South African Bodyboarding Championships 2026: The Closing Ceremony

From Saltwater to Surfer Chic

Only a few hours separated the final buzzer at Derdesteen from the closing ceremony of the 2026 South African Bodyboarding Championships.

The circus had packed up on the beach.

Cameras were being loaded.

Gazebos were coming down.

The last boards were being put away.

And across Melkbos, competitors, officials, coaches and supporters had just enough time to get the salt off their skin, the sand out of their toes and themselves into something a little more appropriate for an evening at the Italian Club in Milnerton.

The competition was over.

Now it was time to celebrate it.

The 2026 SA Bodyboarding Championships closing ceremony brought the riders, officials, teams, organisers, supporters and production crew together one final time to recognise the champions, celebrate the performances and acknowledge the people who had made five days of national competition possible.

Levi Mayes Takes the Mic

Master of ceremonies for the evening was Levi Mayes, who had already made his mark during the week as the lead presenter of the championship’s live broadcast.

Levi brought that same energy to the closing ceremony, guiding the evening through the podium presentations, special awards and the moments that deserved a little more time in the spotlight.

After five days of calling riders into the water, keeping the livestream moving and helping tell the story of the championship, it was fitting to have him at the microphone for its final chapter.

Eight National Champions

The evening’s main event was, naturally, the presentation of the national championship podiums.

After five days of competition, eight champions had been crowned at Derdesteen:

Masters: Ryan Marlin — EBA
Grandmasters: Saul Basckin — EBA
Ladies: Suzie Husselmann — EDEN
Men: Ryno Turketti — EDEN
Boys: Blaize van Rooyen — CTB
Dropknee: Vaughn Harris — EDEN
Juniors: Liam Stander — CTB
Pro: Chad Brookstein — CTB

For the riders, this was the moment when the hard work of the week became something tangible — a trophy, a podium place and the title of South African Champion.

But the evening had plenty more to celebrate.

Tristan Roberts Enters the SABA Hall of Fame

One of the most significant moments of the evening came when Tristan Roberts was formally inducted into the SABA Hall of Fame.

The honour is reserved for an individual who has kept the name of bodyboarding in high respect through more than 15 years of total commitment, involvement and continuous dedication to the sport in South Africa.

Tristan is now only the eighth South African to receive the honour.

Mark Rossouw
Clinton Millard
Michael van Huyssteen
Vaughn Harris
Len Bradford
Darren Halse
Patricia Harris
Tristan Roberts

It was a fitting recognition for a rider whose influence on South African bodyboarding stretches well beyond his own competitive career.

Earlier in the day, Tristan had managed to escape the autograph hunters long enough to join the commentary team for the Pro Final.

That evening, he returned to the stage for a far more personal honour.

And then, in another fitting touch, Tristan was given the opportunity to hand the awards to the finalists.

From competitor to champion, commentator to Hall of Fame inductee, it was quite a way to close out the championships.

The Fisherman’s Trophy Comes Home

One of the week’s closest battles wasn’t fought in an individual heat.

It was fought between the regions.

The Fisherman’s Trophy went right down to the wire, with CTBA and EBA locked in a neck-and-neck battle throughout the championship.

On the final day, CTBA managed to edge ahead.

The Fisherman’s Trophy was coming home to Cape Town.

It was a victory that reflected not one rider’s performance, but the combined effort of the entire CTBA team across five days.

CTBA Takes the Gees Award

If the Fisherman’s Trophy recognised competitive performance across the championship, the Gees Award recognised something different.

Team spirit.

And there was little doubt that CTBA had brought plenty of it to the beach.

The CTBA team took home the Gees Award for the team that displayed the most spirit, energy and support throughout the championships.

It was an award that belonged to everyone who stood on the beach shouting, cheering, coaching, supporting and creating the atmosphere that makes a national championship feel like a national championship.

Special Awards

Several other awards recognised individual qualities and achievements from the week.

Sportsmanship Trophy — Sihle Xaba

Sihle Xaba was recognised for sportsmanship, acknowledging the way he conducted himself throughout the competition.

Oldest Competitor — Michael van Huyssteen

Michael van Huyssteen took home the floating trophy for the oldest competitor in the championship — proof that experience remains one of the sport’s most valuable assets.

