We Bodyboard is proud to announce partnership in the Tand Invitational 2024! This year is set to be one of the sickest competitions of recent years, read below why you CANNOT miss this event:-

Rider: Robbie Berman – Photo: Tsevi Rosenthal

As the first of the el Nino storms unleash on the Southern Ocean, the world’s focus shifts down south as mystical places like Dungeons, Skeleton Bay and Tand come to life, roaring into Instagram feeds all over the world. Winter is coming and this means it’s time for the 2024 Tand Invitational, set to run this year at that remote slab near Titiesbaai, up the Cape West Coast. With a month-long window period, all eyes will be on the charts for July when the gnarliest day will be selected to pit a bunch of crazy bodyboarders against one another for a big payday and the prestige of taking home the title.

World bodyboarding is currently in a revival of sorts, with a shift back to the core values of the sport being amplified through the growth in social media. World-class events that set themselves apart from the routine are leading the way in all genres of extreme sport. The world wants to see only the best athletes, battling it out at the premier waves. For the first time in many years, we are seeing the event in Australia, the Shark Island Challenge run again, and like Tand, it’s an independent core bodyboarding event—big moves, in big waves, over shallow slabs, for big money. Soon we might be seeing another independent event hosted at the home ground of the sport, the Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii, a location that has been sorely missed off the world tour the last couple of years.

Rider: Hankus Loubser – Photo: Craig Kolesky

For the first time in the history of this prestigious event, some of the sport’s biggest names have thrown their money into the hat and signed up to compete. There is no bigger name in the sport than Mike Stewart. The Hawaiian is considered the GOAT of bodyboarding and is cemented into the sport’s history. From the 80’s poster era to the current Instagram influencer era, Mike has remained as current, competitive, and consistent as ever. All things considered, at the age of 60, he is still able to give the boys a solid run for their money.

The allure of a visit to the dentist has finally paid off for South African sports fans, as Mike is not coming alone. Joining him in this year’s lineup is Maui’s high-flying Jacob Romero. The bodyboarder with the infectious smile will be making his second trip to South Africa. Internationally respected for his positive energy and powerful surfing, many fans of the sport will be frothing to see the innovative Hawaiian perform in African slab perfection. Tand is perfect for JROM, and everybody hopes he brings his air game.

The 3rd international invite has been accepted by Italy’s underground big wave hellman, Simone Macera. The man from Livorno, a city on the Tyrrhenian Sea in Toscana, Italy, has earned his reputation as a fearless XXL rider by taming some monstrous waves at Nazaré in Portugal. He has set his sights now on taking on a whole new beast of a wave, in the form of the hard-hitting right-hander known as Tand.

Rider: Sacha Specker – Photo: Craig Kolesky

The Tand Invitational is not your average bodyboarding event as it’s not open to the general public to enter. It’s an invitational, and riders are selected by accepting a converted invite. To earn a name on the list you either have to have secured a win in last year’s event, put in the time at Tand, or have performed well on the local competition scene that is hosted around the country, and if sponsorship allows, the world. It also helps if you have a reputation as a bit of a hellman, known for a fearless approach to shallow slabs and big, heavy waves that want to bodyslam you onto the reef below. 

This year the South African contingent is led by a multiple world champion and currently one of South Africa’s top athletes, Tristan Roberts. Fresh off a win in South America, the contest machine is currently firing on all cylinders and will be pulling no punches going after the crown currently held by Wesley Coetzee. The quiet charger from the South Coast of Kwa Zulu Natal, will not go quietly into the night and will be bringing his A-Game in what is proving to be a title defense of a lifetime.

Wesley will be joined in the lineup by the 2024 Cape Town Pro champion, Hankus Loubser, the 2023 Walker Bay Pro winner, Benji Oliver, and the current SA Champ Aden Kleve. IBC World Tour contender and 3rd place at last year’s event, Robbie Berman is back again this year and is joined by a couple of local bodyboarding legends in the form of Mark MacCarthy, Sacha Specker, and Rupert la Grange. All three of these gents are no strangers to Tand, or high-stakes competition, with Mark representing South Africa on the world tour for many years, and Sacha claiming the World Drop knee title back in 2012 at Pipeline in Hawaii.

Rider: Sacha Specker – Photo: Craig Kolesky

The wild card application process was a brand new addition to 2024. Bodyboarders from anywhere in South Africa had the chance to motivate the selection panel via Instagram with a short video that took the popular vote into account when considering the final draw. This year will see wildcard invites sent out to first-timers, John Caitlin and Dylan Muhlenberg. Luke Stainforth and Luke Bruton, who both competed in the 2023 event, secured the last two wildcards, thus rounding up the Tand Invitational 2024 lineup.

The Tand Invitational has, since its inception, been focusing on the environmental impact in and around the venue and does all it can to ensure that nothing is left behind and that the impact of our footprint on the day of the event is as small as possible. We firmly believe that we should look after our valuable resources and protect them at all costs.

The Tand Invitational has teamed up with Protect The West Coast as of 2024 to assist the team in creating more awareness and to raise funds for the Protect the West Coast Movement. The initiative speaks deeply to our passion for conservation and protecting our West Coast resources.

All the action will be live-streamed on YouTube again this year. The event aims to build on the miracle of 2023, where it was proved to be possible to run a successful live stream event in a remote location, far from traditional infrastructure. 2024 will have all angles covered in and out of the water.

Luke Bruton – Photo: Craig Kolesky

The 2024 Tand Invitational is proudly presented by Jack Black Brewing Co, along with Eagle Lighting, Jackery, Redbull, Fabricant, What Goes Around SA, Ryan Boon Meats, Urban Hippy, Traeger Grill, and KiffLab. Without this amazing local support, an event like this would never be a reality. The contest is open to the public to attend. Come down to Titiesbaai, meet the legends, both local and international, grab a coffee, and watch the action live from the rocks that line the amphitheater that is the Columbine Nature Reserve. It is an experience that needs to be ticked off the bucket list, and 2024 is going to be the biggest and best yet.

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