name stars Distruction Boyz, Lady Zamar, The Parlotones and Desmond & The Tutus – among others – to Salt Rock Main Beach.

• After Dark Parties – hosted by Crush Ballito – saw 25 of the region’s hottest DJs take to the dancefloor for 10 consecutive days, culminating in the Sunday Swell on the final night.

• Extreme Sports including Mini Ramp Skate Jams featuring Monster Energy’s Khule Ngubane and MX Trials biking with Monster Energy’s The Le Riche Brothers from 4 to 7 July. This year’s Mini Skate Jam winners were:

Advanced
1. Kalvyn MacMillan
2. Siba Booi
3. Jean-Marc Johannes

Groms
1. Noah Whittle
2. Guy McCarthy
3. Tre O’Sullivan

• Fans got the chance to meet Simon Keys and Siouxsie Gillett, the hosts of popular Nat Geo WildTV show ‘Snake City’.

• The KwaDukuza Municipality, in partnership with Ballito Footy U13-15, Football Activations on 4 and 5 July where local U13 and U15 teams went head-to-head in this quadrangular beach soccer tournament. The teams consisted of players from KP Projects – NPO partner of Footy – as well as members from SAFA KwaDukuza. The KP Projects squad included the top 15 players per age group, selected from 10 local under-privileged primary schools in the Ilembe district.

• The Mike’s Kitchen Kiddies’ Activation area on the beach saw the little ones enjoying face painting, sandcastle building, colouring in, jumping castle and much more. Each child also received a lucky packet and Mike’s Kitchen voucher.

• Beach Action – daily fun activities consisting of beach soccer, beach volleyball, fashion shows, competitions and dance displays.

• From 9am to 5pm daily, visitors could browse quality crafts, clothing and other retail options as well as indulge in they many food and drink options found in the Food Court and Cider Garden.
• Surfers mingled with legendary South African surfboard shapers showcasing the intricate craft of surfboard shaping.

• Save the Waves Campaign – this year’s plastic and recycling awareness campaign will include the Litter4Tokens Recycling Programme (partnering with O’Neill). The ‘Mermaid Tear Catcher’ contest was launched with prizes given to those who collected the most ‘mermaid tears’ or harmful plastic nurdles.

The 2019 #feelslikefreedom Ballito Pro presented by O’Neill is over, but for more information on next year’s event, keep an eye on:

Website: www.theballitopro.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theballitopro/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/TheBallitoPro
Instagram: www.instagram.com/TheBallitoPro
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/theballitopro
Snapchat: Username – TheBallitoPro

While the world’s best surfers took to the waves at KwaDukuza’s Willard Beach for the final day of the Ballito Pro presented by O’Neill on Sunday July 7, young surfers from local development organisations shared the aquatic stage with them, at the Sea Harvest Surfing South Africa Development Surf Day.

Children from KZN’s iLembe Surf Riders Association (ISRA), Ubuntu Learn to Surf and Swim Club, Sisonke Surf Club and Surfers Not Street Children (SNSC) surfed in a fun ‘Expression Session’ which showcased development and transformation in the sport of surfing.

The children had the opportunity of engaging and surfing with event ambassador Sal Masekela, the son of jazz legend Hugh Masekela. A seasoned surfer, Sal himself is internationally renowned as a voice of action sports, a journalist and musician.

“It has been an amazing experience to surf with so many South African kids that look just like me. It’s great to see them take ownership of the ocean with such passion. Surfing is giving these kids hope, direction and self-esteem, and most especially a sense of identity and pride,” said a highly spirited Sal.

Sal, the founder of Stoked Mentoring in the USA, a non-profit organisation which uses action sports to empower children from underprivileged communities, has spent the past week interacting with similar local NGOs.

As part of his African Surf Adventure, connecting his past, present and future, Sal opened the first community swimming pool in Shaka’s Head, KwaDukuza. The project was undertaken by the KwaDukuza Municipality as part of its commitment to uplift local communities. The pool will be used by the Ubuntu Learn to Surf and Swim Club to teach young children the essential life skill of swimming.

Collette Bundy, event coordinator for the Ballito Pro presented by O’Neill said, “The key critical element of this event is the development of surfing for the country, and for the sport of surfing itself.”
The men’s final of the Ballito Pro, the first QS 10 000 Series event of the 2019 season on the World Surf League, was also held on the day, with Brazilian Deivid Silva crowned as the champion.

​By Pierre Tostee and Farzanah Asmal

Deivid Silva (BRA) was crowned as the winner of the 2019 Ballito Pro pres by O’Neill World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 10,000 over Jack Freestone (AUS). A strong southerly cross-shore created some tricky bumps on the 1.3 – 1.5 metre (4-5ft) wave faces, but there were still some big set waves coming through.

