BMT

Big balls on the Bluff, shenanigans at the Quicky Pro and a photographer gets skunked.

26/02/2012

Who Blew Up

1. Stefan Aicher.

Stephan is a Bluff local and when he woke on Friday morning the sight that greeted his eyes at his home break of Ansteys was a thundering 6-8ft swell leftover from the previous days westerly blast. After watching one or two kamikaze's getting absolutely smoked in the dredging takeoffs he opted to paddle out on his 7'6" which as things turned out proved to be a good call. After a gnarly paddle out (there were no easy paddle outs that day) Stefan eventually went to sit way outside on the peak. After patently waiting for about 20 minutes THE bomb of the day came through. Everyone else was caught inside but Stefan was in pole position. He put his head down and paddled for all he was worth as the wave doubled up behind him and the fresh side/offshore blew straight up the face. As the lip pitched behind him and the offshore held him up it looked for a moment that it was all going to go horribly wrong, but through sheer force of will he kept the nose down and sprang to his feet. There was a second or two of free fall where it could have gone either way but he connected with his board, stuck the drop and glided into a 50m bottom turn. From there he backdoored both of the two bowl sections on a wave more closely resembling maxing Supers than a peaky Durban beachbreak and ended up being deposited past the lifeguard stand. Quite a ride, quite a ride indeed and no question it was wave of the day!

2. Jordy Smith and Travis Logie.


After the first round hoodoo snagged both of our boys they bravely fought back in round two of the Quik Pro Gold Coast to remain in contention for the round three match ups where Jordy faces Raoni Monterio and Travis goes up against Taj. Lets hope our boys can keep building on that momentum.
3. Taj Burrow.
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Taj was in blistering form in round two of the Quik Pro where he dispatched Dane Reynolds with a heat total of 18.10 to Dane's 16.06.


And Who Blew It?

1. Dane Reynolds.

Dane has both the talent and the contest head, he's proven that in the past, yet he just doesn't have the competitive fire or the will to use his 'contest head'. Make no mistake he is exciting to watch but his uncompromising focus on the one big hit will always cost him against someone as experienced and fired up as Taj.

2. Gabriel Medina.

The second round loss to Yadin Nichol in one of the lower scoring match ups of round two will be a big disappointment to the young Brazilian surfing sensation. He now has to wait another month before he gets a chance to restart his 2012 campaign and in so doing risks losing that amazing momentum he built up in the second half of last year with his two contest wins.

3. Kelly Cestari.

Kelly knew about the waves on The Bluff on Friday and was there bright and early drinking coffee as the sun peeped over the horizon. While the swell was solid it was still suffering from a bit of morning sickness. Instead of waiting for the wind to shift and the tide to go out Kelly bailed. Half an hour later the wind did shift and the tide went out and the surf turned on leaving the crew pulling into some dredging pits while Kelly fought his way back into town in the midst of rush hour traffic...

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A sneaky Hawaiian victory for Spex, a torn ACL, Daylight Robbery and Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

19/02/2012

Who Blew Up

1. Sasha “Spex” Specker.

pex is this month’s Daily Image photographic stoke provider and a long time contributor to theBOMBsurf. Last week in a tightly contested final against 3 Hawaiians, he took out the 2012 DK Pipe Challenge at Pipeline. The multiskilled waverider blew the other boogers away in a cleverly strategised final which saw him scoop the the title and the cash from under the noses of the three Hawaiian’s who entering the water thought they had it on lock down. It’s great to see a saffa win at Pipe, well done Spex!

2. Matt Banting and Sally Fitzgibbons

he pair of Aussies dominated on home soil to ultimately emerge victorious after the week long extravaganza held at Manly beach which was the inaugural Australian Open of Surfing. Manly Beach is home to previous World Champions, Barton Lynch and Layne Beachley. It has also got to be one of the worst surf spots on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Best known for serving up classic ‘straight hander’s’ it does however facilitate Olympic sized crowds. Don’t believe the still images you see or how the top surfers are able to pull multiple manoeuvres on this wave, for most normal surfers this is impossible. It is a testament to Matt and Sally’s professional acumen that saw them perform under pressure in what can only be described as a mediocre wave at best. That said interestingly this event was co-sponsored by amongst others Billabong and Hurley. Is this just a sign of the times where single brand sponsorship is simply too expensive and could this herald a new chapter in Pro Surfing where we see ‘competitive’ brands teaming up to put on events?

