Cape Town, 01 October 2026
What a difference a day makes.
After yesterday delivered an oven-like Cape Town beachfront, Day 4 of the SA Bodyboarding Championships 2026 greeted riders with something altogether different: a cold, wet and distinctly wintry Derdesteen beach, with a stiff onshore wind already blowing as the first heat hit the water.
The conditions immediately changed the game.
Rather than simply rewarding riders looking to throw big power moves, the morning became a test of wave selection, positioning and the ability to build scores from difficult sections. With the wind blowing directly onshore, quality waves were in short supply.
Wave-wise, this has been a right-hander week. Today, the left-handers began to open up. They quickly became the preferred option for riders looking to put combinations together and extract whatever scoring potential the conditions offered.
Soundtrack: Adrenaline Junk Heads by Swatting Bats.
Music for bodyboarders by bodyboarders
Juniors Deliver Tight Quarterfinals
The Juniors quarterfinals produced four different regional representatives for the semifinals.
Caleb Schwultz of CWB opened the quarter-final action with an incredibly tight victory over NMBA’s Taylor Halse, edging the heat 10.67 to 10.66 — just one hundredth of a point separating the two riders.
Liam Stander (CTB) followed with a 10.16 to progress ahead of Dante van der Westhuizen (EDEN), while Harrison Waring (EBA) posted 10.10 to take his quarterfinal ahead of Nathan Watkins (CTB).
The final Juniors quarterfinal saw Nicolá van der Westhuizen (EDEN) advance on 8.73, just 0.40 ahead of Finn Randall (CTB).
The four semifinalists therefore represent CWB, CTB, EBA and EDEN, setting up an intriguing regional mix when the Juniors return to the water on Finals Day.
Dropknee Tested by the Conditions
The Dropknee division entered the water as the conditions became increasingly difficult.
For riders wanting to showcase the rail game that makes Dropknee such a distinctive discipline, the wind and deteriorating wave quality provided little assistance.
Nicholas Westman (EBA) advanced from Round 1 Heat 1 with 6.67, while Jan Lutzeyer (CWB) took Round 1 Heat 3 with 4.80.
Round 2 produced stronger scores, with Ryno Turketti (EDEN) putting together a 9.80 to win Heat 1. Vaughn Harris (EDEN) followed with 7.50 in Heat 2.
With the wind continuing to strengthen, the Dropknee riders had to work particularly hard to find sections suitable for the controlled rail work required by the discipline.
Men’s Quarterfinals Produce Close Battles
The Men’s quarterfinals brought some of the day’s tightest competition.
Brendan Larter (CTB) claimed the opening heat by just 0.06 points, finishing on 8.30 ahead of fellow CTB rider Jacques Pienaar on 8.24.
Sihle Xaba (EBA) produced the highest Men’s quarterfinal total of the day, scoring 10.20 to advance ahead of Angelo Ackerman, also of EBA, on 8.80.
The third Men’s quarterfinal saw another strong performance from Ryno Turketti (EDEN), who backed up his earlier Dropknee performance with a 9.30 to win by more than three points.
With the remaining divisions still to be decided, the Men’s field is now set for another major battle when the semifinals begin tomorrow morning.
The Wind Finally Wins
There was a brief window during the day when the wind dropped, the sun attempted to break through and the beachfront offered a glimpse of what the riders had been hoping for.
It didn’t last.
The wind returned with an icy vengeance, sending gazebos spending across the beachfront and bodyboards bouncing over the dunes. What little wave face remained was increasingly ripped apart by the strengthening wind.
Eventually, with conditions no longer offering a suitable platform for competition, the call was made to close out the day’s action.
After four days of competition, the focus now turns to the biggest day of the championships.
Finals Day
Tomorrow is Finals Day at the SA Bodyboarding Championships 2026, with action scheduled to begin at 7:30am. The LiveStream will be up as soon as humanly possible.
The morning will open with the Masters semifinals before moving through Juniors, Pro, Men’s and Dropknee semifinals. From there, the championship finals will begin, with titles across the divisions decided throughout the morning and into the early afternoon.
Finals Day Schedule
| Time | Division | Round |
| 7:30 am | Masters | Semifinal — Heat 1 |
| 7:49 am | Masters | Semifinal — Heat 2 |
| 8:08 am | Juniors | Semifinal — Heat 1 |
| 8:27 am | Juniors | Semifinal — Heat 2 |
| 8:46 am | Pro | Semifinal — Heat 1 |
| 9:05 am | Pro | Semifinal — Heat 2 |
| 9:24 am | Mens | Semifinal — Heat 1 |
| 9:43 am | Mens | Semifinal — Heat 2 |
| 10:02 am | Dropknee | Semifinal — Heat 1 |
| 10:21 am | Dropknee | Semifinal — Heat 2 |
| 10:40 am | Masters | Final |
| 10:59 am | Grandmasters | Final |
| 11:18 am | Ladies | Final |
| 11:37 am | Mens | Final |
| 11:56 am | Boys | Final |
| 12:15 pm | Dropknee | Final |
| 12:34 pm | Juniors | Final |
| 12:53 pm | Pro | Final |
After four days of competition, everything comes down to Finals Day.
The conditions may have thrown another challenge at the riders today, but tomorrow the remaining competitors will return with national titles on the line.
The Action Continues After the Beach
When the final heat finishes on the beach, the official YouTube livestream will come to an end — but the championship coverage won’t stop there.
From 7:00pm to 8:30pm, the M&M Show will go live on the Cape Town Bodyboarding Instagram channel, bringing the day’s celebrations, the presentation of awards and, most importantly, the announcement of the 2026 South African Bodyboarding Champions.
So if you can’t make it to the beach for Finals Day, there will still be a way to be part of the celebrations.
Photo Gallery
Photos by Greg Chapman aka Chappypix and Manie aka Justasurferdude.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
The CTBA and SA Bodyboarding Championships would like to thank all the sponsors and partners whose support makes this event possible, and especially those who continue to invest in the growth of bodyboarding in South Africa.
A huge thank you to Lesedi, Western Cape Government, Havaianas, Simple Bru Coffee, Sealand, Dors, Brand With Us, Afritech, Melkbosch Guesthouse, SABA, SSA, Boardlife, Atlantic Surf, Mstar, Island Style, OK Melkbos Foods, Astron Fresh Stop, Melkbos Fisheries, Back2Nature, Execuneed, Roasted & Raw and Melkbos Country Club.
Your support helps make the 2026 South African Bodyboarding Championships possible.