South Africa Surf Ski

19/10/2024

🌊🌊🌊🌊

Been making the most of the windy season in Durban.

🛶 Epic Kayaks & Paddles v14
🏓 Gara Racing Paddles
📷 Sharon Armstrong

15/10/2024

From founder Barry Lewin

Going sub 3 is rare, getting it on camera is even more rare. Super happy to be getting in some time on the ocean and relishing in the Durban windy season.

Check out the clip from a recent paddle where I got a 2m54 km in camera during a training run on what will likely be the 2025 World Course. No paddler can actually paddle a sub 3, so I have always viewed going that fast as a gift the ocean gives a paddler when they harness its power, in a way to create a true flow state. Every day in the ocean is a great day, but sometimes Mother Nature gives you a gift like this.

South Africa Surf Ski
Epic Kayaks & Paddles
Gara Racing Paddles
Thule Store South Africa
GoPro

What a 2m54 - Km looks like - Raw GoPro Footage Sub 3 min km’s are rare, get them on film is even more rare. No paddler can actually paddle a sub 3, so I hav...

04/09/2024

Are you ready to take your paddling to the next level in paradise?

Check out the highlights clip from our South Africa Surf Ski Mauritius Surfski Tours.

For more info, check out our latest newsletter with our 2025 Dates. https://mailchi.mp/sasurfski/august-recap or Drop us a DM.

Sass Mauritius Tours - August 2024 - Highlights

18/08/2024

South Africa Surf Ski Mauritius Tour Day 6

The final day didn’t disappoint with some stronger winds and the arrival of some solid ground swell from the Indian Ocean, giving the paddlers a chance to practice the skills they have been developing over the week.

A great way to finish the trip with a great group of people. The friendships build though these experiences are not taken for granted, as we value the time shared on the ocean with all the amazing people who join us.

2025 Dates are out. Send us a DM for more info.

17/08/2024

South Africa Surf Ski Mauritius Tour Day 5

The tour kicked off with a boat ride up the west of the island to swim with the dolphins. We lucked into seeing a hump back whale and its calf, nature at its best. With the backdrop of the volcanic mounts, the tail fin in the air, and the crystal clear water was just amazing.

Some much needed rest and great food at the hotel and then only the afternoon downwind. Was great to have so extra guests join us from Hong Kong to have some fun in some light bumps.

16/08/2024

South Africa Surf Ski Mauritius Tour - Day 4

The day kicked off with a stunning rainbow over the Impi Srretching session. The pot of gold at the base is the exact spot we start out downwinds from and for all that join us on this tour the Mauritius Downwinds pure gold.

We had a big paddle day with 2 downwinds, one to La Morne (17km) and one to Baie Du Cap (9km). Lots learnt on catching runs and filling out cups with the amazing conditions created by the consistent trade winds.

15/08/2024

Finding Flow

The illusive concept of catching one run into the next is when excicuted, is an exhilarating feeling. It’s a feeling we spend countless hours searching for and trying to prefect.

The answer most paddlers questions on find this type of flow can be answering in practice, the more we go downwind the more we learn, the more to dive into its nuances.

Mauritius provides the perfect opportunity to exactly that with the consistent wind, favorable swell and stunning clean, warm water.

Want to find some flow, 2025 South Africa Surf Ski Mauritius Tour dates are out. Send us a dm for more info.

15/08/2024

South Africa Surf Ski August Tour Day 3

To rest the shoulders and learn a little about the history of Mauritius the tour went for a hike at the Chamarel Seven Colored Earth Geopark.

The park’s museum gave everyone some great insights into this stunning island. The ebony hard wood mountain forests allow for a stunning walk to the top of a ridge line, with amazing views over the ocean.

In the afternoon it was back to the ocean with a downwind switching up the combination, with amazing progression on everyone’s downwind skills. Full video is up on our YouTube channel.

14/08/2024

Greg Vogt working with some of the Sass guests on their technique in the crystal clear water.

Take your paddling to the next level on a South Africa Surf Ski Mauritius tour.

