Scottburgh on the KZN South Coast came alive over the long weekend (1 to 3 May 2026) as the fourth Ocean Festival transformed the town’s beachfront and local venues into a connected hub of sport, wellness, education, and entertainment. Hosted across Scottburgh Main Beach and the Premier Resort Cutty Sark, the three-day programme brought ocean lovers together for a weekend of high-level competition and fun, centred around conservation.
“This year’s Ocean Festival has been such a genuine expression of what the event is about,” says Barry Lewin, Event Organiser. “We saw people of all ages engaging with the ocean in different ways, from elite competition to first-time experiences, through education and entertainment. The event really highlighted how sport and tourism can work together to support conservation and local economic activity in a meaningful way.”
Epic Weekend Experiences
The long weekend opened with the Scotties Striders Run for the Ocean, a sunrise coastal run welcoming all fitness levels. The vibrant Veranda Panda Wake & Shake was hosted at Wild Coffee – owned by local surfers and entrepreneurs Matt Matchell-Cox, Stephen Morris, and Gavin Roberts – to combine movement with ocean awareness with a dash of great coffee.
The Granny Grommets Bodyboard Session once again highlighted intergenerational ocean culture found in Scottburgh, while visitors enjoyed the Mission Blue Hope Spot Sand Art Display along Scottburgh Main Beach throughout the weekend.
A major draw was the Ocean Experience Boat Trips, departing from the Premier Resort Cutty Sark, offering guided excursions into the Aliwal Shoal Marine Protected Area (MPA) and Mission Blue Hope Spot, where visitors encountered the incredible marine biodiversity.
Wellness featured strongly with Beach Nia and Beach Yoga sessions, while Mission Blue Hope Spot Conservation Talks provided accessible education on ocean health, biodiversity and community-led conservation efforts.
Evenings shifted into entertainment with the Ocean Festival Movie Night, followed by the Live Music Evening with Leatherback Rum at Cutty Sark, opening with DJ Jordon Cassimiro and featuring performances from Shorebreak and Black Lapels in a relaxed oceanfront setting.
Ocean Sports Events
Ocean Festival Lifesaving Carnival
On Friday, Scottburgh Main Beach set the scene for the Ocean Festival Lifesaving Carnival – a dynamic showcase of surf lifesaving across Nipper, Junior, Senior, and Masters divisions. Competitors tackled testing ocean conditions in disciplines such as run, swim, board, ski, flags, and dash-for-cash. Standout performances included former Olympian Tiffany Koch dominating the women’s category, while, in the junior ranks, Liz Cox delivered an exceptional performance across multiple disciplines, highlighting the strength of emerging local talent.
Schools Tag Team Surf Contest
On Friday afternoon, this inaugural event introduced a unique team-based format to competitive surfing. Five-person school teams competed in a fast-paced relay, creating a high-energy spectacle that emphasised teamwork and strategy. In a standout result, the Surfers Not Street Children team claimed victory, outperforming strong local contenders and showcasing both skill and the impact of the programme in developing young surfers.
Ocean Festival Surf Pro
On Saturday, the Surf Pro delivered a full day of high-performance surfing in near-perfect conditions at Scottburgh’s world-class break. Clean swell and consistent waves created an ideal stage for competition across divisions from U10 to Open and Masters, attracting both local standouts and visiting talent.
Top performances included Michael Venter claiming victory in the Open Men’s division ahead of Luc Le Pront and Avuyile Ndamase, while Gavin Roberts secured the Masters Men’s title and Nicole Annells led the Masters Ladies division. Rising stars also made their mark, with Amkela Mgcina taking top honours in the U18 Boys division and Louise Le Pront winning the U18 Girls. Across the younger age groups, strong showings from surfers such as Melokuhle Zotshana (U16), Tom Pearson (U14), and Jono Pearson (U12) highlighted the depth of emerging talent on the KZN South Coast. Full list of heats and results can be found at: https://liveheats.com/events/506366
Leatherback Aliwal Shoal Surfski Challenge
Closing out the weekend on Sunday, the flagship surfski event saw multiple World Champion Hank McGregor and Keegan Vogt power to victory in the doubles race, while Verne Vogt claimed the singles title, capping a remarkable family performance. The race, held over 16km (long course) and 8km (short course), took paddlers from Scottburgh Main Beach into the Aliwal Shoal Marine Protected Area and Mission Blue Hope Spot, offering a rare opportunity to compete within a globally significant marine ecosystem.
Conservation, Community, and Economic Impact
The Ocean Festival has been developed around engagement, education, and economics, using ocean sport and lifestyle experiences as a platform to drive awareness of marine conservation while supporting coastal tourism and local business activity. Central to this is Aliwal Shoal MPA and Hope Spot, which reinforces Scottburgh’s role as a gateway to one of South Africa’s most significant marine ecosystems.
Lewin concluded: “What stood out this year was the way everything came together. The sport, the community events, the conservation work, and the entertainment all fed into the same purpose. Ocean Festival is about creating access to the ocean, but also responsibility toward it, and we’re proud of how that message continues to grow.”
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Author: Agnes Matladi from Olivia Jones Communications on behalf of Ocean Festival.
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