Bulli High Dominates Surfest 2026
Bulli High School took top honors at Surfest 2026, with student surfers dominating their divisions and adding to the school's proud surf legacy. The Illawarra Mercury highlighted their team spirit and technical progression, noting the depth of junior talent coming out of the Wollongong region.
The victory for Bulli High's girls was a narrow one, clinching the final with a combined score of 14.54 against St. Brigids Catholic College's 14.03. The win is an early validation for the school's dedicated Surf Academy, a formalized program for talented surfers established in 2024. This academy provides students with specialized coaching, education on the cultural significance of surfing, and guidance on career pathways in the surf industry. The school has invested heavily in its surfing talent, bringing in a world-class coaching lineup to helm the academy. This includes former ASP World Champion and Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductee Pam Burridge, who works with the students on their technique and competitive strategy. The Surfest title adds to a long and storied history of surfing excellence at Bulli High School. Over its 67-year history, the school has produced a number of prominent figures in Australian surfing, including former professional surfer Kim Woolridge and DP Surfboards owner Dylan Perese. The Sandon Point Boardriders club was even formed within the school's grounds in the early 1980s. The Mutual Bank High School Teams Challenge is a key event at Surfest, the largest surfing festival in the southern hemisphere. The 2026 competition saw 15 girls' teams and 49 boys' teams from across New South Wales compete at Bar Beach in Newcastle. While Bulli took the girls' title, St Francis Xavier's College from Hamilton won the boys' division.
