FUN IN THE SUN

OUR MISSION

WHAT WE’RE UP TO

We actively raise funds and receive tax-free donations to be able to:

  • Teach formerly and currently disadvantaged youth to surf in a safe, secure, fun, and empowering environment.
  • Host transformation-focused team and individual surfing events.
  • Provide water safety awareness training.
  • Simultaneously contribute to the upliftment of the ocean economy and disadvantaged youth by providing related skills development opportunities.

Weekly surf sessions

Our weekly surf lessons run every Thursday at Dakkies in the Strand. These lessons cater for beginner and intermediate surfers drawn from under-resourced, disadvantaged areas across the Western Cape. Our experienced coaches are paired with individuals to focus on the development and improvement of surfing capability and performance.

Monthly surf sessions

On the last Wednesday of every month, we host a fun surf session and meal for up to 40 youth from two care facilities in the Helderberg region. This safe and supervised social environment allows disadvantaged and at-risk youth to participate in a healthy, outdoors sporting activity.

This programme continues to deliver the following psycho-social benefits for participants:

  • Improved self-confidence and intrinsic motivation levels, directly impacting behavioural outcomes.
  • Increased levels of commitment and enthusiasm – beneficiaries remain dedicated to joining every session; weather and health conditions permitting!
  • Shaping of role models and future leaders.
  • Formation of new, healthy and respectful friendships.
  • Improved self-regulation and interpersonal skills.

A bonus is that some of these youngsters have progressed sufficiently to join the competitive side of our Surf4Life programme offering!

Competitive surfing introduction

Surf4Life is one of the main feeders of development surfing talent to Surfing South Africa and the Cape Winelands Boardriders Team.

We’re actively involved in shaping the future competitive surfing landscape and use a grassroots approach to grow South Africa’s next surfing champions. We identify talented surfers from our programme and work with them individually to hone their competitive instincts and performance surfing skills. We accompany them to surfing events to provide the necessary coaching and personal support so that they can focus exclusively on what they need to do to get the job done – learning the rules of competitive surfing; improving their surfing prowess; being exposed to new and different surf conditions; participating as an individual and contributing as a team member; making new connections and lasting friendships. We’re using incredible sport of surfing to expand their horizons.

Team surf events

Surfing is such an individual sport that it can sometimes become quite selfish. To combat this, and to introduce a teamwork dimension into our Surf4Life programme, we put together and manage fun tag team events, extending the invitation beyond our regular beneficiaries to other local partners (9 Miles Project and Christian Surfers Association). The competitive spirit and determined nature of participants is tangible to experience and makes for a great shake-up from individual surfing.

Our 80-surfer tag team format allows for a structured, empowering environment where:

  • 5 surfers per team compete to advance to the next rounds and vie for the annual Tag Team Champion title.
  • Supervised beach activities keep non-surfers actively engaged when they’re not in the water competing.
  • Branded goody bags (including t-shirts and snacks) are provided to all participants.
  • A sponsored, healthy lunch to sustain energy levels is included for each registered surfer.
  • A professional prizegiving recognises those Surf4Life beneficiaries who have shown outstanding commitment and performance throughout the season.

Our annual tag team event provides sponsors and donors with the opportunity to view the work being done by Surf4Life across our beneficiary organisations. We’re privileged to have World Surf League competitor, Danielle Powis (also a top development surfer) host the event annually and serve as the perfect role model for potential careers in the surf industry.

Beginner swimmer workshops

We’ve negotiated a free usage permit for the Strand Municipal Pool to be able to run basic beginner swimming lessons. Before a new surfer joins the Surf4Life programme, we assess and identify their swimming skill levels in this indoor, safe and controlled environment.

We focus on water safety, floating and breathing skills to ensure comfort in large bodies of open water. This steadily builds confidence as newcomers progress from the baby pool to the big pool, and eventually to the sea.

Transforming the tide of South African surfing

We’re determined to shape the future of competitive surfing in South Africa.

We’ve kick-started this process with the conceptualisation and implementation of The Tag Triad; a Western Cape-based initiative focusing exclusively on the transformation and development of local, previously disadvantaged surfers.

We’re partnering with Surfing South Africa to ensure the success and sustainability of this series. Watch this space as we grow our pilot programme into a national footprint with real results!

