---
title: "Top lifesavers compete at national championships in Gqeberha"
description: "The South African National Lifesaving Championships in Gqeberha brings together top athletes from across the country to compete in a range of surf and beach disciplines. The event highlights the skill, endurance and teamwork required in lifesaving, while also promoting water safety awareness along South Africa’s (SA’s) coastline."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "IN PICTURES"
author: "Daily Maverick Photo Team"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/photo-team/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-02-top-lifesavers-compete-at-national-championships-in-gqeberha/"
published: "2026-04-02T11:56:03"
updated: "2026-04-02T14:11:26"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 329
---

# Top lifesavers compete at national championships in Gqeberha

> The South African National Lifesaving Championships in Gqeberha brings together top athletes from across the country to compete in a range of surf and beach disciplines. The event highlights the skill, endurance and teamwork required in lifesaving, while also promoting water safety awareness along South Africa’s (SA’s) coastline.

By Daily Maverick Photo Team · Published 2 April 2026, 13:56 SAST · Updated 2 April 2026, 16:11 SAST

## Key points
- Top athletes from across South Africa gather in Gqeberha for the National Lifesaving Championships.
- The competition showcases diverse surf and beach lifesaving disciplines, emphasizing skill and endurance.
- The event serves as a platform to promote water safety awareness along South Africa’s coastline.
- Witness the battle of the best as they highlight teamwork and athleticism in lifesaving sports.

## Content

![Photo Essay-Lifesaving Champs](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/hOQfRH_IV5pH34YH8ninmLJnC0E=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/DailyMaverick-2_156213.jpg)

*Competitors in the Junior Women Double Surfski race are marshalled before their start during the 2026 DHL South African National Lifesaving Championships held in Gqeberha on 31 March. (Photo: Halden Krog)*

![Photo Essay-Lifesaving Champs](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/WDMdJOnh-hWRRt2nVp6JpKO5syo=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/DailyMaverick-05_723000.jpg)

*Competitors in the Women’s U17 Iron Women race get ready on the start line during the 2026 DHL South African National Lifesaving Championships on 30 March. (Photo: Halden Krog)*

![Photo Essay-Lifesaving Champs](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/IG2vZ0bQ34-Bb2s9Xu41nqlMKwI=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/DailyMaverick-04_363951.jpg)

*Jessie Allott (right) from Clifton Lifesaving Club leads the Women’s U19 Run Swim Run event ahead of Ellen Strydom from Fish Hoek during the 2026 DHL South African National Lifesaving Championships in Gqeberha. (Photo: Halden Krog)*

![Photo Essay-Lifesaving Champs](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/nViA8W-a61AeKykoZS7omt1EtiQ=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/DailyMaverick-07_514479.jpg)

*Fish Hoek Surf Livesaving Club (left) and Durban Surf Lifesaving Club (right) race for the finish line during the Male U17 Board Relay in the 2026 DHL South African National Lifesaving Championships. (Photo: Halden Krog)*

![Photo Essay-Lifesaving Champs](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/kZFGFC_ccSgjJ2RIFKuy9m34cMI=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/DailyMaverick-08_924397.jpg)

*Isabella Strydom from Fish Hoek Lifesaving Club grits her teeth as she races to take the Women’s U17 Surfski race in Gqeberha on 30 March. (Photo: Halden Krog)*

![Photo Essay-Lifesaving Champs](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/s-Wjh-UJYeykX4f-AkrCiMb1roU=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/DailyMaverick-13_692075.jpg)

*Boat teams race each other out into the bay during the 2026 DHL South African National Lifesaving Championships in Qgeberha on 30 March. (Photo: Halden Krog)*

![Photo Essay-Lifesaving Champs](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/Wo85DtjebOjc46nbFqAmBL72NnQ=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/DailyMaverick-03_814050.jpg)

*The finish judge watches surfski competitors head out through the course during the Junior Women’s Double Surfski event at the 2026 DHL South African National Lifesaving Championships on 31 March. (Photo: Halden Krog)*

![Photo Essay-Lifesaving Champs](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/SMeSV8uElaAe0ADOHf9wALqgZPw=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/DailyMaverick-12_791994.jpg)

*Riziki Magotsi (left) and Nina Watts (right) from Clifton Surf Lifesaving Club challenge each other for the flag in the U17 Women’s Flag event on 30 March. (Photo: Halden Krog)*

![Photo Essay-Lifesaving Champs](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/y0WWNVCdzdwwUGhb6dqRF8XEwIg=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/DailyMaverick-11_812379.jpg)

*Miya Krog and Emma Neethling exhausted after the U17 Iron Women event during the 2026 DHL South African National Lifesaving Championships on 30 March 2026. (Photo: Halden Krog)*

![Photo Essay-Lifesaving Champs](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/HfQ1Pfrtj-HBNqj_hnO1Rf03juY=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/DailyMaverick-09_143043.jpg)

*Waris Mills and Rosie Edwards celebrate a win in the Open Women’s Board Rescue event in Gqeberha on 30 March. (Photo: Halden Krog)*

![Photo Essay-Lifesaving Champs](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/L1t8ek0YwWDgJatUREBjj9SnQOg=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/DailyMaverick-06_966365.jpg)

*Competitors and their rescue boards line the beach after a hotly contested board race during the 2026 DHL South African National Lifesaving Championships held on 30 March. (Photo: Halden Krog)*