The 2025 ICF Canoe Ocean Racing (COR) World Championships were held in Durban, South Africa this past October.  Worlds is the pinnacle international competition for surfski paddlers all over the world, in addition to World Cups and (for us) Pan American Continental Championships.  The venues for these international competitions are fantastic — Portugal (2013), Tahiti (2015), Hong Kong (2017), France (2019), Canary Islands (2021), Australia (2023), Madeira (2024), South Africa (2025), Spain (2026), Tahiti (2027), and France (2028).  As you can see the ICF changed from holding Worlds every two years to every year starting in 2023, however there is some discussion about going back to every two years.

For those of you just starting out with surfski paddling, going to Worlds may seem like a lofty endeavor.  However, if you can paddle Blackburn and the Gorge, you’ll do reasonably well at Worlds.  Registration is open entry — you simply need to be a member of your National Federation, which for USA surfski paddlers is the American Canoe Association.  Currently, as long as you’re an ACA member and listed in the USA Surfski National Series, you can participate.  The hardest part is working through all of the admin/logistics, and the good news is that the American Canoe Association’s Ocean Racing Committee helps USA surfski paddlers to navigate the red tape, line up a boat rental, and more.  Take them up on the help!

The USA saw only three paddlers participating @ Durban for the 2025 World Championships.  It’s a bit tough to get there from here.  The good news is while the group was small, it was mighty.  Northeast paddlers Rowan Sampson and Ronald Rivera made the trip, and Greg Barton made the trip all the way from the Pacific Northwest!  The Durban Undersea Club was the host of the event and they packed the week full of activities for people, including a couple additional races.  Rumor has it that Fenn produced more than 150 surfskis just for the event in order to ensure there were enough boats available for all of the out-of-towners flying in for the competition.  Of course, Greg paddled an Epic!

Congrats to all three paddlers for representing the USA on the international stage, and a special congrats to Greg for winning his age group.  Just goes to show, if you never slow down, you never grow old 😉

Interested in heading to Worlds for 2026 or beyond?  All the info is available at USA Surfski!