THE PREMIER INTERNATIONAL SURF CRAFT SERIES.

WHERE THE WORLD MEETS THE OCEAN.

Shaw and Partners World Ocean Series Burleigh 5,000 – Wrap Up

By Shaw and Partners World Ocean Series

Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park takes both iron titles on home sand as the 2026/27 season gets underway

The 2026/27 Shaw and Partners World Ocean Series opened at Burleigh Beach from Friday 2 to Sunday 4 October. The weekend had three days of world-class racing, a packed festival zone and plenty of community events, and it began a season with an $800,000 prize pool.

There were more than 1,200 race entries across the Open, U17 and U15 divisions, making the season opener one of the biggest fields the series has seen at Burleigh.

Friday: setting the fields

Racing started on Friday afternoon with the Open iron heats and semi-finals. There were 78 athletes in the Ironman and 57 in the Ironwoman, and only 20 in each made it through to Saturday's finals.

The beach bar opened its doors, live music ran through the afternoon, and the crowd on the fence grew with every heat.

▶ WATCH THE FRIDAY AFTERNOON RECAP

Home beach, home win

An ironman running up the sand in front of the crowd at the Burleigh 5,000

Big crowds lined the fence for Saturday's finals.

On finals day, Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park won both iron titles in front of a home crowd. The club won five of the ten Open individual finals across the weekend.

Defending Ironman champion Ethan Callaghan started his title defence with a clean sweep. He won the Ironman final and also took out the board and swim. Clubmate Joel Piper finished second, with Maroochydore's Byron Dieckmann third.

In the Ironwoman, Dakota Luke claimed her first Open iron win, taking the final and the swim in front of her home crowd. It's a breakthrough result that puts her firmly on the list of athletes to watch this season. Clubmate Jasmine Rayward finished second for another Burleigh one-two, and Palm Beach's Lucy Derbyshire was third. Rayward was one of the standout performers of the weekend, finishing on the podium in all four Ironwoman disciplines.

Ironwomen in Shaw and Partners World Ocean Series race vests smiling on the sand at Burleigh

All smiles on the sand at Burleigh.

Spreading the wins

The rest of the Open finals went to six different clubs.

  • Men's ski: North Burleigh's Nicholas Green won from Jett Kenny (Alexandra Headland) and Jayden Erskine (Currumbin).
  • Women's ski: Alexandra Clarke won ahead of Jasmine Rayward and Bonnie Hancock (Mermaid Beach).
  • Women's board: Cudgen Headland's Isabella Tate took the title.
  • Run-swim-run: Mermaid Beach's Dane Rayward won the men's event, and Mooloolaba's Dominique Stitt won the women's.

Sunday was for everyone

After the finals, the beach was handed over to the next generation and the wider community.

  • Youth racing: U11 to U14 athletes had their turn on the same course as the pros.
  • Free yoga with JAYD: a beachside session for anyone who wanted to stretch out the weekend.
  • Community ocean swim: locals and visitors swam the same water as the world's best.

More than racing

Away from the water, the festival zone ran all weekend with food trucks, a kids zone, and coffee from 7am. The beach bar opened at 11am each day.

David McCredie playing guitar on the Shaw and Partners World Ocean Series stage at Burleigh

David McCredie on the beach bar stage.

Saturday's Shaw and Partners World Ocean Series Opening Party filled the beach bar from 2pm until dark. Inoxia and David McCredie played, before a Mayahsol DJ set closed out the night at sunset.

Drone view of the crowd at the beach bar in front of Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park SLSC at sunset

The Opening Party in full swing at sunset.

Watch all the Open finals

Missed the action on Saturday? Every Open final from the Burleigh 5,000 is on our YouTube channel to watch in full, from the board, swim and ski finals to the Ironman and Ironwoman.

Subscribe at youtube.com/@worldoceanseries so you don't miss a race this season.

Hit replay

Two finals worth watching again.

Open Mixed Taplin

The Mixed Taplin puts men and women from the same club in one relay across board, ski and swim, and it's always one of the most chaotic races of the weekend. At Burleigh, the home club got two teams onto the podium.

  1. Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park A
  2. Maroochydore A
  3. Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park B

▶ WATCH THE MIXED TAPLIN FINAL

Open Women's Board

Cudgen Headland's Isabella Tate won the women's board final ahead of Northcliffe's Emily Gauld and Burleigh's Jasmine Rayward.

  1. Isabella Tate (Cudgen Headland)
  2. Emily Gauld (Northcliffe)
  3. Jasmine Rayward (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park)

▶ WATCH THE WOMEN'S BOARD FINAL

Results – Open

Ironman

  1. Ethan Callaghan (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park)
  2. Joel Piper (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park)
  3. Byron Dieckmann (Maroochydore)

Ironwoman

  1. Dakota Luke (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park)
  2. Jasmine Rayward (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park)
  3. Lucy Derbyshire (Palm Beach)

Men's Board

  1. Ethan Callaghan (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park)
  2. Oliver Dillon (Mermaid Beach)
  3. Nathan Jay (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park)

Women's Board

  1. Isabella Tate (Cudgen Headland)
  2. Emily Gauld (Northcliffe)
  3. Jasmine Rayward (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park)

Men's Swim

  1. Ethan Callaghan (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park)
  2. Conner Maggs (Mermaid Beach)
  3. Chase Corbett (Southport)

Women's Swim

  1. Dakota Luke (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park)
  2. Jasmine Rayward (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park)
  3. Sara Tazaki (Northcliffe)

Men's Ski

  1. Nicholas Green (North Burleigh)
  2. Jett Kenny (Alexandra Headland)
  3. Jayden Erskine (Currumbin)

Women's Ski

  1. Alexandra Clarke
  2. Jasmine Rayward (Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park)
  3. Bonnie Hancock (Mermaid Beach)

Men's Run Swim Run

  1. Dane Rayward (Mermaid Beach)
  2. Lachlan Mercer (Northcliffe)
  3. Riley Brennan (Currumbin)

Women's Run Swim Run

  1. Dominique Stitt (Mooloolaba)
  2. Katie Natt (Kurrawa)
  3. Finella Gibbs-Beal (Noosa Heads)

Full results: liveheats.com/events/547154

The season ahead

Burleigh was the first of 14 stops in a season running from October to February.

The 2026/27 season has an $800,000 prize pool, and the men's and women's Ironman and Ironwoman champions will each drive away in a Mitsubishi ASX. Athletes' best five results count towards the overall championship, building to the Shannon Eckstein Ironman Classic Grand Final in February.

Before the season, Callaghan described the series as "the pinnacle of professional surf sports". He has made the strongest possible start to defending his title.

Thank you

A huge thank you to our naming rights partner, Shaw and Partners Financial Services. For nine years, their support and expertise has helped us lift the series to heights we couldn't have imagined when we started. Burleigh showed just how far we've come: a packed beach all weekend long, with world-class racing and community fun.

Thanks also to Race One, JAYD Swimwear, Surf Life Saving Queensland and Burleigh Heads Mowbray Park SLSC. Thank you as well to every athlete, official, volunteer and spectator who came down to the sand.

Coming up

The series continues with the Bonny Hills 7,000 at Rainbow Beach, NSW, from 30 October to 1 November. Entries are open now at liveheats.com/events/551279.

Follow the Shaw and Partners World Ocean Series

Visit Shaw and Partners World Ocean Series News for more athlete features, race previews and published announcements. For the current event calendar, membership requirements and points information, see Series Information. Find official standings on Results, and published videos and streams on the official YouTube channel. For enquiries, visit Contact.