The Skeleton Bay Shootout | Surf Contest At The Best Wave In The World

The Skeleton Bay Shootout presented by Monster Energy took place over three days in late June in non-stop three-to-six foot barrels in Namibia. The speciality event looks to recognise the standout surfers of the swell at the best wave in the world and the rules are simple – show up and pull in.

“The Skeleton Bay Shootout is a peer-judged event and it’s pretty underground. No-ones really knows when it will happen, it’ll just pop-up depending on the swell and whoever is there is there,” says Eli Beukes, who put in a solid showing on his first trip to the iconic left-hander on the edge of the Namib Desert. “It’s pretty cool because it’s mostly going by word of mouth and whoever has been the surfer of the swell or gets the best barrel will get a bit of a cash prize at the end.”

This was essentially a dry-run for the concept. Now Now Media is planning a series of Shootouts based on the same idea at some of the most incredible waves around the world in 2024 and looking to bump up the prize money significantly. The prizes are a nice way to recognise who was charging but it’s not about the money. There’s always so much stoke when waves like this are firing and anybody who gets a good wave out there is a winner the end of the day. The Shootout is essentially a celebration of that.