14/08/2024

South Africa Surf Ski August Tour Day 2

A stand out from the last 18 months taking surfski tours in SA and Mauritius has always been how cool paddling people are the connections we make. This group is no different and it’s been awesome to get to know them, see them push their limits in the ocean and lean.

What better place to take your paddling to the next level and in paddling paradise. With the clean, warm and windy conditions, it’s been pure bliss.

The day kicked off today with an Impi Stretching session looking over the ocean, with 2 paddling sessions, most doing 2 downwind under the guidance of Barry Lewin, Greg Vogt and Ben Maynard

Following for more over the week on our YouTube Channel for full videos.

2025 dates are out, send us a Dm for more info.

13/08/2024

South Africa Surf Ski Mauritius August Tour Day 1

We love see the look on paddler fast of pure joy, seeing the crystal clear water, soaking up the sun and paddling themselves into a run created by the consistent tropical tree winds. What a paddlers paradise.

Our August tour kicked off today with and Impi Stretching session with The Yoga Studio , tour briefing and 2 paddling sessions.

Following for more over the week on our YouTube Channel for full videos.

2025 dates are out, send us a Dm for more info.

13/08/2024

Ready , Set , Go

The South Africa Surf Ski Mauritius Tour has started and conditions this week look world class with consistent wind.

Mauritius offers multiple paddle location and this section is so clean it feels like you going to hit the reef half the time and it’s a meter deep. Plus the water is so warm Ben Maynard from Next Level Kayaking has named it bath water bay.

2025 dates are out, send us a Dm for more info.

12/08/2024

Does it get better than this? We think not.

Sunset paddle in Mauritius. Come join us with 2025 now out. Send Dm for for more info.



Paddler - Ben Maynard Next Level Kayaking
Video - South Africa Surf Ski

12/08/2024

For the love of

We have had some great condition leading into the Sass Mauritius Tour kicking off soon with Ben Maynard / Next Level Kayaking and Barry Lewin getting in some awesome downwinds.

Full length video on our YouTube Chanel - https://youtu.be/tD6Tf6fRYdw?feature=shared

2025 dates are our, send us a Dm For more info.

07/08/2024

Our bags are packed and the islands are calling. Its always a cool feeling going into a week knowing that you have an awesome adventure just around the corner, as we leave for our second Mauritius tour of the year.

We are extreme proud of the Mauritius Tour offering and how well the tours are doing, capturing the imagination of paddlers from all over the world, who have chosen to come paddle with us.

We are also stoked to have Ben and some of the crew join us on this tour, taking the tours reach as far as Tasmania.

We have noticed how far in advance people are needing to plan these trips, and even though we are busy with the 2024 tours, we are already well into planning for 2025. Here are the dates of the 5 sets of tour dates we have planned for next year.

23 February to 3 March

22 June to 29 June

29 June to 6 July

3 August to 10 August

10 August to 17 August

Space on these trips are limited so please reach out and book your spot early.

If you are a group, we are happy to add more dates to these to cater for your needs, reach out to see how we can help.

Send a DM for more info.

24/07/2024

For the love of .

We have a couple clips form the Engen Ballito South Africa Surf Ski Downwind that were not used in our event recap video we just had to share, of which this is the first. Watch out for more over the next week.

A standout at the event was watching some amazing skill from a ton of paddlers, with Saskia Hockly and Christie Jo Mackenzie showing us how it’s done. These world class ladies finished well inside the top 10.

📷 Barry Lewin

08/07/2024

08/07/2024

KZN North Coast shows off great conditions for the Engen Ballito Downwind title

With a selection of the province’s top competitive paddlers taking to the Indian Ocean on Sunday, 7 July, the 2024 Engen Ballito Downwind was always going to be a hotly contested tournament. But in the end, it was East London brothers, Matthew and Joshua Fenn, who took top honours in the doubles surfski race from Blythedale to Tiffany’s beaches. Husband-and-wife team from the KZN North Coast, Hank and Pippa McGregor, took the mixed doubles title, coming 2nd overall just minutes behind the winners, while fellow North Coasters Saskia Hockly and Christie Mackenzie took the ladies' title.

