“The Durban beachfront has so much to offer and thank goodness we have a couple of contest sites to choose from otherwise we may have had to add an extra day, something we will definitely be looking at doing next year," said Durban Surf Carnival organizer, Paul Godwin of Nerve Events.

The Durban Surf Carnival sees ladies and men’s divisions in all three disciplines being contested with a total of nine titles up for grabs.

Stand Up Paddle South Africa (SUPSA) and Waveski SA have both sanctioned this years event held at New Pier in Durban and winners in the Men's and Women’s open divisions will be crowned South African National Champions.

Winners of the SUP contest will be eligible for squad selection to represent South African at the forthcoming 2013 International Surfing Association Stand Up Paddle World Championships.

The event will also offer added surprises and action for contestants and the general public who can get involved in the ‘Snapshot’ photo competition and free surfing clinics.

The Mad Dog Surf School which has become a regular feature of the event will be run by Shaun Sellman and his experienced team with free surfing lessons open to all interested members of the public on Saturday and Sunday.

Sponsors of the event include the City of Durban, Jeep Apparel and Independent on Saturday.

Support sponsors are Red Bull, Thule, Naish SUP, Natural Curve Surfboards, Nestle Pure Life Water, Bokomo, Container Conversions, Mad Dog Surf School, Maisch Fins, Nescafe, Pro Class Wetsuits, Thermo Plastic Concepts & Equipment (TCE), Carling Black Label and Nando’s.