Jared Houston Hubboards Bodyboard — Liam Stander

Junior champion Liam Stander received the Jared Houston Hubboards bodyboard, generously donated by Jared Houston during his recent visit to South Africa.

Pro Champion — Chad Brookstein

And the biggest cash prize of the evening went to the new South African Pro Champion.

Chad Brookstein took home R10,000 for his victory in the Pro division.

A Massive Thank You to the CTBA Committee

Behind every national championship is a group of people who don’t necessarily get to stand on the podium.

The CTBA committee worked incredibly hard to make the 2026 championships happen — from planning and logistics to registrations, judging, scheduling, beach operations, communication and everything else that has to happen behind the scenes for an event of this scale to run.

A massive thank you goes to:

Margaux Randall
Charl Watkins
Donne Stratford
Craig Trilivas
Chad Brookstein
Luke Bruton
Bart Larter

Their work helped turn the 2026 SA Champs from an idea on a calendar into five days of national competition and a closing ceremony worthy of the occasion.

The Production Team Behind the Story

A championship of this scale also needs another team working largely outside the spotlight.

The 2026 SA Bodyboarding Championships production was led by Pierre Marqua, Creative Director, with a team that worked long after the beach had emptied and, grinding through the night, well into the early hours to make sure the highlights, press releases, photography and social content production ran seamlessly and to an international standard.

The brief wasn’t simply to produce content.

It was to tell the story of a national championship.

Creative & Presentation

Pierre Marqua — Creative Director, Presenter, Graphic Designer & Copywriter

Pierre led the overall creative direction of the championship’s media output, while also presenting, updating the website, designing the broadcast graphics, and writing the event’s editorial and promotional content.

Levi Mayes — Lead Presenter & Master of Ceremonies

Levi was the face and voice of the live broadcast, keeping viewers informed and entertained throughout the competition before taking on the role of Master of Ceremonies for the closing evening.

Helgard — Editor & Director of Photography

Helgard was responsible for turning the mountain of footage gathered throughout the championship into polished visual stories.

Gianluca de Gasparis — Videographer

Capturing the action, atmosphere and behind-the-scenes moments that became part of the championship’s visual record.

Chloe Bateson — Social Media

Chloe led the social media coverage, keeping the championship’s online audience connected to the action, the riders and the stories unfolding on and off the beach throughout the event.

The Livestream Technical Team

The livestream operation was its own production within the production.

Working under StreamLab, the team delivered the live championship broadcast to viewers at home while simultaneously supporting the on-site production.

Antonio Del Rossi — Live Stream Technical Director

Deon Louw — Livestream Technical Assistant / Graphics & Replays

Ezra Williams — Livestream Technical Assistant / Camera Operator

Adriaan Jonker — Camera Operator

Ruan Saayman — Camera Operator

Together, the team kept cameras, graphics, replays, switching and the technical infrastructure running through five days of competition.

The Photographers

No championship archive is complete without the photographers who stand in the water, on the beach and behind the scenes making sure the moments survive long after the event is over.

Manie van der Hoven — Lead Beach Photographer (the big lens)

Greg Chapman — Water Photographer

Ansurette Pretorius — Ceremonial Photographer

Their photographs captured everything from the action in the water to the people and moments that made the 2026 championships what they were.

One Last Time: Thank You

The 2026 South African Bodyboarding Championships brought together riders from across the country, but an event of this scale can only happen because an enormous community gets behind it.

To the riders who paddled out.

To the coaches who stood on the beach.

To the officials and judges.

To the committee.

To the volunteers.

To the photographers.

To the production and livestream crews.

To the families and supporters.

And to every person who cheered from the beach or watched from home.

Thank you.

And, most importantly, thank you to the sponsors and partners whose support makes South African bodyboarding possible.

Headline Sponsors

Lesedi
Western Cape Government
Havaianas
Simple Bru Coffee

Supporting Sponsors

Sealand Gear
Dors
Brand With Us
Afritech
Melkbosch Guesthouse
SABA
SSA

The beach may have gone quiet.

The boards may have been packed away.

The cameras may have finally been switched off.

But for one evening at the Italian Club, the people who made the 2026 South African Bodyboarding Championships possible got to sit back, raise a glass and celebrate what they had built together.

Thank you for helping us tell the story of South African bodyboarding.