Event hosts Eden Surfriders, reclaimed the coveted handmade John Pfaff Trophy with a top class team performance when they won the 30th edition of Vic Bay Quad in tough conditions at Victoria Bay, near George on Sunday June 14th
The local side posted a total of 34129 points with Buffalo City Surfriders taking second place with 33406 points. Nelson Mandela Bay Surfriders came third with 31943 points and 2025 Champions, Cape Winelands had to settle for fourth after scoring 31663 points. Cape Town Surfriders were fifth with 31607 points.
Buffalo City surfers took three of the titles on offer. Daniel Emslie won the Open Men’s Division, Keegan Nel added the Over 35 Vic Bay title to his victory in this division at the SA Masters Championships just a few weeks ago while Tyrell Johnson, the 2026 Over 40 SA Masters champion, added another Vic Bay Quad title to the many wins he has posted at Victoria Bay over the years.
Two titles went the way of Eden Surfriders with 2013 ISA World Champion Shuan Joubert winning gold in the Over 30 Division and former Vic Bay Quad Open Division winner, Llewellyn Whittaker winning the Over 45 final.
Cape Town Surfriders’ Emily Jenkinson continued her winning ways by adding another Vic Bay title to her name in the Open Women’s Division and her multi-talented teammate Roxy Davis, won the Over 30 Women’s division.
Marc Jackson of Nelson Mandela Bay Surfriders was crowned as the Over 50 Champion and Richard Heath of Cape Winelands won the Over 60 division.
The 2026 Vic Bay Quad in Memory of John Pfaff got under way on Thursday June 11th with an Opening Function hosted at Tiger’s Milk George and the gathering provided an opportunity for athletes, officials and friends to celebrate the spirit of this iconic event which was first held 50 years ago.
Day One of the three day contest delivered mellow, contestable waves and standout performances by Keegan Nel and Tyrell Johnson of Buffalo City and Mike Burness of Nelson Mandela Bay who posted two excellent rides in the clean conditions during his Round one heat.
Conditions changed dramatically overnight and surfers woke up on Day Two to waves in the 6–8 foot range, with some 9-foot sets. These tough conditions tested every competitor’s skill and experience in really challenging surf.
One of the competitors who stood out on Day Two was Open Men Quarter-Finalist Kyra Bennie of Cape Winelands. Bennie’s massive reentry in a huge close-out section earned him a well deserved 8 point wave score and had his teammates on their feet.
Two other surfers who conquered the huge surf with relative ease were Open Men’s Semi Finalists Max Elkington of Cape Town Surfriders and Daniel Emslie of Buffalo City. In his semi, Elkington posted a massive heat total of 19.17 points which included a perfect 10 point ride while fellow semi finalist and eventual Open Men’s Champion, Daniel Emslie produced a 9.33-point ride. This wave and a top heat score saw him through to the final despite the fact that his leash broke and he lost his board with less than five minutes remaining in the heat.
With conditions in the 3 – 5 foot range on the Final day, surfers in every division put on some outstanding performances. One of these was Shaun Joubert who posted a perfect 10-point ride in the Over 30 Men’s Final to secure a convincing victory while 2026 SA Junior Team member Emily Jenkinson was another standout, posting an excellent heat total of 17.50 points to take honours in the Open Women’s Final.
The Open Men’s Final provided a fitting conclusion to the Vic Bay Quad, with Daniel Emslie winning a tightly contested battle over runner up Brad Scott of Cape Town Surfriders.
Two special awards were introduced and presented at this year’s edition of the Vic Bay Quad. The John Pfaff Spirit Award was shared by Max Elkington and Dan Emslie after their amazing performances in huge surf on Day Two of the event while Mickey Witthuhn was presented with the Manager’s Award by Eden Surfriders Team captain Sean Holmes for his three decades of service as the Buffalo City Team Manager
The 2026 Vic Bay Quad was supported by George Tourism, presented and hosted by a highly the energetic and organised Eden Surfriders and managed by Surfing South Africa
All the heats and individual results of the Vic Bay Quad in memory of John Pfaff are available on Liveheats and can be found on www.liveheats.com/surfingsouthafrica
About Surfing South Africa
Surfing South Africa is the official National Federation for the sport of surfing in South Africa. SSA is a member of the South African Confederation of Sport and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and is recognised as the governing body by the National Department of Sport, Arts and Culture. (DSAC)
Surfing South Africa is responsible for the development of the sport, the hosting of National tournaments, the sanctioning of all International and National events and the selection of National teams in all the disciplines that are part of SSA.
SSA is a member of the African Surfing Confederation (ASC), Union of the Indian Oceans Surfing Federations (UIOSF) and the International Surfing Association (ISA), the World governing body for the sport.
ENDS
Compiled by Robin de Kock
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