3. Frank Solomon.
Credit: Men’s Health
Frank has been charging hard on the North Shore recently, apparently hard enough to even impress Kelly Slater with one of his tube rides at Pipe. We all know that Frank Charges, but he does it in such a humble and simple way that he often gets overlooked. Apart from being complimented by the King himself for his Pipe performance, Frank’s been a busy boy in lineups from Pipe and Waimea to Mavericks recently. Perhaps all that overlooking is a thing of the past. Check out his 6 page feature in Men’s Health which breaks next week.


And Who Blew It?

1. Clyde Martin.

Clyde slipped into SA quietly last week to visit family in Durban en route to Australia for the start of the World Tour on the Gold Coast. He arrived in the dark and woke early on the Bluff to find the waves cooking. He dug out an old board he had stashed at his folks place and hit one of the the quieter locations on that coastline to find to his surprise and pleasure he had it all to himself. The only drawback to his incredible windfall was that the board he was riding hadn’t been waxed for quite some time and he wasn’t traveling with any wax... Need we spell out how that session unfolded?

2. Robbie Fleck.

Apart from being a demon on the Rugby field Robbie is also a passionate surfer. He tore his ACL in the first few minutes of a Ten’s Tournament and now finds himself out of the surf and off the Rugby pitch for 6 months. Eish! We wish him a speedy recovery.

3. Eskom.

The morons in charge of our national power supply announced recently that consumers should brace themselves for a 25% increase in rates... This from the idiots who paid themselves millions in bonuses last year, can barely keep the lights on in SA and to top it off want to build a nuclear reactor overshadowing J-Bay at Thyspunt. If it wasn’t so serious we’d call this ‘Daylight Robbery’. TheBOMBsurf reckons the whole executive board should be publicly flogged and then fed to the sharks!

Got something to say? Then leave a comment!

Posted by Jason on the 20/02/2012 09:07

GO Franky our son !!!! Good on you brother. ZAR wishes you luck.

Posted by warren on the 22/02/2012 12:54

Agree with you on the electricity thing. So tired of just paying, paying, paying.........

Posted by Victor on the 21/03/2012 07:11

my two big designer crhsues are that chanel quilted bag and the lv speedy. but i don't think i'll be buying either anytime soon.. so pricey :( but i agree with you, it's definitely something you save up for and treasure forever. one designer piece can accelerate any outfit from shabby to fabulous in an instant.great blog! feel free to check out and follow mine at couturelust.com

A flesh eating virus, clueless DBN SUPers in CT, an unnamed longboarder who nearly killed his friend

12/02/2012

Who Blew Up

1. DVG.

Following in the proud tradition of South African shapers being valued for the skills in the international market, the humble yet highly capable Kommetjie Board Builder has been invited by the team at Pukas to go and do a stint in Europe later this year. The team at Pukas are frothing to learn some of Dave’s thoughts when it comes to board design. Good one Dave, but don’t give them all the secrets!

2. Kelly Slater.

Last week in London he equalled Roger Federer’s record of 4 Laureus awards, when he was presented with the the award for action sports once again. Not bad for a dude who just turned 40!

3. Twiggy.

Twiggy has been charging in the Northern hemisphere winter. Last week he hit Mavericks really hard. Maverick’s hit back a couple of times but my word is he going for it! If you don’t believe us watch the Surfline feature. It’s amazing he can do this and still find time to write for theBOMBsurf. Check out the next issue to read Twiggy’s take on the most gnarly paddle session ever.


And Who Blew It?

1. Durban SUP in CT.

Spotted somewhere on the road between Noordhoek and Kommetjie these Durban dudes clearly have no idea when it comes to tying boards on the roof. It makes you wonder how skilled they’ll be when they get in the water... What can we say but it takes all sorts.

2. The unnamed longboarder, who nearly killed his friend.

In a KZN longboard trial over the weekend in Durban two non competitors drifted into the contest area. The one guy had just had a wave and was paddling back out when his mate took off, wobbled to his feet, feinted left, then feinted right before riding straight over his mate. The board crashed into his mates head and and smashed him underwater. If the surf hadn’t been so small that the two guys could stand at backline the victim could have quite possibly drowned he was in such a daze.

