The week that was… – Featured Blog

Yssss, wish I could stop saying “that was a pretty quiet week” but yet again it was. Monday was the pick of the bunch with super fun lil waves coming through, albeit with long lulls in between. The rest of the week was a scratch inside the bay, but if you took a drive, even a short one, you were rewarded.

The usual array of lekker winter sunsets and sunrises made up for what we lacked in surf. Ever wondered why sunsets are better in winter? Turns out there’s a valid scientific reason for it. The colors of a sunrise or sunset are based on how light is entering and traveling through the atmosphere. Dust and pollution particles in the air scatter light and reduce how much makes it to the ground, thus reducing the intensity of colors at sunrise and sunset. So when the air is crisp and clear, like it is in winter, these twilight hours will offer up more vibrant colors. The sluggish air circulation in summer means more smog and haze, and less light entering through them to turn into a kiff sunset.

PE local Jot de Lauwere is on a south Sumatran mission at the moment and lucking into some decent surf. The term “flat” in Indo usually means about 3ft, whereas in PE that would actually classify as a good days surf. In between the odd “flat” day he’s been scoring some solid waves.

The old Chinese proverb goes One Picture Worth Ten Thousand Words. Can’t argue with the expression on this dude’s face can you. SUP’s and egg-beaters are one thing, but this is a whole ‘nother ballgame. Shot last week in the Maldives. Too scary for words.

Many Algoa Bat penguins became inadvertent All Black supporters last week after an oilspill in the bay. Thankfully quick action by all the relevant authorities saw Xtreme Projects get out there and neutralise much of the spill. Unfortunately still a number of birds were affected, and should you come across a dirty lil ‘un then please take it to your nearest penguin possie (SAMREC in PE or Sanccob at Seals).

Johnny Bakker came back from his recent Costa Rica sojourn with the SA Surf team which went to the World Games. CarPark John is now rocking a new cap, which looks like it’ll work well to keep the sun off his dial during his extended carpark kakpraat sessions.

Ex-SF and JBay local Ryan Payne was spotted slab hunting in CT last week. Him and shutterbug Ian Thurtell scored a little ridden chunky ledge that turned on in the windless conditions. Ryan’s no slouch when it comes to taking on mutant looking waves, as has done plenty of wildside missions at CSF surfing seemingly unridable ledges. 

Make a plan to enter the Something Good Classic this Saturday. Everyone welcome, plenty of divisions, you score a free tee and loads of lekker prizes up for grabs. 

Shot to all the groms who will be representing NMBS during the Billabong SA Junior Champs at JBay in October. Really strong team, so they should stand a chance at grabbing the title. Good luck lighties!

Saw a very well-written piece by CT surfer Roxy Davis, calling a lightie out for his kak behaviour. Worth a read, cos not only mini-groms that are guilty of not respecting the line-up etiquette.

The week ended with a lekker day on Sunday – the calm before the storm. Warm enough to walk around in some boardies at last. Summer’s on the way. But not before we get bliksemed a bit more by winter.

By Jarvi 

​“Still writing kak?” said Johnny Paarman to me as we sat waiting for a set at Seals the other day.

“I just saw you fuck-up a take off on a two-foot wave,” I replied with a smile. “That’s worth writing about. Your hip replacement is no excuse”

“I see you’ve lost some more hair,” he replied. “On the top of your head.”

“Careful,” I replied. “There’s another two-foot set coming through, and the next one’s yours. Go over the falls on this one and you’re going to have to go in. Local rules. If you’re nervous, just tell me, ok? Can’t be wasting any more waves of the day.”

The big wave legend with a false hip caught that set wave, got to his feet and rode it all the way through with a smile on his face.

​Talking about nervous, it’s time for Teahupo’o and the Billabong Pro world’s most dangerous wave event. At this stage it looks like it’s going to be fairly small throughout the event, and many people are very happy about this.

Can’t say I blame them. Being a pro surfer must be very unsettling when a Code Red swell blips on the forecast, and you need to get out there. It’ll probably be a small wave shoot-out between Filipe and Gabriel, or maybe John John and Jordy, but not Kelly and Parko.

​Talking about Code Red swells, many years ago, in 1986 in fact, the Billabong Pro moved over to Waimea and it was blue, really massive and horrifying. Rob Bain paddled out for his heat in the early morning and got caught inside by what was called a forty-foot close-out set. Bainy used to puff on the odd ciggie back then, and he made it back to the beach after a few of those waves had unloaded on his head, and promptly passed out on the beach.

This caused fellow Australian surfers Gary Green and Bryce Ellis to remove themselves from the entry list, with both withdrawing because they were too shit scared to paddle out into forty foot close-outs at a wave neither had ever surfed before.

​Currently on assignment in KZN, and there are no signs of 40-foot waves. No signs of 4 foot waves. It’s about one foot, and onshore, and I’m writing 400 words of kak.  
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Word count including this sentence and header – 400.

By Craig Jarvis