This epic contest forms part of the Ballito Pro Presented by O’Neill festival programme which brought non-stop entertainment to KwaDukuza visitors from 25 June to 8 July. Some 53 competitors started at Blythedale Beach at noon, finishing at Tiffany’s Beach 18.5kms north with the prizegiving ceremony hosted at Canelands Hotel. Organisers South Africa Surf Ski partnered with The Ballito Pro for the event, with new title sponsor, Engen Ballito and perennial surfski sponsors, the Pumpsmiths, supporting the event.

Speaking on behalf of the winning team, Matthew Fenn said: “The race went really well. We were blessed with more wind than the forecast predicted so we had a lovely downwind. The competition was fun, we struggled to get rid of Hank and Pippa early on in the race, they were strong from the start and got out through the surf nice and clean, and it was good fun dicing them in the early stages. It’s a beautiful stretch of coastline to paddle and we really enjoyed it. Josh was super strong the whole way, I had a lot of fun in the back trying to stay with him.”

Commenting after the prizegiving ceremony, Barry Lewin, Event Organiser, said: “It was great to see so many paddlers take part in the event with guys coming from as far as Pietermaritzburg, Scottburgh, East London, and Richards Bay. Conditions were amazing with a beautiful wind, which is what the event aims for. There were lots of big smiles on the faces of the competitors. It’s great to have local businesses backing the event with Engen Ballito, the Pumpsmiths, and South African Surfski sponsoring.”

The surprise contenders on the day were Ballito power paddling couple, Hank and Pippa McGregor, both respected paddlers with a number of wins together. Multiple World Champion, Hank, also said the day’s conditions were fantastic for the race:

“The conditions turned on to be perfect. Barry waited for the perfect opportunity, the wind was building in the morning and a midday race was perfect. There was a small swell and great downwind conditions. My wife, Pippa paddled really well and we finished second overall against the Fenn brothers. Winning the Mixed Doubles was a tough competition with the likes of Matthew Bouman and Michelle Burn, and the Mansons, so we were really happy to pull off the title in this fantastic event. Thanks to all the sponsors and I look forward to next year’s race.”

One-half of the Ladies’ Division winners, Saskia Hockly, said despite initial weather predictions, it was a great race: “The forecast on Saturday night made it look like a slog of a paddle but we were happily surprised the ocean was spotted with white and running nicely. After navigating a bit of a challenging launch, Christie and I headed deep to make the most of what was on offer. There were some fabulous runs to race against and we hit some good speeds! We cruised down the coast to Tiffany’s where we came in nice and cleanly and overall, I enjoyed every second of the race. Barry always puts on such fantastic events and is always utilising the best stretches of coastline in our province, giving us paddlers a mixture of courses to enjoy throughout the season.”

2024 Engen Ballito Downwind Results

Men’s Division
1st Matthew and Joshua Fenn (1:03:00.16)
2nd Luke Nisbet and Brent Chiazzari (1:07:57.34)
3rd Gal Marks and Keegan Vogt ( 1:11:24.93)
4th Marco Magni and Vernon Vogt (1:11:50.95)
5th Lee Furby and Barry Painting (1:13:27.67)
6th Ty Haynes and Troy Jacobs (1:16:15.76)
7th Bryce Hatton and Marc Stanton (1:16:33.78)
8th Brad and Chris Allan (1:17:11.40)
9th Jayden Van Rensburg and Senzo Ngcobo (1:20:17.62)
10th Clint Pretorius and Mark Jason (1:22:22.51)

Mixed Doubles Division
1st Hank and Pippa McGregor (1:05:03.14)
2nd Michelle Burn and Matthew Bouman (1:08:23.15)
3rd Bevan and Carol Manson (1:15:18.91)
4th Brendon Waters and Mikaila Brown (1:16:40.35)
5th Shaine and Julia McAlister (1:18:08.94)
6th Dirk Barnard and Stacey Lee Pretorius (1:31:40.72)
7th Wilma Deyzel and Keith Bennett (1:32:34.48)

Ladies Division
1st Saskia Hockly and Christie Mackenzie (1:12:46.12)
2nd Jenna Nisbet and Bridgette Hartley (1:19:49.65)
3rd Lyn Bennett and Clair Spring (1:37:25.16)