Lifesaving World Championships 2026 · Nelson Mandela Bay

The world's lifesavers are coming to Gqeberha.

From late November, thousands of lifesavers from around the world race on King's Beach and in the Newton Park pool. It's the biggest event in our sport, it hasn't been in South Africa for more than thirty years, and it's happening in our own water. Here's what it is, why it matters, and how to be part of it.

When25 Nov – 13 Dec 2026
First racingSun 29 Nov
WhereKing's Beach & Newton Park
Expected3,500+ athletes
Start here

Lifesaving is three jobs in one

Most people only see the red-and-yellow flags. Behind them is a movement that's been going in South Africa since 1913, and it does three different things, mostly with volunteers.

Patrol

Volunteer lifeguards watch beaches and pools on weekends and holidays, doing rescues, first aid and the quiet work of moving swimmers out of rip currents before anything goes wrong. Every active member owes duty hours to their club.

Prevention

WaterSmart teaches children how to stay safe near water, with a big push into inland communities where drowning rates are high and beaches are far away. It's the cheapest rescue there is.

Sport

The competitions grew out of training. Racing through surf, carrying a manikin, sprinting for a beach flag: it's all a rescue skill made into a race. Nippers start at seven; masters keep going into their seventies.

1,500–2,700people drown in South Africa every year
R18of social and economic value for every R1 spent on lifesaving
1.2m+children reached by WaterSmart
111,000+lifeguards trained since LSA began

Sources: LSA Strategic Plan 2026–2032 (Annexure 1E); return on investment from the PKF Velocity analysis (2025) cited in it.

The championships

What the Worlds actually are

The Lifesaving World Championships are run by the International Life Saving Federation every two years. It's really several championships stacked on top of each other: national teams, where each country sends its best, and interclub events, where clubs (yours included, if it enters) race in open, youth and masters age groups, plus surf boats.

The 2026 event was meant for Agadir in Morocco. In August 2025 the ILS moved it to Nelson Mandela Bay after Morocco said its new pool wouldn't be finished in time. That gave South Africa about sixteen months to prepare for an event that normally takes years to plan.

Race weeks

Fifteen days of racing

Teams register from 25 November. Racing runs from 29 November to 13 December, with the opening ceremony on King's Beach on 2 December. The national team championships, the headline event, run from 2 to 6 December.

King's Beach (ocean and beach)Newton Park pool (incl. SERC)National teams● Opening 2 Dec · Closing 13 Dec

Source: LWC 2026 Overall Programme v11 (20 July 2026). The programme can change; check lifesaving2026.com before you travel.

If you've never watched it

What you'll see

Every race is based on a real rescue skill. A quick guide so you know what's happening when you get to the beach or the pool.

King's Beach · ocean
Surf race, board, ski
Out through the waves, round the buoys, back to the sand. Same course, three ways of getting there: swimming, paddling a board, paddling a surf ski.
Oceanman and Oceanwoman
All four legs — swim, board, ski and a beach run — in one race. The event that tends to decide reputations.
Rescue tube and board rescue
Pairs: one plays the patient out at the buoy, the other brings them in. Fast, messy, and the closest thing to a real patrol.
King's Beach · sand
Beach flags
Lie face down, facing away. On the whistle, turn, sprint 20 metres and dive for a baton. There's always one fewer baton than competitors. Knockout rounds until one person is left.
Beach sprint and relay
Flat-out running on soft sand. Harder than it looks.
Surf boats
Crews of four rowers and a sweep steering a fibreglass boat through the break. A crowd favourite.
Newton Park pool
Obstacle swim
200 m with underwater obstacles to get under.
Manikin carry
Swim, dive, pick up a water-filled manikin (a full-size torso and head) and carry it to the wall, keeping its face out of the water.
Line throw
Throw a rope to a teammate 12 m away and pull them in. Done in seconds.
Pool · SERC
Simulated Emergency Response
Teams of four walk into a scene they've never seen, with several "casualties" played by actors. They get two minutes to sort out who needs what, and judges score every decision. No times, no splashing for show. It's the purest test of being a lifeguard.
Team South Africa

Who's racing for us

South Africa is sending four national squads of six (Open men, Open women, Youth men, Youth women), plus coaches and managers. The team is up for ratification at the LSA AGM on 31 October.

