After 52 weeks of incredible drama, M-Net’s (DStv channel 101) Summertide comes to an end on Sunday 19 January at 18:00. Where will we leave the Field and Solomons families?

When we met marine biologist Martin Field (Frank Rautenbach) and his children Tristan (Jan Combrink) and Lucy (Evangelina Hallock), they had just arrived in South Africa after the death of wife and mother Julia (Amalia Uys). Returning to False Bay where he grew up, Martin is repeatedly confronted by his past, including the complex lives of his parents Wilma (Terry Norton) and Jack (Andre Jacobs), his brother, Gavin (Ty Keogh), and Rebecca Solomons (Monique Rockman), his first love who herself has returned to South Africa to take over the family restaurant after the death of her father.

Over the course of the last year, Martin and Gavin explored new relationships and their own, Tristan and Yolande (Cassiel Eatock-Winnik) began their tragic relationship, Martin took on the illegal fishing industry in the bay with Freddy’s (Maurice Carpede) help and suffered the consequences.

Hannes du Plessis (Morne Visser) proved to be a businessman with many fingers in many pies – some of which may be sweeter than others, Jack struggled with retirement from a lifetime in military service, the town reeled from a ‘was-it-wasn’t-it?’ shark attack when a single human foot washed up on the beach and the Fields said an emotional goodbye to Julia when the opportunity to scatter her ashes finally arrived. All the while, Rebecca faced the pull between her family and Gavin, the return of her daughter from a previous relationship, Amina, which led to her leaving Gavin at the altar.

Between the return of great white sharks, resistance to his conservation work and a botched attempt to tackle Abalone poaching, Martin had enough on his plate, yet more and more kept getting piled on, including the end of his relationship with Charlie (Tanya van Graan) and having to navigate the complexities of his ties to Rebecca and Amina. Tristan was forced to deal with Yolande’s departure to the US for medical treatment.

As the season reached its final act, Yolande returned home but feels too insecure in her relationship ends things with a heartbroken Tristan, who tried to win her back when presented with the chance to play the lead opposite her in the school play, Much Ado About Nothing. A mysterious explosion in the bay raised community concerns, leading Jack, Martin, and Amina to uncover previously hidden dangers.

With things drawing to a close, a mysterious woman appears in Hannes’ life, landing him in legal trouble while Rebecca faces an unexpected trial. With Charlie back in the frame, Martin’s ever-complex life gets even more emotionally charged and Freddy finds himself in a bind.

“From the beginning we wanted to inspire hope, to show that no matter what challenges life throws your way, your family and your unique South African community can come together to help you through it,” says producer Corné van Rooyen of Red Letter Day Pictures. “Set in one of the most beautiful coastal locations on the Western Cape we loved highlighting the many important messages of ocean conservation.”

“Summertide was commissioned for 52 episodes and represented an entirely new format of TV for M-Net. As the story concludes on 19 January, we are incredibly proud of the result and the amazing support from our viewers,” says Waldimar Pelser, director of premium channels at MultiChoice Group.

Ride the last emotional wave of Summertide on M-Net (DStv channel 101) on Sunday 19 January. Stream it on DStv Stream or watch it at your leisure on DStv Catch Up. Join the conversation on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.