Make the WSL PURE pledge to protect our oceans and #StopTrashingWaves
If you are unable to attend a paddle out, you are encouraged to host your own with your friends, family and local community. More information about the WSL commitments and tips for the general public, as well as details and locations for paddle outs, can be found at WSLPURE.org.
JBay – with the JBay Winterfest and the JBay Open just over a month away, there is much work being done to get the town and the amenities ready and prepared for the thousands of annual visitors and spectators. Every year the town of JBay fills up to capacity with guests and competitors, bringing a welcome boost to the economy and a welcome flurry of activity to the accommodation and hospitality establishments in the area.
Once again this year the Winterfest will feature a number of music sessions after the surfing has taken place. This year the Vibe In The Park music sessions will take place in the Supertubes Park, and there has been much interest in this part of the festival. Some big names have been dropped to headline at the Vibe In The Park, but at the time of this release their slots have not been confirmed, so stay tuned. There will also be a number of local bands jamming at the sunset sessions.
JBay – the Corona JBay Open, South Africa’s only World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) event is fast approaching, and the best competitive surfers in the world are starting to make their respective moves for the 2019 world title race. The Corona JBay Open is a pivotal event, coming in mid-way through the year-long tour, and a win in JBay could very easily set a competitor up for a world title going into the back half of the year.
Currently rated sixth on the Jeep Leaderboard – the rankings board for the Men’s Championship Tour – Durban-born Jordy Smith is looking like a very strong contender for a big result in JBay. Jordy has been in serious focus for 18 months now, working on fitness, diet and technique, in a serious bid for a world title, and his form is evident that he has what it takes to secure a win in JBay.
uMhlanga local and former Ballito Pro quarterfinalist Beyrick de Vries signing autographs for his fans
The Ballito Pro pres. by O’Neill will be an African surf adventure for surfers and spectators alike. The 51st edition of the world’s longest running professional surfing event will take place from 27 June to 7 July in Ballito, KwaDukuza on the east coast of South Africa.
“KwaDukuza Municipality is excited to welcome visitors to our region to enjoy the internationally renowned Ballito Pro,” said the Event Coordinator, Collette Bundy. “This year we welcome Sal Masekela, the son of legendary South African jazz musician Hugh Masekela, as the event’s official ambassador for a true African Surf Adventure.”
The Zigzag Durban Surf Pro, set to take place from 10-12 May, has been CANCELLED due to a sewage leak at the Durban Harbour.
The extent of the contamination poses a serious health risk and threat to the marine life alongside the marina and along the beachfront. The World Surf League (WSL), the global sanctioning body for professional surfing, and the organisers of the City Surf Series (CSS) took the decision to cancel the event for the safety of the surfers and event staff.
“It was not an easy call to make and we looked at many alternatives,” said Colin Fitch, WSL Africa Operations Manager. “We need to maintain the safety standards associated with an international sports event and we have the support of Surfing South Africa, the national surfing federation, on this call,”
“Our domestic tour is so important to us, our sponsors and especially our members but we will not take any chance with the future of our sport and organisation by not doing the right thing,” said Fitch.
Jordy Smith (Durban), the current World No. 3, will be promoting his new SMTH Shapes surfboard brand at the 2019 Ballito Pro pres. by O’Neill at Willard Beach in KwaDukuza in June. (Photo: (c) O’Neill / Wez Lewis)
Events: Men - Ballito Pro pres. by O’Neill (QS10,000) Women - Ballito Pro pres. by O’Neill (QS1,000) Juniors – O’Neill SMTH Shapes Junior Pro (JQS1,000) Venue: Willard Beach, Ballito, KwaDukuza, South Africa Dates: June 27 - 7 July, 2019
Matthew McGillivray (Jeffreys Bay) is the top seed for the Zigzag Durban Surf Pro starting in Durban on Friday, 10 May. (Photo: WSL / Thurtell)
South Africa’s top men and women surfers head to the warm waters of KwaZulu-Natal for the Zigzag Durban Surf Pro taking place from 10-12 May 2019. Stop no. 4 of 8 on the WSL Africa Tour and the third of four events in the City Surf Series (CSS), comprises World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 1,000 rated events for Men and Women and Junior Qualifying Series (JQS) 1,000 rated events for Men and Women aged 18-and-younger.
JBay Winterfest – Two times world champion John John Florence from Hawaii and eleven times world champion Kelly Slater from America will both be competing in the Corona JBay Open this year. With thirteen world titles between them, the surfers were absent from the perfect waves of Supertubes for one of the last two years as a result of serious injuries at the time, but both are now fully recovered and are surfing with all the skill, talent and passion that they are known for.
Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay) and Ariane Ochoa (Spain) clinched the Men’s and Women’s titles at the Royal St Andrews Hotel Port Alfred Surf Classic on Wednesday. Photo: WSL / Thurtell
South Africa’s Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay) and Ariane Ochoa from the Basque region of Spain took out the Men’s and Women’s Qualifying Series (QS) titles at the Royal St Andrews Hotel Port Alfred Surf Classic in Port Alfred on Wednesday, with Thomas Lindhorst (East London) and Ceara Knight (Kommetjie) crowned the Junior Men’s Junior Women’s champions respectively.
David van Zyl (Glenashley) is the defending Men’s champion and top seed for the Nelson Mandela Bay Surf Pro starting in Port Elizabeth on Thursday. Photo: WSL / Thurtell
The South African leg of the annual WSL Africa Tour gets underway tomorrow when competitors in the third annual Nelson Mandela Bay Surf Pro take to the waves at the Pipe on Pollock Beach in Port Elizabeth.
After the successful launch of the 2019 regional surf tour at the historic inaugural Senegal Surf Pro in West Africa last month, the Nelson Mandela Bay Surf Pro is Stop No. 2 on the seven-event tour and runs from Thursday to Saturday, 18-20 April featuring WSL Qualifying Series (QS) 1,000 rated events for Men and Women and JQS1,000 events for Junior Men and Women aged 18-and-under.
The annual tour crowns the WSL Africa regional Men’s, Women’s and Junior champions with coveted points earned at the events also counting towards the international QS rankings for the open surfers and towards the selection of the squad to represent Africa at the World Junior Surfing Championships in December.
The 2019 tour kicks off with a virtual double-header as the Nelson Mandela Bay event is followed closely by the Royal St Andrews Hotel Port Alfred Classic, 150 kms up the East coast at the mouth of the Kowie River, which runs from Monday to Wednesday, 22-24 April. That is followed by stops in Durban (May), Lamberts Bay on the West Coast and then back to Port Elizabeth (both June) before culminating at Ballito on the KwaDukuza coast of KwaZulu-Natal in July.
David van Zyl (Glenashley), the 2018 Nelson Mandela Bay Men’s champion, will be back to defend his title, as will Junior Men’s champ Dillon Hendricks (Cape Town). However, the Women’s and Junior Women’s events will crown new champions this year as Kai Woolf (Jeffreys Bay), who won both titles in 2018, is currently overseas.
A solid contingent of international competitors will be participating in the first four events on the SA leg before scores of the world’s best surfers arrive for the Volkswagen SA Open of Surfing in June, where the QS3,000 Women’s event is the highest rated event for females on the continent, and for the QS10,000 Ballito Pro presented by O’Neill which celebrates its 51st edition in July.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Surf Pro is also the first of four events in the City Surf Series (CSS) which includes the Royal St Andrews Hotel Port Alfred Classic, the Zigzag Durban Surf Pro and the Volkswagen SA Open of Surfing.
Alongside the world-class surfing action, the CSS events also embrace sustainability and transformation programs such as the Surfing South Africa Learn To Surf outreach project in collaboration with Caltex, National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) and Ocean Pledge.
Ocean Pledge will assist in creating ‘Blue Events,' while the NSRI will be educating members of the public, competitors, local schools and surf outreach programs about ocean safety and ocean awareness.
More information, results and images will be available from www.worldsurfleague.com and on the free WSL App and the final day action will be webcast live.
2019 WSL Africa Tour schedule
March 27-30 Senegal Pro Dakar, Senegal - M&W QS1,500 - Completed
April 18-20 Nelson Mandela Bay Surf Pro - Port Elizabeth - M&W QS1,000 + M&W JQS1,000
April 22-24 Royal St Andrews Hotel Port Alfred Classic - M&W QS1,000 + M&W JQS1,000
May 10-12 Zigzag Durban Surf Pro - M&W QS1,000 + M&W JQS1,000
May 31-1 Jun Vans Surf Pro Classic Lamberts Bay - M QS1,500 + W QS1,000 + M JQS1,000
Jun 13-17 Volkswagen SA Open Port Elizabeth W QS3,000+ M QS1,000 + M&W JQS1,000 of Surfing
Jun 27-7 Jul Ballito Pro pres. Ballito by O'Neil - M QS10,000 + W QS1,000 + M&W JQS1,000
