History

Our Story

Earthwave began with a simple conversation on Muizenberg beach in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2005

After hearing that Bali had just broken the Guinness World Record for the most surfers riding a single wave simultaneously with 40 surfers, father and son duo, Dene Botha and Paul Botha, founder of Kahuna Promotions in South Africa, looked at each other and thought, "We can do that."

Later that year, they returned to Muizenberg Beach, Cape Town, rallied the local surf community and organised South Africa's first Earthwave. What was planned as a simple three-hour gathering attracted surfers, families and local businesses, culminating in a successful world record attempt with 70 surfers riding the same wave.

What nobody realised at the time was that they weren't just creating a world record attempt—they were creating a movement.

Beach Festival

The following year, Earthwave returned bigger and better. The event had grown into a full-day beach festival and the world record increased to 77 surfers. The momentum continued year after year, with the record climbing to 90, then 99, before reaching 110 surfers riding a single wave simultaneously in 2009 - a record that still stands today!

As the records grew, so did the festival!

What started as a three-hour community gathering evolved into one of South Africa's largest and most loved beach festivals. By its peak, Earthwave had become a two-day celebration of beach life, welcoming thousands of visitors and featuring surfing competitions, learn-to-surf sessions, tandem surfing, longboarding, stand-up paddleboarding, big wave surfing, beach volleyball, the World Touch Rugby Championships, live music, environmental initiatives, local artists, food vendors, family activities and a hugely popular after-party that had become a music festival in its own right.

Surfers travelled from across South Africa to take part. The event attracted celebrities, national media, newspaper front pages and international attention, establishing Earthwave as far more than a world record attempt—it had become a celebration of community, ocean culture and everything that makes life by the sea so special.

Our Next Chapter

The final South African Earthwave took place in 2015, leaving behind an incredible legacy and a generation of people who experienced the event.

Now, more than a decade later, Earthwave begins its next chapter.

Launching from Great Western Beach in Newquay, Cornwall, Earthwave is returning with the same spirit that inspired it back in 2005 - bringing people together through the ocean, celebrating surf culture, supporting local communities and creating unforgettable moments that inspire people of all ages.

The world record may have started the story…The community is what continues it.