2025 Battle of the Tasman (BoT)

First held in 2023, the BoT was created to provide developmental racing opportunities for pool, ocean, and beach athletes in a non-World Championships year. The event, which sees teams from Australia and New Zealand compete to be crowned BoT champion – provides international racing experience for 36 developing Australian Youth and Pathway athletes who will be Youth and Open Team eligible for the 2026 Lifesaving World Championships. It not only provides developmental opportunities but also focuses on athletes who will be making the sizable transition from Youth to Open competition.

The format simulates the World Championships format, with each team competing across beach, pool, and ocean events.

“Battle of the Tasman is a fantastic opportunity to develop our Youth and Pathways athletes,” said Zayne Hamill, ALT Head Coach for BoT. “It allows us to work with our next generation and introduce them to international competition and the culture of the Australian Life Saving Team.”

“I have no doubt that our athletes and support team will embrace the opportunity to represent Australia and have a rewarding experience” he said.

Battle of the Tasman’s Youth Coach, Craig Holden, said that events like BoT are extremely important to the Youth Team’s 2026 Worlds prep, helping them learn and build knowledge as they gain an understanding of the Australian Life Saving Team (ALT) system. It also exposes to international competition against one of the strongest lifesaving countries in the world.

“This is effectively step one in the preparation process for the Youth Team as we prepare for the 2026 Lifesaving World Championships,” he said. “It will be the first international competition for us in the new campaign, and with the new batch of age eligible athletes. But more importantly, it will be the first opportunity for these athletes to be exposed to the ALT culture and values, and to gain an understanding of how a World Championships event is different to other competitions.

“It is also almost a mini version of a World Championships format, albeit in a condensed format, with a mix of pool, ocean and beach events being contested that the six male and six female athletes will be required to show their versatility to be able to compete across,” he said.

Sam Dick, Pathways Lead Coach for BoT, agrees that the event would be invaluable for the team’s 2026 Worlds prep.

“Being the first year of a new Worlds campaign, it is our first opportunity to see who is putting their hand up to make the Worlds teams next year,” he said. “The chance to see new faces and existing faces step into new roles is so invaluable in planning for the future.”

“Given the structure of the event, it will be awesome to see our Pathways teams commit to the challenge of racing some different events from their regular carnival programs and show a range of skills. We know that a successful Worlds team has a diverse range of skills, and it will be great to see what these two Pathways teams can offer in that regard,” Sam said of what he hopes to see from the team at this year’s BoT,” he said.

The depth of surf lifesaving talent in Australia is evident, with the BoT team boasting a host of big names alongside those who are donning the green and gold for the first time.

“We are blessed with exceptional talent,” said Zayne. “Having World Champions and Iron Series winners in these teams reflects the impressive depth we have and is a great indicator of a healthy sport and organisation.”

Pathway Teams Lead Coach, Sam Dick said, “we know that the depth of young talent is so high, but what is so unique at the moment is the range of backgrounds we have from our pathways team that will bring their own unique flavour to the teams.

“Australian Life Saving Teams are always tough to get into, but the wide range of skills we are seeing in our up-and-coming athletes makes it even tougher! The crossover of athletes from pool to beach and vice versa is such an asset for athletes coming up through our pathway and it is fantastic to see that in our teams,” he said.

See below a full list of team members selected for the 2025 Battle of the Tasman:

Pathways Green

Pathways Yellow

Youth Navy

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