About Paul Botha

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