A huge two days of competition has wrapped at Blacksmiths Beach, with the 2026 NSW Surf Life Saving Masters Championships, proudly presented by Your local club, wrapping up for another year.
Bondi Surf Bathers LSC emerged victorious once again, as they did last year, with North Bondi SLSC and Manly LSC rounding out the top three clubs on the point score.
Special mention also goes to Wamberal SLSC – fourth place for the NSW Central Coast club being a huge jump from 11th place this time last year.
In fact, three other Central Coast clubs finished inside the top 10 – The Lakes SLSC (sixth), Shelly Beach SLSC (seventh), and Terrigal SLSC (ninth) – and Redhead SLSC finished in eighth place as the highest ranked Hunter club.
Bondi amassed 19 gold medals and 63 overall across the carnival, six more than the next best, with Troy Stewart (40-44 Male Swim, Iron, Rescue Tube) and Jayson Lincoln (50-54 Male Beach Flags) chief among the golds. Lisa O’Donnell also won the 55-59 Female Rescue Tube race.
Neighbours, North Bondi also managed a huge haul of medals, and leant on strong performances from Eloise Starr, Miriam Salter, and Sophie Thomson (110+ Female Board Relay) as well as Matthew Jenkins and Jacob Mitchell (40-44 Male Double Ski).
Manly’s Rachel Crerar was one of the 14 gold medallists in the 35-39 Female Ski, while Melinda Pelly won the 45-49 Female category. Pelly was also in a team with Nicole Gorton and Maddison Woodbury for the 130+ Female Board Relay gold.
Wamberal led the way for the Central Coast assault on the competition, with Colleen Harrison winning the 60+ Female Iron race on day one before teaming with Justine Ella and Triana Cusick to win the 170+ Female Ski Relay on day two.
The Lakes’ Steph Carey, Brooke Allen and Nikki Fitzsimmons won the 110+ Female Swim Teams event, while Mal Allen had an impressive swim to win the 50-54 Male Swim race.
Shelly Beach’s Keaton Watts, Thomas Simpson and Dan Kingsley won the 110+ Male Taplin Relay.
Great results for local clubs included Stockton SLSC winning the 130+ Male Ski Relay through Glen Bernard, Jason Upton, and James White, Redhead SLSC’s Adam Rowe taking gold in the 40-44 Male Single Ski, and victory for Newcastle SLSC’s Alice Nolan, Lee Howes, and Stephanie Guy in the 130+ Female Swim Teams.
From the Illawarra, Ben Squiers nabbed on of Wollongong City’s five gold medals for the carnival in the 45-49 Male Iron, while Raelene Myers from Port Macquarie was one of a number ofstrong female competitors representing the Mid North Coast club – she won a number of events, including the 50-54 Female Iron and Rescue Tube.
Her club would finish fifth on the overall point score.
The 2026 NSW Surf Life Saving Championships, proudly presented by Your local club, continues on Friday 27 February until Sunday 1 March with the Open and Surf Boat Championships.
MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS POINT SCORE TOP 10
Bondi – 458
North Bondi – 359
Manly – 271
Wamberal – 213
Port Macquarie – 190
Shelly Beach – 179
The Lakes – 174
Redhead – 150
Terrigal – 127
Yamba – 120
Thursday 26 February 2026