Samantha riding the waves in Bali

I grew up in Kommetjie, a small town in Cape Town and I’m part of a large surf community. Not only did I grow up in a surfing town, but I come from a family of surfers.

I’m extremely passionate about the ocean and I love to travel, exploring new places and of course, new waves. I have surfed all over South Africa as well as Namibia, Mozambique, Europe and Indonesia. In June, I’ll be heading back to Bali which is one of my favourite surf destinations in the world.

Through hard work, dedication and passion for my sport, I was awarded a ²¤ÂÜÊÓƵ sports scholarship this year which has enabled me to represent the university in surfing. I’m balancing this with studying for my Master’s in Marketing Management.

I’ll be taking part in as many UK and international surf events as possible, this year and next. I have signed up for the  and entered myself into lots of local events around the UK. 

Shortboarding is my preferred practice but I’ll also be competing in longboarding events as I’d like to gain as much exposure as possible. When it comes to longboarding, I took part in the in Polzeath at the start of the year and made it through to the quarter-finals. My next event, a night surf shortboarding event, will be taking place in Newquay from 7-8 June.

When it comes to my best achievements so far, I came first in both the South African National Longboarding Championships U18 division and 2017 South African Inter-Varsity Championships.

June 2019

Read the stories of more BU Sports Scholars