FIVE $100 notes were simply icing on the cake for seasoned athletes competing in the annual Breaka Burleigh Ocean Swim's Dash For Cash.

Burleigh's own 19-year-old Danielle Defrancesco snatched the cash before Kurrawa Surf Life Saving Club's Surf Lifesaving Australia Hall of Famer, Ky Hurst, trumped the men.

Ms Defrancesco said she came first in the earlier 1km swim event and second in the 2km swim event so would not have competed in the cash dash finale if not for the $500.

"I had a five metre lead heading out of the water but it was a very fast sprint," she said.

"I had to try my best to get in front of the other girls. Hopefully I can save the money and put it to good use."

Mr Hurst used the sand to propel his 30-year-old frame from behind two other competitors and grab the green.

"I'm getting toward the end of my career, and not getting any younger, and these guys are quick," he said.

"I was happy to sit back and watch the dash but they kept talking me up, going on and on, and it made me feel guilty that I wasn't competing."

He won the 2km swim, achieved runner up in the 1km and said he was looking forward to the first round of the Kelloggs Nutri Grain Ironman Series.

Burleigh Heads SLSC deputy president of juniors Matt Leis said he was proud his son Cody defeated him by four minutes during the competition.

In other results Tweed Heads West's Jye Rogers came ninth in the 2km swim while Mermaid Waters' Jordan Harrison came fourth in both the 1 and 2km events.