72 Surfers Ride for Dementia Research in Sydney Today: Wipeout Dementia Has Raised Over A$3.2 Million in 11 Years

Seventy-two surfers took to the waves at URBNSURF Sydney today, October 30, to raise funds for dementia research at UNSW Sydney's Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA). Wipeout Dementia 2026 brought together surfers, business leaders and supporters — many of them surfing with a family story behind them, because a dementia diagnosis affects an entire family, not just the person diagnosed.

From 16 surfers to 72: eleven years into a Sydney charity fixture

Wipeout Dementia began 11 years ago with just 16 surfers raising more than A$100,000; the property industry has driven it since 2016, and it has now raised more than A$3.2 million for CHeBA's dementia research. This year's 72 surfers were led by a team of captains, and the top fundraisers won a custom JS Raging Bull surfboard — Sam Rowe, Jackson Skirka, Andrew Wilson and James Paver.

Why brain health: stay active, stay connected

All funds raised go directly to CHeBA's research into preventing and treating Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. CHeBA's landmark Maintain Your Brain trial — the world's largest online lifestyle intervention study — has strengthened the evidence that targeting modifiable lifestyle risk factors can make a measurable difference to cognition, and staying active and socially connected is the message this year's event carries. CHeBA co-director Professor Henry Brodaty, the 2026 Senior Australian of the Year, said the captains' experiences reflect a reality shared by hundreds of thousands of Australian families.