Profile: Paul Botha

Paul Botha, 69, is a veteran watersports promoter who has operated at the highest levels of local and international surfing administration for the past four decades. A committed surfer since 1959, Paul has ridden waves in more than 30 countries. He has founded and / or run 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 since 1986, Paul has long established contacts in the vast majority of countries in which surfing is practised and, through his company Life’s a Beach Communications, owns arguably one of the world’s most extensive databases of surfing and watersports promoters, local and international media, industry personnel and surfers.

In recent years Paul has used his organisational and promotional skills to branch into the the holistic health field (Celebrate Life Festival) and to produce motivational and inspirational programmes that encourage South African youth to become entrepreneurs (Pride Factor)

 

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

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

2015 — Present          Independent on Saturday – Author of weekly surfing column

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

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

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

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

2007 – Present         Kahuna Promotions – Co-founder & GM

2006 – Present         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 – Present          Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) / WSL Africa Media Manager

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

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 (for Billabong)

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 – Co-founded, 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 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 SA’s longest running international 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 body 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 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 a dozen 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