Surfer's Guide to Surfing South Africa Contests All Ages 2025

Under the SSA Rulebook 2025 (Sections 1 and 2):

• Heats are 15 to 25 minutes, usually 20 minutes; repechage heats may be 15 minutes and finals may be 25 if the Contest Director approves. Heat times are published on Liveheats.
• Heats have up to four surfers, or five in the first round and repechage rounds.
• Best two waves count.
• At least 50% of surfers must advance from Round 1 and from Round 3 onwards; repechage (Round 2) may advance fewer in five-surfer heats.
• Surfers advance into the next round seeded by their place in the previous heat.
• If a heat seeded for three or more surfers has only two in it, it isn't surfed; places are given from the previous round or seeding.
• Finals are usually four surfers with at least two waves counting (some finals may be five-surfer or one-on-one). The last contest day always includes the finals.
• Surf must be at least 18 inches (0.5 m) to be contestable (with an allowance on the final scheduled day).

At national team events, a no-show in Round 1 is placed fourth in their heat, there are no redraws, and a reserve can replace a surfer only for a medically documented illness, with a medical certificate, no later than one hour before the first heat of that division.

Under the SSA Rulebook 2025 (Section 2.1):

• Horn or siren: one blast to start, two to finish. The heat ends when the first finishing blast is heard by the Head Judge; the siren takes precedence over the disc.
• Disc (at least 1 m square): green to start, red for the last five minutes, and neutral (no colour) at the end and between heats. If the siren fails, the disc is the timing signal.
• A visual and PA warning at five minutes to go, and the commentator gives a five-second countdown at the start and end of every heat.
• No time extensions once a heat has started. If a heat is interrupted, it resumes with the time that was left.

Getting to the line-up: for water starts you may paddle out to the marshalling area when there are at least five minutes left in the previous heat, staying clear of that heat. Don't paddle towards the line-up until the previous heat ends; entering the take-off area early can be penalised. The Contest Director is the only person who can give the official schedule.

Hand signals to the beach during a heat: one hand tapping the other wrist for time remaining; arms up vertically for priority; both arms out horizontally for the situation.

SSA uses the ISA judging criteria (SSA Rulebook 2025, Section 3).

• Each judge scores every wave from 0 to 10 in tenths. Panels have up to five judges.
• Your best two waves count; there's no maximum number of waves.
• For a wave to be scored, you must be clearly in possession of it and on the wave face, making a movement to stand with your hands off the rails. This also applies at the final horn.

Shortboard criteria: radical, controlled major manoeuvres in the critical sections with speed, power and flow. Judges look at commitment and degree of difficulty, innovative and progressive manoeuvres, combination of major manoeuvres, variety of manoeuvres, and speed, power and flow. The emphasis depends on the location and conditions on the day.

Longboard: controlled manoeuvres using the whole board and wave, with nose riding and footwork key. SUP: as for shortboard plus functional use of the paddle.

When heats are tabulated on paper, each judge's sheet gives a placing for every surfer, and the highest and lowest placings are dropped before the remaining placings are totalled.

All SSA events use a priority system (2, 3, 4 or 5-surfer, chosen by the Contest Director and Head Judge). Under the SSA Rulebook 2025:

• The surfer with priority has unconditional right of way and can paddle for and ride any wave. Others may ride the same wave and be scored, as long as they don't hinder the priority surfer's scoring potential or cross in front of or bottom-turn around them. Doing so is Interference Penalty 2.
• The Priority Judge shows priority with a coloured display matching the vest colours (top to bottom if vertical, left to right if horizontal). Once priority is set, it's your job to keep checking it.
• Before priority is established, the non-priority (inside position) rules apply.

How it's set at the start of a heat

• Two surfers: once the first wave is ridden, the other surfer gets priority.
• Three to five surfers: each surfer who rides a wave drops below those yet to ride. Once all but one have caught a wave, the surfer yet to catch one gets first priority, and the rest follow in the order they get back to the primary take-off zone.
• If two surfers seem to reach the take-off zone at the same time, priority goes to the one who didn't have the last priority.
• A surfer who arrives late gets a priority position decided by the Priority Judge.

Use arms raised vertically to ask the beach for your priority.

Under the SSA Rulebook 2025 (Section 4, Priority Rules):

You lose priority when you:

• ride a wave, or
• make a committed paddle for a wave and miss it.

In heats of more than two, you don't lose priority for a missed wave if you were paddling alongside a higher-priority surfer who caught it, or were blocked by a higher-priority surfer. The surfer in the last priority position who paddles and misses keeps that position unless their hands left the rails as they tried to stand, or they paddled outside the primary take-off zone. Any interference penalty also costs you priority.

Blocking with priority: you lose priority if you paddle in front of a non-priority surfer to stop them catching a wave, sit in the take-off zone to stop someone catching one, or use your priority to block when you had no intention to score. Deliberately blocking a lower-priority surfer outside the take-off zone in an unsporting way can bring Penalty 2.

Blocking without priority (events with a Priority Judge): a surfer with inside position who makes a committed paddle and blocks another, or sits in the take-off zone blocking someone, drops to lowest priority.

Other cases: leave the primary take-off zone and your priority is suspended until you return (if you don't return, you lose it). Ride a wave before the heat starts and you start on lowest priority. If your board breaks or a set washes you out, the Priority Judge can suspend and later restore your priority. All priority ends when the heat ends.

