Port Alfred surfing veteran, Warwick Heny, powered his way to the SA Masters over-50 title with an outstanding finals heat at the SA Masters Surfing Championships held at Long Beach, in Kommetjie, Cape Town at the weekend.
The three-day competition showcased the country’s top veteran surfers who fought it out for the various age division titles on offer.
Heny who has Springbok colours for surfing, is a member of the Kowie Boardriders club whose chairperson, Mickey Wittuhn, managed the Buffalo City Surfriders to the team title at the championships.
Heny ended up with an impressivr 9.60 ride for two big backhand waves in the final, backed up with a 6.80 for a huge 16.40 heat total.
Gary van Wieringen (team Ugu) fought back tenaciously and got close, but couldn’t do enough to slip into the top slot and ended up second, with Wayne Monk (Buffalo City) and Graeme Field (Buffalo City) in the minor positions.
“I’m very happy indeed … it’s a national event. I’ve never won a title despite surfing as a youngster through all the different age groups … then with a family and kids I had to take a break of course and came back. I have surfed in a few finals, so yeah, this is a happy moment indeed,” said Heny.
Heny said the final was a tough battle in “big” Long Beach surf on the final day on Sunday as he was competing against some of the top Masters surfers.
“Wayne Monk was in the final and another chap from East London; in fact, there were three Buffalo City surfriders surfers in the final and former Springbok, Gary van Wieringen. I managed to get the right waves with more scoring potential … things went right for a change and the win was very special.
“The conditions changed a lot; it was flat as a lake on the second day and on finals day we had a new swell … the waves were big. This is a left-hand break and I surf with my left foot forward with my back to the wave, so it was quite good. There is also a difficult shore break which smashes you in to the sand if you are not careful but it all went ok.”
Heny says East London-based Buffalo City surfriders are dominating the team aspect of the sport and for good reason.
“They have a very strong surfing culture … several legends of the sport are from there, coaching the kids and youngsters. And between them they have won more SA titles than anyone else. Wayne Monk has won seven, Greg Emslie 15 and Dave Malherbe 14. They are also one of the strongest provinces financially when it comes to surfing,” he added.
Buffalo City surfers had the shorebreak wired, with goofy-footer, Malherbe, winning the over-60 division with a few cracks on the inside, followed by Garth Sepp who won the over-55s giving him back-to-back SA Masters titles.
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This article was first published in Talk of the Town, October 23, 2025. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays
