Discover the power of the ocean in Corona Studios' new short film, First Beach

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The film forms part of Corona’s “100 Years Under the Sun” platform, celebrating a century of connecting people to nature and the outdoors.

Shot across iconic beaches including Boulders Beach, Camps Bay, and Nature’s Valley, the 4 minute documentary follows Ruvaine Wheatley, a lifeguard from Roodepoort who has spent his life in and around pools yet never seen the ocean. His dream: to one day become an ocean lifeguard.

The film captures his emotional journey from Gauteng to the Garden Route, celebrating awe, reflection, and the joy of first contact with the waves.

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Together with the film, three other South Africans whose stories unfold with the same quiet intensity, will be documented on Corona social media channels.

Nike Olusegun, a law student and podcast host, travels to the coast for the first time and speaks openly about how the moment shifted something inside her.

Funky Sithole, a gold mine shift manager and rapper, steps into the ocean after years spent underground, describing the experience as a kind of release he didn’t know he needed, while Matome Raphela, a theatre artist from Limpopo, meets the shoreline with a mixture of wonder and disbelief, having grown up hundreds of kilometres from the nearest beach.

The journeys of the films reflect the realities many South Africans share - growing up far from coastal areas and facing economic barriers.

Each encounter with the ocean becomes more than a scenic moment; it becomes a deeply personal reminder of how powerful a first connection with the coast can be.

The release forms part of Corona’s “100 Years Under the Sun”, a tribute to outdoor life, natural moments, and the feeling of freedom that only the beach can bring. The official Corona Beach 100, released this year, features four iconic South African beaches: Nature’s Valley, Kraal Bay, Boulders Beach, and Camps Bay.