The Narooma Oyster Festival is proud to host the Australian Oyster Shucking Championships, where each year’s winner earns the honour of representing Australia at the World Oyster Opening Championships held at the Galway International Seafood and Oyster Festival every September.
This world event features the Galway Flat Oyster, a species quite different from the Australian Rock Oyster. Galway Flats are flatter and have a tightly closed shell, requiring a special side-entry technique for shucking, while Rock Oysters have a deeper shell and a distinct texture and flavour profile.
The world title is currently held by Renars Purmalis from Latvia who was crowned overall champion AND world’s fastest shucker in 2024, continuing his winning streak from 2023. Johan Malm from Sweden won the title for best presentation.
Past Australian champion Jim Yiannaros of Batemans bay Oysters represented Australia in 2022, while Gerard “Doody” Dennis, a four-time Australian champion and proud Gamilaroi and Walbunja man, represented Australia in 2023 and 2024.
Read more about Australia’s Oyster Shucking Championships.
Save the date for Saturday,
September 27, 2025!
Subscribe to get a reminder:
- Subscribe: Sign up to receive updates.
- Save the Date: Mark your calendar for Saturday, evening September 27 to watch the Live Stream.
- Tune in on September 27: The Live Stream will begin at 11pm AEST. You can watch it on a device or cast it via YouTube to your tv.
