DURBAN Rowing Club (DRC) may be 152 years old and thriving, but a new facet of their mission is making waves in the form of Coastal Rowing with a highlight in ‘beach sprint format’ which they introduced in 2024.

Avlyn Gallwey is the KZN Coastal Rowing coach, vice-captain of DRC, and vice president of KZN Rowing Association. She unpacked the difference between traditional rowing and beach sprint rowing.

“Traditional rowing takes place on calm, sheltered inland waters, with crews racing in a straight line over 1000 or 2000m courses. The emphasis is on endurance, power, rhythm and technical precision.

“Beach Sprint Rowing, on the other hand, is an exciting coastal discipline that combines explosive beach running with open-water rowing. Athletes begin with a sprint of approximately 60m across the sand to their boat, launch through the surf, row a 250m slalom course around turning buoys in the ocean, return through the surf, exit the boat and finish with another 60m sprint up the beach,” Gallwey explained.

She added, “Beach Sprint Rowing is fast-paced, dynamic and spectator-friendly. Unlike traditional rowing, athletes must not only be strong rowers but also skilled runners, able to read waves and currents, and capable of making split-second decisions in constantly changing sea conditions. The combination of speed, technical boat handling, and head-to-head racing makes it one of the most exciting and rapidly growing disciplines in the sport of rowing.”

To grow the sport, Gallwey believes that rowing needs to become more visible and accessible. “It is important to increase public awareness of Beach Sprint Rowing, now an Olympic discipline.”

DRC and KZN athletes have achieved success at both provincial and national levels in Indoor Rowing and Beach Sprint Rowing.

“One of our senior athletes was awarded Full South African National Colours after winning a bronze medal at the 2025 African Beach Sprint Championships.

“We have also had several junior and senior athletes invited to national selection camps as they compete for places on South African teams to represent the country at major international events. These include the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, the World Coastal Rowing Championships and World Beach Sprint Finals in Qingdao, China, as well as the African Beach Sprint Championships in Egypt.”

These achievements demonstrate that rowing is no longer confined to just traditional rowing, Gallwey added.

To become a member, join the ‘Come and Try’ session. No previous experience is required. Contact the club via email at durban.rowing.club@gmail.com or Instagram: @durbanrowing_club / @durbancoastalrowing or Facebook: Durban Rowing Club / Durban Coastal Rowing

Beach Sprint Rowing training takes place every Sunday morning on the beach in front of the Durban Ski Boat Club, at the southern end of Durban’s Golden Mile.

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