Profile: Paul Botha

Paul Botha, 70, is a former watersports promoter who operated at the highest levels of local and international surfing administration from 1977 to 2019. A committed surfer since 1959, Paul has ridden waves in more than 30 countries and founded and  / or operated many of the organisations that govern and promote the sport and the beach lifestyle, and has owned, managed and / or promoted many of its icon events.

A full time professional watersports promoter from 1986 until 2019, Paul had long established contacts in the vast majority of countries in which surfing is enjoyed and, through his company Life’s a Beach Communications, owned arguably one of the world’s most extensive databases of surfing and watersports promoters, local and international media, industry personnel and surfers.

He is now the General Manager of Pride Factor, an events and digital life-skills academy that addresses the scourge of unemployment by producing  motivational and inspirational programmes and guidance to encourage teenagers and young adults to become entrepreneurs.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

2014 — Present         Pride Factor (Pty) Ltd – General Manager for life skills academy created to improve the quality of life for teenagers and young adults by inspiring and guiding them to become entrepreneurs

2000 – Present         Life’s a Beach Communications – founder & GM

2018                       Awarded Honorary Life Membership of Surfing South Africa

2015 — 2018            Ballito Pro – Media Manager for WSL QS10,000 rated surfing event

2014 — 2018            J-Bay Open / Corona Open J-Bay – Regional Media Director for World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) event at Jeffreys Bay

2006 – 2019            International Surfing Association (ISA) – South African Media Director for World Surfing Games, Junior, Masters and SUP World  Champs events in California, Portugal, Costa Rica, Brazil, France, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, New Zealand, Nicaragua, China, USA, Japan and more

2004 – 2019            Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) / WSL Africa Media Manager

2015 — 2018               Independent on Saturday (Durban) – Author of weekly surfing column

2013 — 2015              Celebrate Life Festival – Event coordinator for Cape Town’s premier holistic health festival

2007 – 2018              Kahuna Promotions – Co-founder & GM

2007 – 2016              Earthwave Beach Festival – Co-founder & promoter

2005 – 2012              People’s Post –  Author of fortnightly View from the Beach column

1987 – 2011               Billabong Pro – Jeffreys Bay – Event coordinator / contest director / media director for the most prestigious and lucrative surfing event in Africa

2009                           Guinness World Record – Cape Town – Coordinator for  record setting 110 surfers on the same wave

2007                           Sunday Times Brand Awards – Best Brand Communicator – Teens (as PR for Billabong South Africa)

2006                           Khusa Awards for Teens – Best Experiential Events – Top 3 – Beach Africa + Billabong Pro + Red Bull Boxcart

2006                           Guinness World Record for ‘most surfers on a wave’ + Shark Debate – Cape Town – Co-founder & promoter

2004 – 2010              Kahuna Surfing Academy CC – Co-founder & GM – Introduced internationally recognised surf coaching curriculum to SA

2004                           ISA World Surfing Games – Ecuador – Global onsite media director

2003                           ISA World Junior Surfing Champs, Durban – Global media director for inaugural event

2002                           ISA World Surfing Games – Durban – Global media director

2001                           Oxbow ASP World Longboard Championships – J-Bay – Event coordinator & media director

2000 – 2005              Red Bull Big Wave Africa – Cape Town – Devekoped, ran and promoted SA’s premier big-wave surfing event

2000 – 2004              Mr Price Pro – International surfing event – Durban – Media director

1999 – 2000               Peninsula Tourism (Cape Town) – Executive Board member

1996                           Institute of Marketing Management (IMM) – Emergent Marketer of the Year (with Peter Burness) for Ocean Action beach festival -Durban

1995                            Greater Durban Marketing Authority – Valued Partner Award

1995 – 1997               Ocean Action beach festival – Cape Town – Founder & Convener

1992 – 1998               Ocean Action beach festival – Durban & Global – Co-founder and Sport & Media Director

1991                           United Surfing Council of SA (USCSA) – Facilitator & Chairman for unification talks that created the first non-racial governing body for surfing in SA

1988 – 1998               Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) International – Founded & ran Africa regional office

1988 – 1997               Gunston 500 – Durban – Event Coordinator and media director for the world’s longest running professional surfing event

1987 – 1998               Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) International  – Executive Board member

1987 – 2005             Association of Surfriding Officials (ASRO) – Co-founder & inaugural president for organisation providing all officials for wave-riding events in SA.

1987 – 1994               5FM Radio – Surfing Reporter for SA’s premier national radio station

1986 – 2000              Surfabout Watersport Promoters (Pty) Ltd – Founded and ran SA’s first professional watersports promotion company

1984 – 1987               Spur Steak Ranch Surfabout – Co-founder and event coordinator – first international professional surfing event staged in Cape Town

1984 – 1986              South African Surfing Association (SASA) – National Judging Coordinator

1983                             South African (Springbok) national surfing team – Coach

1979                            Swamis Toyota Pro-Am – coordinated and ran Cape Town’s first professional surfing event

1977 – 1986              Western Province Surfing Association (Cape Town) – Vice-Chairman and representative on the executive board of SA Surfing Association

1976, ’83, ’90, ’93, ’97, 2000, 2002 & 2004 –Western Province surfing champion in various age categories

Numerous awards for administration, promotion, media liaison & journalism

Published in dozens of books, scores of magazines, hundreds of newspapers and websites

More than 1 000 interviews on radio and TV as spokesman for events and the surfing lifestyle