Silva and 2018 event runner-up Freestone, both on the Championship Tour (CT), opted for a game-plan of power surfing on Finals Day. In the 35 minute heat, Silva started big, unleashing three backhand turns for an 8.33. The goofy-footer backed it up for a 4.67 and put Freestone under pressure. Freestone found two small rides, but Silva picked up a beautiful set wave and destroyed it for a 9.3. The Australian was left at the back in a combination situation, requiring 17.63 and he never found a wave with any worthy scoring potential. For Silva, it was a textbook final and he almost received full marks.

“This is the best thing in my life right now, I’m so happy I got two good waves in that heat because Jack (Freestone) surfs so well, so I just thank God for giving me those two waves!” said Silva. “The waves are good, even though the wind is strong, I got that one big wave for two manoeuvres, so I was stoked.”

Freestone looked incredibly comfortable on the last day of competition, but he had to settle for a runner-up finish, again.

“Yes, of course I wanted to win it, but I’m so stoked to be in the final again, back to back years,” said Freestone. “It just gives me something to work for next year. In that final I felt so confident, it’s just the waves that got incredibly hard so I can’t wait to carry this momentum feeling of God into J-Bay.”

A steady and calm approach from Jack Freestone (AUS) saw him up front and controlling the first Semifinal against Jorgann Couzinet (FRA). The Australian put down big hits on his waves, while Couzinet made a few mistakes, falling on his rides. Couzinet left it right to end to bank some scores, but it was a little too late.

Deivid Silva (BRA) dominated his Semifinal clash against Wade Carmichael (AUS) with excellent wave choices. The goofy-footer looked lethal on his backhand, smashing the chunky walls for a total of 11.60 to move into the Final, and Carmichael will have to settle for another 3^rd place finish in Ballito.

Although Couzinet did not make the final, he was awarded a wildcard in the Corona Open J-Bay as the highest placed surfer on the QS rankings.

“At the end of the heat I thought I got the score, but I’m so stoked to get into J-Bay. It’s the dream, I’ll have a good sleep tonight!” said Couzinet. “I came here thinking of making quarters, so semifinal is amazing, it’s a big dream to surf J-Bay, I feel like I’m going to cry!”

The Ballito Pro pres by O’Neill Results:

Finals

1. Deivid Silva (BRA) 17.63
   2. Jack Freestone (AUS) 9.46

Semifinals

Heat 1:
1. Jack Freestone (AUS) 12.03
2. Jorgann Couzinet (FRA) 11.37

Heat 2
1. Deivid Silva (BRA) 11.60
2. Wade Carmichael (AUS) 8.16

WSL QS Rankings

1. Jadson Andre
2. Jorgann Couzinet
3. Matt Banting
4. Deivid Silva
5. Reo Inaba

The wind played devil’s advocate on Day 5 in the Ballito Pro pres by O’Neill as the World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 10,000 progressed into the business end of the competition. Conditions went from big and clean to choppy, challenging 1.2 – 1.5 metre (3-4ft) waves forcing competitors to change their strategies.

It was a big day for South Africa’s Beyrick de Vries (uMhlanga), despite being eliminated in 9^th place, moving up the QS rankings as the highest placed South African and receiving the wildcard entry into the Corona Open J-Bay Championship Tour (CT) event from 9-22 July in Jeffrey’s Bay.

“I’ve been doing this for a while now so I’m used to surfing under pressure. And I think being at home helps so much, you can feel the energy and it almost felt like it was going to happen before it did.,” said De Vries. “I’ve got nothing to lose, I’m going to be surfing against (Gabriel) Medina or Kolohe (Andino) and there’s no holding back. I’m not going to surf for a 12.00 total, I’ll need 18 points to beat those guys and that can be liberating.”

Fellow South African, Jordy Smith (Durban) was happy to see De Vries advance and have another local in the Supertubes line-up.

“I’m stoked for Beyrick, I know it’s been a big dream for him to compete in Jeffrey’s so now that he’s in, he has to focus on what he wants,” said Smith.

Unfortunately, Smith was eliminated in his Round 9 encounter with Deivid Silva (BRA). It was a tough heat, with Smith looking for the aerial opportunities, while Silva stuck to throwing down power turns.

“Jordy surfs amazing but the waves are so hard. I’m just really glad to make another heat,” said Silva.

While it’s the end of the road in Ballito for Smith, his focus now shifts to the Corona Open J-Bay.
“Just being at home competing in front of friends and family, it’s very soothing and calming and it’s good to be in that mindset ahead of J-Bay. To be honest, it’s the best I’ve felt in my whole career, it’s a combination of a lot of stuff. You just need to keep adding to it, waking up every morning and keep on bettering yourself,” said Smith.

In the first heat of the day, Ezekiel Lau (HAW) and Carlos Munoz (CRI) found a few gems in the slow and inconsistent conditions, leaving former World Champ Adriano de Souza wanting and was eliminated from the event.

“It’s always hard to realise you’re that close to making a heat. Ezekiel (Lau) was just a little bit ahead so it was really difficult,” said De Souza. “Now, heads up for J-Bay, my job here at Ballito is done so I think I’ll get out there and keep moving.”