Ocean safety workshops

As competent surfers, we often take it for granted that we can access a surfing app to figure out the best wind, wave and tide conditions. And because we love the ocean and spend so much time in it, we often forget the ever-present dangers, especially for those who are unfamiliar with the ocean environment.

Coupled with our beginner swimmer workshops, we educate all our surfing beneficiaries about the importance of open ocean water safety. This includes a focus on tides, winds, waves, rip currents, and basic water safety to ensure a deep respect for the ocean. The results are increased ocean awareness and a reduced fear of the ocean so that surfers can maximise their stoke levels and minimise risk factors whether they’re on the beach or out in the water.

Securing youth employment through careers in the ocean economy

As the ocean economy continues to grow, it’s producing new and ever-evolving career opportunities for our youth. The opportunities to find secure employment or to become an entrepreneur in the maritime sector are expanding exponentially – whether in boat-building, fishing, yachting, logistics, surf coaching, lifesaving, surf retail, judging or even professional surfing as a career!

We identify talented, enthusiastic and dedicated youngsters from our Surf4Life programme and invest in them to grow their skills sets to open new doors for them.

Two examples of these individual investments are Elrico Meyer and Fiona de Koker. Elrico was recognised as an ISA-ambassador and achieved his official surf coaching certification (endorsed by Surfing South Africa). Fiona is currently completing her required coaching hours as she assists as a junior coach during our weekly surf lessons. She is also actively involved as part of our surf event management team as she learners the ropes of event management.

Mentoring our future fearless females

As part of our commitment to female surfing development and transformation, Surf4Life identifies young women from our beneficiary organisations who are enthusiastic about improving their surfing skills and keen to partner with a strong, older female mentor to focus on more holistic personal development.

We’re currently mentoring two female surfers from our beneficiary organisations to achieve their surfing and life goals. Watching their enthusiasm and growth over this period remains a true reward for us and it’s making a significant impact on them as young women and as female surfers.

They leave sessions or workshops they attend with more than just a certificate and a few new memories. What stands out for us is that, even though they’re often pushed outside of their comfort zones, they never give up; they remain determined and enthusiastic; they never stop asking questions; they listen and apply the feedback, and they grow as independent surfers and fearless future female leaders.

Hosting individual surf events

We sure know how to have fun, but we also know how to get serious! In fact, we’re lucky enough to count a few ex-South African surfing, longboarding, stand-up paddling, bodyboarding, swimming, and waterpolo champions amongst our management and coaching team!

We draw on our combined years of experience in the competitive surfing arena to conceptualise, organise, host and manage local surf competitions.

If you’re in need of a professional surfing event management team, we’re your go-to. And we’ll throw in our unique Surf4Life vibes and energy for free!

Ocean-based community events

As surfers, we know the weather and waves don’t always place nice. Also, sometimes a change is as good as a holiday. When we have budget or sponsorship available, we arrange outings and events for Surf4Life beneficiaries. These include hosting local beach clean-ups; visiting other beaches for surf sessions; going to the aquarium; Mandela Day beach activities, or even just having an ice-cream and a blast on the slides at the local WaterWorld!

These fun social events help to build a sense of community across our beneficiaries who don’t often have the resources available to participate in activities outside of their places of care.

Fund-raising activities

We remain ever grateful for the continued generosity of our partners, donors and supporters. From the legend winemakers at the Vintner’s Surf Classic; to several Rotary branches around the country who assist us with auctions; to individuals who donate their time, money and energy to maintaining our operational base; to international companies that fund our monthly sessions; we would literally not be able to survive without you.

Fund-raising in an economically depressed environment remains a challenge but one that we will continue to embrace as we actively seek funding for a programme that is all about sharing the stoke.

Surf coach development

Empowerment isn’t a thing that “just happens”; it’s a thing that you work hard at doing.

Since our establishment in 2011, we’ve built and grown a community of local surf coaches who, week-in and week-out, selflessly and consistently harness the power of the ocean to shape the next generation.  

Our values of respect, independence, determination and enthusiasm guide our coaching instruction, and we have a tiered coaching system which allows aspirant coaches to progress from volunteers to junior to senior to head surf coaches.

 

Receiving & distributing donations

It’s not only about the surfing. And it takes a village to raise a child.

From surf clothing to wetsuits to board donations and even food parcels, we’ll continue to receive and distribute donations to those in need.

It’s called the gift of giving and we want to pay it forward.