Contest Round Up: Sea Harvest Grommet Games

The Sea Harvest Grommet Games took place across three provinces over the weekend of 14–15 March, with events held in KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape. Despite varied and sometimes challenging conditions, young surfers across the country showed incredible determination, enthusiasm and sportsmanship, highlighting the strength of South Africa’s next generation of surfers.

KwaZulu-Natal

In KwaZulu-Natal, the first day of competition brought bumpy and difficult conditions with onshore winds, along with blue bottles in the water adding to the challenge. Despite this, the grommets showed impressive commitment and resilience, pushing through the tough conditions and inspiring everyone on the beach.

One of the standout moments came in the Under 12 Boys division, where Simlindile Shali delivered a memorable performance as the underdog in the final.

Sunday saw a significant improvement in conditions, with clean two-foot waves and beautiful weather providing the perfect opportunity for the young surfers to showcase their skills. The atmosphere on the beach was electric, with parents often appearing even more excited than the competitors themselves.

Western Cape

The Western Cape event also began with testing conditions on Saturday, as strong onshore winds created extremely blustery surf. Despite the challenging paddle-outs, the young surfers showed tremendous determination and enthusiasm, supported by equally enthusiastic parents cheering them on from the beach.

By Sunday the wind had eased, delivering fun and rippable two- to three-foot waves. The improved conditions allowed the competitors to really enjoy themselves and showcase their surfing.

Standout performances included Under 8 Boys surfer Phumlisa Madiavula, who scored an excellent 8.67 in the final, and Jack Stringer, who delivered two exceptional rides in Round 1, earning scores of 9.83 and 9.33.

Eastern Cape

The Eastern Cape Grommet Games took place on Saturday, 14 March at Nahoon Beach in East London. After five days of strong east winds leading up to the event, the wind swung to the west early on Saturday morning, cleaning up the conditions perfectly for contest day.

Competitors were greeted with clean two- to three-foot waves, with overcast skies in the morning before the sun began to peek through for the finals. Although the morning started off a bit chilly, the temperature warmed up as the sun appeared, and the surfers were happy to enjoy the warm water.

The atmosphere on the beach was fantastic, with both surfers and parents enthusiastically supporting their teams throughout the day.

Standout surfers included Alexander and Samuel in the Under 10 Boys division, Kai Hare in the Under 16 Boys, and Jordan Van Eek in the Under 16 Girls.

A Celebration of Youth Surfing