It all came down to strategy in the onshore conditions. Brazilian Ian Gouveia was fully committed to a game-plan of power surfing and smashed his way to an excellent heat total of 16.40 to advance into the Quarterfinals ahead of Barron Mamiya (HAW) who launched into technical aerial attempts but couldn’t complete any.

“I knew I was going to have to get the best waves against Barron (Mamiya), he is capable of turning the heat around so I just stuck to my game plan,” said Gouveia.

For those who remain in contention, it’s D-Day on Sunday, 7 July for the 2019 Ballito Pro pres by O’Neill title and the 10,000 points on offer.

Legends on the South African music scene turned a chilly winter evening at Salt Rock Main Beach into one of the hottest beachside sets on the second night of The Ballito Pro 2019 FREE Music Concerts Powered by 5FM. Friday, 5 July saw crowds responding with gusto to the unmistakable sounds of Desmond & the Tutus as well as one of the country’s bestselling musical artists – The Parlotones. Getting the audience warmed up were Durban-born Msizi James, internationally-renowned nightclub DJ, Kyle Cassim, Nu Level, Ronel Ree, Freddy L and Zamar. The Ballito Pro 2019 FREE Music Concerts Powered by 5FM forms part of the non-stop beachside action at this year’s Ballito Pro presented by O’Neill festival programme, running at KwaDukuza from 27 June to 7 July.

Sunday July 7, will see the culmination of the Ballito Pro presented by O’Neill with the crowning of the men’s champion for the first QS 10,000 Series event of the 2019 season on the World Surf League.

The past week has seen action-packed surfing with a combination of picture-perfect weather, great waves and huge crowds, proving that KwaDukuza is the ideal venue for the world’s longest running professional surfing event.

While the Ballito Pro showcases the sport’s best athletes, development, unity and transformation have remained at the heart of the prestigious surfing event. Since his arrival, event ambassador Sal Masekela, son of jazz legend Hugh Masekela, has been inspiring young surfers and coaches alike from surfing development organisations in and around KwaDukuza.

On Sunday June 30, Sal kicked off his African Surf Adventure at the Ballito Pro by officially opening the first community swimming pool in Shaka’s Head in KwaDukuza. The project was undertaken by the KwaDukuza Municipality as part of its commitment to uplift local communities.

The pool will be used by the Ubuntu Learn to Surf and Swim Club to teach young children the essential life skill of swimming. Children from the club also seized the opportunity to spend a few hours swimming and interacting with Sal, who in turn shared his experiences of learning to swim and how it helped him with his surfing.

The children will engage with Sal once again at the Ballito Pro on July 7, at the Sea Harvest Surfing South Africa Development Surf Day. Young surfers from KZN’s iLembe Surf Riders Association (ISRA), Ubuntu Learn to Surf and Swim Club, Sisonke Surf Club and Surfers Not Street Children (SNSC) will take to the waves in a fun tag team event which will showcase the development and transformation in the sport of surfing.

Drawing comparisons to his own childhood, Sal said there were no people of colour in his community who surfed. He encouraged the children, saying “This is one of the luckiest days of your lives. Own this pool like it is yours. Have fun. The skills that you learn at this pool, you will be able to take to the ocean!”

On Tuesday July 2, Sal spent the day with Surfers Not Street Children (SNSC), learning more about how the Durban based NGO has used surfing and mentorship to help vulnerable children, who are either living on the streets or at risk of street connectedness, to leave street life behind. SNSC fuses surfing with mentorship and psychosocial care to empower street children and successfully reintegrate them into society as self-sustaining adults.

“I surfed with 30 or 40 kids from SNSC that looked just like me. It was ironically at the same beach (New Pier in Durban) where I went surfing for the first time in 1991, and the cops tried to arrest me. I was escorted off the pier for committing an illegal act. To have this experience almost 30 years later as a grown up, at the very same place, and jumping off that same pier with so many kids…I was fighting back tears. It was such a joyous moment for me,” said an emotionally charged Sal.

He added that the future of transformation in the sport looked very bright. “If this is what is happening now, I can only imagine what surfing here will be like, ten years from now. The opportunity is there to see some kids performing at a high level as athletes, possibly making the World Tour, like Michael February (Cape Town) who made surfing history last year, as the first black person to make it onto the world stage.”

A hugely successful fundraising event was hosted on Wednesday July 3, at the Fiamma Grill, Coco de Mer Hotel in Ballito. South African champion Jordy Smith and Sal Masekela drew a large audience to help raise much-needed funds for the iLembe Surf Riders Association. The evening highlighted the plight of these organisations and the instrumental roles they play in the local communities.

Sal is also the founder of Stoked Mentoring, a non-profit organisation which uses action sports to empower children from underprivileged communities in the USA.

Words by: Pierre Tostee and Farzanah Asmal