Wanda Beach Gears Up for the Most Prestigious Race of the Sydney Branch Champs: The Sand Hose Chase

Liam Montgomery | Sport Reporter | Sutherland Shire Gazette

8 February 2025

This weekend, Wanda Beach will once again play host to the Sydney Branch Surf Life Saving Championships, where hundreds of surf athletes will battle treacherous waves, brutal soft sand, and their own will to live in the summer heat. But while ironman races and board relays may get a polite round of applause, the real main event—the one everyone actually comes to see—is The Hose Race.

For those unfamiliar with surf sports’ most elite and dignified event, it involves a group of highly trained surf lifesavers crouching at the start line, eyes locked on a single piece of rubber hose buried somewhere in the sand. The whistle blows, and chaos erupts as competitors charge forward like seagulls fighting over a hot chip, launching themselves into the scorched ground to claw at the elusive bit of hose.

“It’s a test of speed, strength, and who’s willing to risk third-degree sand burns for bragging rights,” said one veteran competitor, adjusting his budgie smugglers. “Honestly, it’s the only race where strategy includes making sure you don’t cop a face full of someone else’s sand-coated backside.”

The race is expected to be particularly intense this year, as strong winds threaten to create prime wedgie conditions for those running in tight-fitting swimwear. Spectators can look forward to the thrilling sight of elite athletes belly-flopping into the sand at full sprint, digging like rabid golden retrievers, and occasionally wrestling each other in a desperate bid for victory—all while trying to keep their smugglers from riding up to inappropriate heights.

“If you watch one event this weekend, make it this one,” said one local dad, already setting up his chair for the best view of the carnage. “Nothing says surf sports like a grown adult voluntarily eating sand in a pair of budgies.”

With Wanda’s infamous wind expected to make conditions even more unpredictable, this year’s Hose Race promises to be a spectacle of athleticism, chaos, and questionable fashion choices. Grab your sunnies, pack your zinc, and get ready—this is sport at its finest.

Wanda Beach Lifesaving Championships