Pens paddlers out to make waves at world championships

Peninsula Canoe Club members are poised to make waves on the international stage, with several Pens paddlers set to represent South Africa at this weekend’s 2025 ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships in Durban. The event, which draws the world’s top ocean racers, will see the Peninsula contingent go head-to-head with elite athletes from across the globe for world championship titles in the senior, under-23, junior, and masters categories.

Among those named in the national squad are Kira Bester and Nicholas Notten, both accomplished paddlers with impressive records in local and international surf ski racing. Their selection highlights the club’s ongoing contribution to South African canoeing at the highest level.

Included in Peninsula's star-studded line-up is Notten's doubles partner, Kenny Rice — together they won the 2025 Freedom Paddle in April which doubled up as the SA S2 champs. Rice has also won at worlds before, in 2022, in Portugal.  Also included are Uli Hart, who won at worlds in 2021, in the under-23 men's division and also won the mixed doubles last year with club mate Georgia Singe, in Madeira; Mark Keeling, who won the individual surfski at the lifesaving world champs in 2021.and; Melanie Van Niekerk, who won the Freedom Paddle this year with her partner Kira Bester.

Notten, 29, the reigning 2025 South African single and double surfski champion, brings valuable international experience, having captured the Ocean Racing World Championship title in 2021 in Lanzarote. 

Although this is the first time this event will be held in South Africa, Notten has competed in multiple world championships, including the 2021 edition.

“I’ve always had an appreciation for the ocean and water sports. Growing up in Cape Town, I was always more likely to gravitate to a sport that both got me out on the sea and made the most of windy days. Surfski paddling, especially downwind paddling, fits that perfectly,” he said.

As far as his preparation is concerned, Notten, confident they’ve covered all their bases, can barely wait to hit the water.

“Simply put, I would like to win. A win to me is not just crossing the line first, but knowing that you have gone out, given the race your best possible effort, and left everything out there,” he said.

“The highest training volume happens earlier in the build-up, before tapering closer to race day,”  he said.  “The goal is to achieve peak fitness while remaining fresh and well-rested. A big training week typically adds up to about 13–15 hours. It’s mostly paddling (around 9–12 hours), plus some running (1–2 hours) and resistance training (1–2 hours).”

Bester, 23, meanwhile, is the current South African senior women’s champion in both singles and doubles, and claimed victory at last year’s World Championships in Madeira. Both athletes will be key contenders for podium finishes in Durban.

Bester, who is also a member of Fish Hoek Surf Lifesaving Club, joined Peninsula five years ago and says she turned to paddling as a means to improve her lifesaving performance, but soon discovered a deeper connection with the ocean.

“At first it was a way to become better at lifesaving,” she said. “I wanted to improve my ocean skills, fitness, and handling in rough water. Over time, it became so much more than that — it turned into a space of calm and purpose, a way to push my limits and connect with the ocean in a way nothing else does.”

Like Notten, she’s no stranger to high-level competition, as this will be her fifth Surfski World Championships, so she understands the demands that come with the territory.

She said her preparation is both demanding and deliberate  —  twice a day, six days a week, combining ocean paddling, flatwater technique work, interval sessions, and gym training focused on strength and stability. As championships drew nearer, her sessions became more race-specific, with longer ocean paddles and simulations designed to mirror championship conditions.

“I spend as much time as possible on the ocean in all kinds of conditions,” she says. “Every session teaches you something new about how the water moves and how to move with it,” she said.

“I study the course, wind direction, and current patterns before race day,” she said,  “But once you’re on the water, it becomes about constant adjustment. You have to feel what is happening and make decisions moment by moment.”

Following the recent passing of her coach, Pete Cole, Bester's goals for Durban are rooted in both personal meaning and performance. “My goal is to race in a way that makes my family, friends, and Pete proud,” she says. “Everything I do out there is with him in mind. I want to honour his belief in me by racing with courage and heart,” she said.

She also credits Peninsula Canoe Club for much of her development, saying the club has been a massive part of her growth..

 “The people, the training environment, and the support have kept me grounded and motivated. It’s where I learned the fundamentals and where I still feel part of a strong community,” she said.