The 2026 Vic Bay Quad in memory of John Pfaff will take place at Victoria Bay near George from June 12th to 14th
Surfers representing five Districts will be competing in the annual Vic Bay Quad which gets under way at Victoria Bay near George on Friday June 12th and ends on Sunday June 14th.
This unique event was introduced onto the South African surfing calendar in 1976 by John Pfaff, the first Chairman of what was then known as South Western Districts Surfing Association, and over the years has become one of the most iconic surfing contests on the South African surf contest calendar.
Although the Vic Bay Quad was first held 50 years ago, only 30 editions have been held over the last five decades. It is now known as the Vic Bay Quad in memory of John Pfaff.
The Vic Bay Quad involves teams from the Western and Eastern Cape and many of the country’s legendary surfers have competed and still compete in the three day contest which is as popular today as it was back in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s.
Hosted by Eden Surfriders, supported by George Tourism and managed by Surfing South Africa, the Vic Bay Quad is not only as competitive as any other major event on the calendar but also retains its original mantra of camaraderie and social interaction.
This year over 90 surfers will compete in eight divisions ranging from the Open group to those surfers who are Over 60.
In the Open Men’s Division, Loghann Tilsley of Cape Winelands will be back to defend his 2025 title while recent Tigers Milk Winter Classic winner, Paul Sampson of Cape Town Surfriders will be hoping to add another gold medal to his tally. Former SA Champion Joshe Faulkner of Nelson Mandela Bay Surfriders, recent SA Masters Champion Tyrell Johnson and highly rated Buffalo City Surfriders teammate Dan Emslie head up a quality field in this division.
WSL campaigner Natasha Van Greunen, Cape Winelands teammate Anastasia Venter, 2026 SA Junior team members Emily Jenkinson of Cape Town Surfriders, Camilla Heuer and Jasmine Venter of Buffalo City are the ones to watch in the Open Women’s Division.
2013 ISA World Champion Shaun Joubert and Eden Surfriders teammate Forrest Hair, are the pick in the Over 30 Men’s Division while talented and multiple SA Champion Roxy Davis of Cape Town Surfriders, stands out in the Over 30 Women’s group.
Keegan Nel of Buffalo City and Vic Bay Quad stalwart Craig Johnson of Cape Town Surfriders are the standouts in the Over 35 division while among the O40 competitors Tyrell Johnson and the Eden Surfriders Van Rensburg brothers have immense Vic Bay knowledge and should do well. Local legend and former SA Champion Sean Holmes and Eden Surfriders teammates David Pfaff and Lu Whittaker bring huge local knowledge in the Over 45 division and one of these three is sure to win gold.
Former Vic Bay Quad Champion Charlie Reitz of Eden and 1998 ISA World Big Wave Champion Cass Collier of Cape Town Surfriders along with Graeme Field of Buffalo City head up the Over 50 Division while Michael Burness of Nelson Mandela Bay will be hoping to add a Vic Bay Quad gold medal to the one he received as the winner of 2026 Over 60 SA Masters Championships in Seal Point recently
In 2025 Cape Winelands Surfriders won the beautiful John Pfaff Team Trophy for the first time in the history of this event, beating 2024 champions and hosts Eden Surfriders into second place. Cape Town Surfriders were third with Nelson Mandela Bay Surfriders and Buffalo City Surfriders taking fourth and fifth place respectively.
The heat draw for all the divisions is available on www.liveheats.com/surfingsouthafrica
Liveheats shows who will be competing in every division, gives a contest schedule for the three days of competition and enables the public to follow live scoring throughout the contest.
ENDS.
Compiled by Robin de Kock
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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.
Surfing South Africa is responsible for the development of the sport, the hosting of National tournaments, the sanctioning of all International 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.
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