Event organiser Piran Phillips brought Oceanperf Challenge to Branksome and is competing in races as well
A top international surf life saving competition has arrived in the UK for the first time.
The Oceanperf Challenge, which is a combination of races that take place in the sea and on the sand, is being hosted on Branksome beach Wednesday.
Athletes from all over the world have travelled to Dorset for the event.
"All the races combine elements of lifesaving in a competitive manner," organiser and Great Britain athlete Piran Phillips told BBC Radio Solent.
"We are the only sport in the world that teaches competitive racing as well as saving lives."
Oceanperf Challenge includes board, ski and swimming races in the sea, plus flag capture competitions on the beach.
The first events get underway on Wednesday morning and run into the afternoon.
Phillips is glad the recent wet weather has cleared-up: "We've had so much rain the last few days I can't believe the sun is finally coming out," added the 20-year-old.
"France has been hosting an Oceanperf Challenge event for over a decade and it attracts the top lifesavers from around the world.
"The standard of racing in Branksome is going to be awesome."
A springboard to the European Lifesaving Championships
It's not the first time Branksome beach has hosted a surf and lifesaving event; it held the Great Britain European Championships trials earlier this year
Many of the elite athletes who take part in the sport of surf and lifesaving have lifeguarding and swimming backgrounds.
Phillips, who is a student at Southampton Solent University and an RNLI lifeguard in Cornwall, got into the sport through his parents.
"My dad was a Great Britain coach for 18 years and mum was on the team," Phillips said.
"I basically grew up on the beach and I made the Britain squad for the first time in 2022 and went to my first World Championship in Italy.
"The skills of the sport I use in everyday life as a lifeguard five days a week."
Branksome's Oceanperf Challenge event includes plenty of entertainment to keep crowds busy including food and music and Phillips says it's a great warm-up event for the all-important European Championships in Belgium in September.