Inside Sanoa Dempfle-Olin’s Secret Trip to Natural Selection Surf in South Africa

Remote Competition and Format in South Africa

The event brought a crew of athletes to the remote west coast of South Africa for a ten-day window. According to Sanoa Dempfle-Olin, the setup offered a rare chance to explore unfamiliar coastlines alongside a select group of surfers. The last 10 days we’ve been remote on the west coast of South Africa, which is such an incredible part of the world to explore, Sanoa Dempfle-Olin told Surfer during a telephone interview from British Columbia. It was one of those trips where, given other circumstances, you might never get to explore these waves or this coastline, never mind with a setup like this and with the awesome crew of people we’ve had. While the athletes and crew completed the event and conducted unofficial celebrations on site, competition organizers kept the final results under wraps until the official broadcast date. Nate Laverty, Sanoa’s longtime filmer and friend, noted to Surfer that the heavy travel schedule normally required for World Surf League qualifying events leaves little room for standard surf trips, making the NST invitation a unique addition to her calendar.

From Tofino Beachbreaks to Global Challenger Series

Sanoa Dempfle-Olin grew up in Tofino, British Columbia, learning to surf in the cold, unpolished line-ups of Cox Bay alongside her older sister, Mathea. That local foundation helped shape a powerful surfing style on both forehand and backhand, bolstered by mentorship from Tofino legend Peter Devries. She’s a powerhouse, Peter Devries told Surfer. That’s definitely her trademark. She’s an extremely powerful surfer. That competitive drive carried her through regional Qualifying Series events and the global Challenger Series, culminating in her historic selection as Canada’s sole surfing representative at the Olympic Games in Tahiti, where competitors faced the heavy lefts of Teahupo’o. According to Surf Canada executive director Dom Domic, cited in historical coverage by CSA Surf Canada from the International Surfing Association world championships in Puerto Rico, Sanoa secured her Olympic quota with a third-place finish in repechage 7, posting a single-highest wave score of 9.17 and a 17.70 heat total. Following her Olympic appearance, Sanoa maintained a demanding international travel schedule. She secured an 11th-place finish at the Ballito Open Challenger Series event in South Africa, competed at the Super Girl Surf Festival in Oceanside, California, placed 17th at the Pantin Classic Galicia Pro, and claimed a 5th-place finish at the Norte Surf Fest in Porto, Portugal, earning 2760 points for the 2026/27 season.

Next Steps and Media Release

Audiences will discover how Sanoa Dempfle-Olin performed against Brown, Pinkerton, and Walla when the Natural Selection Surf footage airs on Red Bull TV. Meanwhile, the athlete continues refining her skills on heavy, hollow waves at home and abroad, targeting barrel-riding as a primary area for growth in upcoming seasons. I think surfing new waves and getting thrown into new lineups teaches you so much and is so great, Sanoa Dempfle-Olin told Surfer. So I feel like I learned a lot on this trip in that area. But I would say hollow waves would be the area that I really want to work on the next handful of years.