The 2026 Sea Harvest Cape Crown wrapped up in spectacular fashion on Sunday after three days of competitive junior surfing, challenging conditions, a building swell and a picture-perfect Finals Day in Kommetjie.
Over ninety junior athletes took part in the tenth edition of this SA Junior Surf Tour (SAST) event which ran from Friday September 11th to Sunday September 13th.
The event was presented by Surfing South Africa with the assistance of Cape Town Surfriders in their capacity as the Host District.
2026 is an important milestone for Sea Harvest who is celebrating 10 years of its partnership Surfing South Africa.
The event got underway in strong offshore winds and contestable three-foot waves and Day two provided the competitors with similar conditions. As the day progressed the swell built and the offshore wind began to back off giving the competitors the opportunity to enjoy excellent surf through the middle and latter part of the day.
The final day of competition delivered everything competitors could have hoped for. Light winds, pristine conditions, beautiful weather and a solid swell greeted finalists in the U12, U14, U16, U18 and the special Super Groms Finals, while a crowded beachfront created a fantastic atmosphere.
Apart from the R35000 in prizemoney that is paid out to the finalists in every SAST event, Lifestyle Surf Shop introduced an innovative Cash for Heats initiative which saw every heat winner receiving R50 cash on the spot. This meant that the more heats a surfer won the more money they were able to take home. Close to R5000 was handed directly to the individual heat winners during the event.
The 10th edition of the Sea Harvest Cape Crown also saw the memorable introduction of the special SUPER GROMS division which gave Under 8 and Under 10 surfers the opportunity to take on the Kommetjie swell in a straight final. For these little competitors, the emphasis was on courage, fun and giving the youngest generation of surfers their own moment in the competition arena.
Adding to the occasion, the Super Groms were able to have a parent join them in the water as caddies, creating some very special family moments. A special part of the day belonged to Olympic and World Surfing Champion Jordy Smith, who acted as a caddy for his son Ziggy. Multiple South African Longboard Champion, Thomas King was his son Koa’s caddy, while Jack Stringer had his father Grant alongside him. Then there was young Thomas Mandel, who decided he didn’t need a caddy at all.
The Super Groms proved that while they may have been the smallest competitors at the Sea Harvest Cape Crown, they certainly weren’t short on courage.
The 2026 Sea Harvest Cape Crown was supported by Lifestyle Surf Shop, Island Tribe and Open Plan Pictures who produced the livestream for the event.
The Cape Crown is part of the annual SA Junior Surf Tour (SAST). All competitors earn ratings points with the finalists in each division winning a share of the R35000 prizemoney.
The results of every heat and the Finals can be viewed 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
Robin de Kock
0824541149
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