Ironman & ironwoman
The ironman and ironwoman — oceanman and oceanwoman under ILS rules — is the sport's all-round race: one athlete does a swim leg, a board leg and a surf ski leg, then a run to the finish. In South Africa the order of the three water legs is drawn by ballot at the start of each competition day.
Ironman, ironwoman and iron nipper rules →
How it works
Athletes change from one leg to the next on the beach, with a handler from their team helping with the craft. The race finishes on the sand after the last leg.
U13 and U14 nippers race the iron nipper: a swim, a board leg and a run, in a fixed order. There is no iron nipper for younger age groups. See ironman, ironwoman and iron nipper rules.
Ironman & ironwoman in South Africa
360 ironman & ironwoman divisions on Flagline so far. Leaders, the top clubs, records and field sizes are on the stats page.
SA Champs 2025/26 · Gqeberha / Thembisa
| Age group | Women | Men | Mixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Sash H.Umhlanga RocksKendra D.Mandeville Dolphins | Joshua FennEast LondonLen-Douglas Mac KayKings Beach | – |
| U19 | Madison A.PiratesXanthe N. | Cody S.Fish HoekNeil H. | – |
| U17 | Caitlin R.Sienna G.Summerstrand | Samuel M.Fish HoekRuan F. | – |
| U15 | Morgan G.SummerstrandJanika W.Bloemfontein | Jaydon A.CliftonFC R. | – |
| Masters 30-34 | – | – | Carmel SadlerSummerstrand |
| Masters 35-39 | – | – | Alex NeuschBig Bay |
| Masters 40-44 | Eloise HorneFish Hoek | Jasper MockeFish Hoek | – |
| Masters 45-49 | Janine PrinsSummerstrand | Dawid MockeFish Hoek | – |
| Masters 50-54 | Tanya LivingstonUmhlanga Rocks | Bryan AllottClifton | – |
| Masters 55-59 | Heather CresswellFish Hoek | Guy MottramFish Hoek | – |
| Masters 60-64 | – | Rob SmithSummerstrand | – |
| Masters 65-69 | – | Graham HolmSummerstrand | – |
| Masters 70-74 | – | Andre van RooyenKings Beach | – |
| U14 | Sarah M.Fish HoekLemka Z. | Eddy H.MarinePieter V.Bloemfontein | – |
| U13 | Olivia C.ScottburghLienke B. | Esihle B.Mandeville DolphinsVidar B.Fish Hoek | – |
SA Inter-Provincials 2025/26 · Gqeberha
| Age group | Women | Men | Mixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Nicola HarcusWestern Cape | Wade B.Fish Hoek | – |
| U19 | Daniella H.Western Cape | Samuel M.Western Cape | – |
| U14 | – | – | Sarah M.Western Cape |
| U13 | – | – | Vidar B.Western Cape |
Sources
- Lifesaving South Africa — Competition Manual, 17th edition (November 2022)
- International Life Saving Federation — Competition Rule Book, 2025 edition (revised May 2026)
- Wikipedia — Surf lifesaving
Updated 29 September 2026. Spotted something wrong? Email hello@flagline.co.za.