J-Bay: South Africa's surf mecca missing out on global tour

J-Bay: South Africa's surf mecca missing out on the global tour

This year, though, J-Bay is missing out on the international spotlight after the World Surf League (WSL) abruptly pulled the South African stopover from its 2026 Championship Tour. It is a blow for the otherwise humble Eastern Cape town of 30 000 inhabitants, which made an occasion of an event that booked out its accommodation and, by one estimate, brought in millions of dollars. “It is a big financial loss for all the small businesses in Jeffre…

J-Bay: South Africa's surf mecca missing out on global tour

The celebrated waves off Jeffreys Bay secured the town a spot on a world surfing tour that for years drew the sport’s biggest names to this remote corner of South Africa almost every July. This year, though, J-Bay is missing out on the international spotlight after the World Surf League (WSL) abruptly pulled the South African stopover from its 2026 Championship Tour. ‘Big financial loss’ It is a blow for the otherwise humble Eastern Cape town of…