Jbay surf house

What Jbay surf house does

Jbay Surf House is a non-profit organization founded in 2022 in Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, that delivers free surf education and youth development services to children aged 4-18 from local townships. Its core offering is a structured surf lessons program held multiple days per week (Mondays for older kids, Wednesdays for boys, Fridays for girls, Saturdays for mixed groups), supplemented by yoga and mindfulness instruction, homework support, meals, and community activities such as braai, skateboarding, boxing, and surf competition participation through a partnership with Nelson Mandela Bay Surfriders. The organization operates from a house at 13 Johnny Lombaard St, Jeffreys Bay, acquired in 2025 as a permanent youth center to replace an earlier container-based setup.

The underlying "technology" is a human-delivered surf instruction methodology that combines ocean-based coaching with structured developmental activities, anchored by founder Jimeal Abersalie, a local surf instructor born and raised in the townships. Two older children from the program have been trained as surf instructors, creating a grassroots mentorship pipeline. The organization has no digital product, no app, and no disclosed software systems.

The business model is entirely donation-funded with no commercial revenue. Income streams include monthly donor memberships (minimum €10/month with WhatsApp community access and weekly updates), one-time donations via website (Mollie payment processor) and GoFundMe, material donations (wetsuits, surfboards, clothing), and a planned merchandise line. The organization achieved ANBI-status (Dutch Public Benefit Organization) in 2023, enabling tax-deductible donations from Dutch donors. Leadership comprises three founders (Jimeal, Corinna, and Rachel John, who assumed ownership in 2024) supported by a board and a small team handling coordination, finances, social media, and merchandise design. Operations rely heavily on volunteers, with three surf sessions per week staffed largely by volunteer labor.

Name

Jbay surf house

Legal name

Jbay Surf House

Website

https://jbaysurfhouse.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Jbay Surf House is a South African non-profit founded in 2022 that provides free surf lessons, meals, homework support, and youth development activities to children aged 4-18 from the townships of Jeffreys Bay, funded entirely by donations and volunteers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-Profit Youth Development Services

NAICS

Consumer Electronics and Appliances Rental (532210)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Surf Schools & Surf Camps (THAAAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Surfing & Kitesurfing Experiences (Lessons, Camps) (THAJAJAJ)

Keywords

• Youth development services
• Surf instruction programs
• Non-profit youth programs
• Child welfare services
• Community outreach programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Jeffreys Bay

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Monthly Donations: Monthly donor program where supporters contribute a minimum of €10 monthly. Members gain access to WhatsApp community and receive weekly updates from Jeffreys Bay. This provides stable, recurring revenue for covering monthly expenses including meals and surf instructor payments.
2. One-time Donations: One-time donations via website (Mollie payment processor supporting iDEAL, Wero, credit card) or GoFundMe. Donations are used for surf equipment, transport to competitions, competition entrance fees, food for children, and operational costs.
3. Merchandise Sales (Future): Planned future revenue stream: design and sell merchandise in Jeffreys Bay and internationally to create community and generate stable income.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Jbay Surf House is a non-profit organization that provides free surf lessons and a permanent safe space for children aged 4-18 from the townships of Jeffreys Bay, South Africa. Its core offering is a recurring surf instruction program delivered multiple days per week, supplemented by meals, homework support, yoga/mindfulness, community activities, and entry into surf competitions such as the Grom Games Trials. The organization runs entirely on donations and volunteers and acquired a dedicated youth center house in 2025.

Product overview

Jbay Surf House operates as a non-profit organization offering a unified youth development program centered around free surf education for children aged 4-18 in Jeffreys Bay, South Africa. The core offering is the Surf Lessons Program, supplemented by the Surf Competitions Program for talented participants. The organization has expanded to include a Surf House Facility that serves as a multi-purpose safe space. Supporting programs include Homework Support, Yoga Lessons, Community Activities (braai, boxing, skateboarding), the Monthly Donation Program, Volunteer Program, and Material Donations initiative. The portfolio functions as a holistic child welfare ecosystem where surfing serves as the primary engagement tool for social and mental development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Surf Lessons Program Recurring free surf lessons for children aged 4-18 from the Jeffreys Bay townships, delivered multiple times per week (Mondays for older kids, Wednesdays for boys group, Fridays for girls group, Saturdays for mixed group). The program is the core engagement vehicle of the foundation.
• Surf Competitions Program Program enabling children to participate in organized surf competitions (e.g., Nelson Mandela Bay Surfriders' Grom Games Trials), including payment of entrance fees and arrangement of transport and accommodation.
• Surf House Facility A permanent house acquired in 2025 that serves as a safe space for children, storage for surf equipment, meeting place, location for meals, volunteer accommodation, and a setting for activities such as braai, yoga, and homework help.
• Monthly Donation Program Recurring monthly donation membership (minimum €10/month) processed via Mollie (iDEAL, Wero, credit card), granting access to the Jbay Surf House WhatsApp community and weekly updates from Jimeal and Rachel in Jeffreys Bay. No notice period required to cancel.

Quantifiable outcome

• Children receive free surf education multiple times per week
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Nelson Mandela Bay SurfridersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Nelson Mandela Bay Surfriders organizes surf competitions including Grom Games Trials. Jbay Surf House partners with them to enable children to participate in competitions, paying entrance fees and arranging transport/accommodation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SurfAid International: Australia-headquartered non-profit using surfing communities to improve health, education and livelihoods in remote coastal areas. Closely aligned model — surf-engaged donor community funding grassroots impact programs.
• Peninsula Surf Education Academy: Western Cape-based surf development NPO that uses surfing to develop life skills in under-resourced coastal communities. Closely aligned to Jbay Surf House's mission and youth-surf-development methodology within South Africa.
• IkamvaYouth: South African non-profit offering tutoring, homework support and life-skills mentoring to township youth. Comparable in targeting the same age group and beneficiary geography with structured after-school programming.
• Waves for Change: South Africa-based non-profit that uses surfing as a therapeutic and developmental tool for underprivileged youth. Most directly comparable to Jbay Surf House in mission, geography, methodology, and beneficiary profile.
• Surfers Not Street Children: International non-profit using surfing to support street children and at-risk youth in South Africa and beyond. Comparable in combining surf instruction with mentorship and child welfare outcomes.
• Waves of Hope (Australia): Australian charity using surfing and ocean activities to support mental health and at-risk youth. Comparable non-profit surf-engaged youth development model in a different geography.
• The Lunchbox Fund: South African non-profit providing daily meals to underprivileged schoolchildren. Comparable in mission (child welfare, food security, township focus) and donor-driven non-profit model, though without the surf component.
• Surfrider Foundation South Africa: South African chapter of the global Surfrider Foundation, focused on coastal protection and ocean access. Comparable as a surf-aligned non-profit operating in the same country and beneficiary ecosystem.

Regional players

• J-Bay Surf School: Commercial surf school operating in Jeffreys Bay itself, offering paid lessons to tourists and visitors. Same geography and core surf-instruction activity, but operating on a for-profit commercial basis to paying customers rather than free to township children.

Others

• GoFundMe (charity platform peer): Not a peer in mission but a key infrastructure dependency: Jbay Surf House's €90,000 house-purchase fundraising campaign ran on GoFundMe, making the platform an ecosystem enabler rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/jbaysurfhouse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jbaysurfhouse

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Jbay surf house