Triple-amputee veteran and world champion para-kayaker Jon White will return to compete at the 2025 Shaw and Partners WA Race Week, marking his third appearance at the world-renowned ocean-paddling festival.
Jon will join more than 1,000 athletes from across the globe, competing alongside Olympians, world champions and elite ocean-ski paddlers. His race schedule includes the iconic 27km Shaw and Partners Doctor, the demanding downwind crossing from Rottnest Island to Sorrento Beach.
A former Royal Marine who survived life-changing injuries in Afghanistan, Jon has transformed adversity into athletic excellence. Through cutting-edge prosthetics, unrelenting discipline and an unwavering passion for ocean sport, he has become a global figure in surf ski racing and a mentor to athletes of all ages.
Returning for his third Race Week, Jon’s participation continues to symbolise the spirit of pushing boundaries, overcoming adversity, and redefining what is possible.
“Shaw and Partners WA Race Week is an experience I always look forward to,” Jon said.
“It’s about community, pushing yourself, and embracing the challenge. Coming back again this year feels like a privilege - especially to race alongside so many world-class athletes.”
Event organisers say Jon’s return embodies the values that define WA Race Week — courage, camaraderie, adventure and world-class competition.
SHAW AND PARTNERS WA RACE WEEK: 22–29 NOV 2025
Shaw and Partners WA Race Week is Australia’s largest and most prestigious ocean-racing festival, offering over $300,000 in cash and prizes — the biggest prize pool in global ocean-ski racing.
More than 1,000 competitors, including Olympians, world champions and elite surf lifesaving athletes, will converge on Perth for seven days of racing and community events.
The 2025 Shaw and Partners WA Race Week is proudly supported by the WA Government through Tourism WA. The Shaw and Partners Doctor is supported by City of Joondalup.
Athletes competing include:
- Ali Day (NSW): Ten-time Coolangatta Gold Champion; world and Australian Ironman champion
- Jemma Smith (NSW): Reigning Doctor champion; 2024 Coolangatta Gold winner
- Cory Hill (QLD): Four-time World Surf Ski Champion, four-time Molokai champion, four-time Shaw and Partners Doctor winner
- Kira Bester (South Africa): Current Women’s World Ocean Paddling Champion
- Hank McGregor (South Africa): Ten-time World Marathon Kayak Champion
- Danielle Richards (NZ): Former champion Ironwoman and winner of multiple major global ocean paddling events
- Nick Notten (South Africa): World Surf Ski Champion
- Riley Fitzsimmons (NSW): Olympic silver medallist (K4 kayak)
Key Events:
- Fenn West Coast Downwinder – 24km downwind (Sat 22 Nov)
- Nipper Clinic with Legends of Surf Life Saving – (Sun 23 Nov)
- Shaw and Partners Downwind International – 12km prone & double-ski (Sun 23 Nov)
- Dr Benjamin Hewitt Sunset Surfski Series – 11km downwind races (Tue 25 & Thu 27 Nov)
- Race One Twilight Paddleboard Dash – 2km sprint (Wed 26 Nov)
- Shaw and Partners Dash for Cash – Surf ski sprint racing (Fri 28 Nov)
- Shaw and Partners Doctor – 27km Rottnest Island to Sorrento Beach finale (Sat 29 Nov)
Sorrento Beach will transform into a vibrant event hub with live music, family entertainment, food vendors, athlete meet-and-greets, and daily presentations.
Contact details:
If you require an interview with Jon or require file vision of him paddling in previous races, please contact:
David Tasker
T: +61 433 112 936
E: [email protected]
Event Details & Registration:
https://oceanpaddler.com/ocean-events/wa-race-week/