Open men

  • Joshua Fenn
  • Hayden Hemmens
  • Javin Presence
  • Matthew Coetzer
  • Samuel Booysen
  • Tyne van Achterbergh

Open women

  • Nicola Harcus
  • Georgia Singe
  • Keira van Heerden
  • Sasha Lee Hemmens
  • Savannah Voigt
  • Zoe Beresford

Coaches

  • Dean Marais · head coach
  • Andrew Crook · surf
  • Sean Carew · beach, S&C
  • Lynette van Rensburg · head pool
  • Lauren Allott · pool

Management

  • Jill Fortuin · team manager
  • Paul Lynch · surf manager
  • Garth Bruwer · pool manager

The Youth squads are mostly under 18, so we haven't listed them by name here. Look out for LSA's official team announcement.

Source: AGM agenda item 12.8.1.

Why it matters

More than a sports event

  • Our sport, in front of the world. Home crowds, home water, and a national team that doesn't have to fly halfway round the world. For a lot of young South African lifesavers it's the only Worlds they'll ever race at.
  • Money for the Bay. Local reporting puts the boost to Nelson Mandela Bay's economy at about R350 million, from teams, families and supporters filling hotels and restaurants for three weeks.
  • Better facilities. The Newton Park pool has been upgraded to international standard, and the city is working on lighting and facilities along the beachfront. That stays after everyone goes home.
  • The Olympic question. Lifesaving is pushing to be included at the Brisbane 2032 Olympics. Running a world championship well is the kind of thing that builds a federation's case.
The hard part

It's been a scramble

Pulling this off at short notice hasn't been easy, and it's better members hear it plainly.

  • The budget was rebuilt from scratch. The first event budget, about R40.8m, was found to be unfundable. After the organising committee was restructured in August 2026, it was cut to R14.75m. It still showed a deficit of about R1.9m, with around R2.1m of extra income identified that could close the gap.
  • Some funding isn't signed yet. A R3.6m contribution approved in principle by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is being left out of the plan until there's a signed agreement.
  • The venues were still being finished in October. Mid-October reports had pool repairs, scoreboards and touchpads, and beachfront toilets and lighting still in progress. The city says it will be ready.

None of that is a reason to stay away. It's a reason to turn up: volunteers, clubs and supporters are what make an event like this work.

Sources: LSA Director of Finance report (AGM Annexure 1G); Daily Maverick, 18 October 2026.

Be part of it

Four ways in

Go and watch

Get down to King's Beach

The beach events are the easiest to watch: find a spot on the sand. The national team ocean finals are on 5 and 6 December, and the interclub open ocean finals close the event, 11 to 13 December. Check lifesaving2026.com for spectator details and the latest programme.

Volunteer

Offer your hands

An event this size runs on volunteers: water safety, marshals, technical officials, logistics. If you're a qualified lifeguard or official, you're exactly who they need. Ask LSA head office or your province whether they need help.

headoffice@lifesaving.co.za031 312 9251
Your club

Race or host

Ask your club captain whether it has entered. If you're not racing, clubs near the Bay can help visiting teams with training space, gear and local knowledge.

Afterwards

Keep the momentum

The real test is whether more kids join a club in January. Bring someone to Nippers. And keep an eye on how the event's finances land; they'll be reported to members.

Official event site: lifesaving2026.com →

Also this month

The LSA AGM is on Saturday 31 October

The national team for the Worlds is ratified there, alongside a new constitution, the accounts and the elections. Our five-minute guide covers what's on the table.

Read the AGM guide →

Sources
  1. ILS, 2026 Lifesaving World Championships: location update (August 2025)
  2. ILS, LWC 2026 programme announcement (October 2025)
  3. LSA, LWC 2026 Overall Programme v11 (July 2026)
  4. LSA, Lifesaving World Championships 2026
  5. Daily Maverick, Lifesaving world champs put Nelson Mandela Bay to the test (18 October 2026)
  6. LSA 24th AGM papers: Agenda, Annexure 1E (Strategic Plan) and 1G (Director of Finance report)