Under the SSA Rulebook 2025 (Section 4), in non-priority situations (including before priority is established), the surfer with the inside position has unconditional right of way for the whole ride. Judges decide who's inside based on whether the wave is a superior right or left, never on who stands up first (except at multiple peaks, below).

Hindering the right-of-way surfer's scoring potential, for example by excessive hassling or leash pulling, is interference (Penalty 1).

Under the SSA Rulebook 2025 (Section 4):

Paddling interference: a surfer paddling for the same wave mustn't excessively hinder the surfer with inside position. Penalty 1 may be called if the violating surfer:

• makes contact with the inside surfer, forcing them to change line while paddling and possibly losing scoring potential; or
• obviously causes a section to break down in front of the inside surfer that wouldn't normally have broken.

Snaking: the surfer furthest inside at take-off who has established right of way keeps the wave for the whole ride, even if someone takes off behind them. If the second surfer causes them to pull out or lose the wave, interference may be called on the second surfer (Penalty 1). If the second surfer doesn't hinder them, both rides may be scored.

Paddling out v riding (only if it affects the heat result):

• Paddler with no way to get out of the way: no penalty.
• Accidental collision or near miss: judges decide, considering safety and effort to avoid it (Penalty 1 if called).
• Paddler deliberately causes it: Penalty 2 on the paddler.
• Rider deliberately hits a paddler: Penalty 2 on the rider, plus possible further sanctions.

Hassling (at events with a Priority Judge): excessive hassling or blocking in the line-up drops you to lowest priority, and aggressive or unsporting behaviour can add Penalty 1 (or Penalty 2 if you hassle the surfer with priority).

Under the SSA Rulebook 2025 (Section 4, Priority Rule 11):

Which applies:

• Non-priority situation: Penalty 1.
• Priority situation: Penalty 2.
• At SSA events, interference that stops a surfer riding a potential scoring wave in the last five minutes: Penalty 3. If the judges decide it was intentional: disqualification.
• The ride on which you interfered (while paddling or riding) also scores zero.

Two interferences: you must leave the competition area immediately. Two non-priority interferences: Penalty 1 on both your best and second-best rides. One of each: Penalty 1 on your best ride and Penalty 2 on your second best. Two priority interferences: disqualified from the heat.

In non-priority heats, a surfer who is interfered with is allowed an additional wave beyond any wave maximum, within the heat time (not if it's a double interference). Penalties need a majority of the judges; the Head Judge calls it only if no majority is reached. An interference call can't be discussed with the judges.

Contest vests (SSA Rulebook 2025, Section 2.7): wear the official vest from when it's issued until you return it to the beach marshal after your heat (and at prizegiving if asked). You're responsible for wearing the right colour; if you don't and the judges can't tell your rides apart, you can't protest.

Technical infringements (maximum fines):

General infringements range from R1,000 (abusing your own equipment) and R1,500 (abusing contest equipment) to R2,000-R4,000 for unsporting conduct, R6,000 for abuse or swearing at officials or others, and R10,000, disqualification and suspension for assault.

The Contest Director may give a yellow card (suspended penalty) first; further infringements get the maximum (red card). Fines double each time another is imposed on the same person. At team events your district pays; in non-team events you (or your parent or guardian if you're 18 or under) pay, and you can't surf any contest until it's paid.

Under the SSA Rulebook 2025 (Section 2.9):

• You can protest a heat result for errors such as heat timing, interference or tabulating errors.
• The protest must be in writing on the official SSA Protest Form, handed to the Contest Director within 15 minutes of the heat result being published or announced. In team events it's lodged by the Team Manager or Team Coach; in non-team events by the surfer.
• The Contest Director decides after consulting the Head Judge and gives the decision in writing.
• No protest is allowed against a judging (scoring) decision, which is irrevocable. Don't approach judges about a call or result; you may be penalised.
• If paper scoring is used, you may look at the judges' and tabulator's sheets after your heat has been published, with your manager or coach present at national events.
• Scores called by the commentator can't be protested if they turn out wrong.
• Video review for interference or missed waves is only allowed if approved before the contest and every heat is filmed in full.

Contest Director penalties can be appealed to the SSA Board (national events) or the district Executive Committee (district events).

Under the SSA Rulebook 2025 (Sections 9 and 10):

Shark sighting in or near the competition area

• The horn is blown five times, surfers are told over the PA to leave the water immediately, followed by more horn blasts. Jet skis assist if available.
• The competition is suspended; if a heat was interrupted, the time, scores and priority are recorded.
• The competition area is closed for at least 20 minutes, and competition restarts only when safety officials and the Contest Director deem it safe.
• After a shark attack, competition is suspended for the day and until further notice; on the final day, the event is cancelled.

Dangerous surf or weather

• The Contest Director, Head Judge, Events Manager and Head Water Safety decide whether to suspend, reschedule or cancel. Suspension is the usual step; rescheduling or cancelling is a last resort.
• If a heat is stopped, the Head Judge pauses the clock and records priority. The heat restarts with exactly the time left and the same priority. A surfer who was out of the priority zone when it stopped but is in the line-up on restart gets priority in the order of who rode the last wave.

Heats are never extended. Only in exceptional cases (no surfer had a clear advantage, or conditions changed too much to judge on the same scale) may the whole heat be re-surfed.