3. The flesh eating virus.

Lineups in Durban have been curiously vacant following last weekend’s newspaper report of a deadly flesh eating virus which was contacted by a Durban man along the Durban beachfront recently. Apparently the man contracted it after paddling on his surf ski between Ushaka and the Bluff. Eish we’ve heard of gnarly locals but that is ridiculous!

Got something to say? Then leave a comment!

Posted by Harry on the 13/02/2012 10:00

Hey guys this vehicle was a rental and poor Durban gets trashed ha! ha !

Posted by Dave on the 13/02/2012 10:27

it is clearly a rental...

Posted by John on the 13/02/2012 11:09

Flesh Eating Virus - According to my GP, you do not use high powered antibiotics to cure this desease but basic antitoxins similar to those used in treating puffadder bites etc. -

Posted by Andrew on the 13/02/2012 12:23

Seems like the Capetonians are bored again,cant find any waves so have to diss Durban.At least we can go to the beach barefoot and in boardshorts,you dudes have to pack an overnight bag.

Posted by Kelly on the 13/02/2012 15:00

clearly blow-in's...u know what they say...assumption is the mother of all *&^%-ups....that colour skorra-skorra...looks like they got lost heading outta "Egoli"??

Posted by Byron on the 17/02/2012 14:54

Clearly the Durban guys have tied the boards on properly if he driven all the way down from Durban to Cape town and the boards are still on the roof. You Assholes are now getting very boring with your SUP chirps, my guess is none of you have the skill to SUP or can't afford one. Stop worrying about what craft a person rides in the ocean and work on having some fun rather than jumping on the anti SUP bandwagon. You might be surprised to know that most of us SUP guys have surfed our whole lives.

Posted by XZgfwusdV on the 19/02/2012 03:09

Posted by Trevor on the 27/02/2012 09:33

The flesh eating virus was September last year, and the oke had cut his knee somewhere else before he hit the ocean in Durban. Durbs suft might not always be squeeky clean but if he cut his knee cleaning out his home septic tank, then even the ocean might not wash it clean.

Posted by Andik on the 17/03/2012 04:52

over $309 billion since 2005, dipsete the fact that many of them claim to be committed to combating climate change. If that wasn't bad enough, the investments are also on the rise â€“ the totals in 2010 were

Posted by Janelle on the 02/05/2012 22:32

I'm just starting out as a trsnalator and soaking up all the information I can get my hands on. I'm about half-way through the book and I can't recommend it highly enough. It has answers to all the questions I never dared ask and answers to questions I never thought to ask. What a great piece of work. Thank you!

Smackdowns, Charging and a good old fashioned Skunking.

05/02/2012

Who Blew Up

1. John-John.

John-John’s reputation at Pipe is becoming fearsome to say the least. His win last week at The Volcom Pipe Pro is just the latest in a string of achievements in surfing’s most hallowed ground. In the last 2 months he’s won 2 out of the last 3 events there in the form of The Volcom Pipe Pro, Da Hui Backdoor Shootout and his sublime performance in The Billabong Pipe Masters. IF the World Title was only decided at Pipe, John-John would be hard to beat. What makes him exciting to watch at Pipe is his commitment (he has serious balls) as well as some of the unique lines he draws which seem to be unique to him. He manages to do all this and yet maintains a humble and stoked demeanour, all we can to is watch in amazement and applaud.

2. Matt Bromley and Shaun Joubert.

Recently Matt and Shaun have been charging hard on The North Shore. These two rippers have been flying the SA Flag proudly at Pipe, Backdoor and Waimea. Apparently Matt got one of the biggest waves of the swell at Pipe (ja the one they cancelled The Volcom event on because it got too big!). He didn’t make the wave but he took off and pulled into a monster! Shaun has also been clocking some serious tube time at Backdoor navigating the crowds, the gnarly locals and the wave itself to spend plenty of time in the shade. Nice work boys, keep it up!

3. Jamie O’ Brien.

Jamie O’Brien is nothing if not creative. His performances at Pipe range from ridiculous to astonishing. Stretching his ability and our imaginations at Backdoor recently he executed a step off mid tube to redefine what is and isn’t possible in surfing, especially in such waves of consequence.


And Who Blew It?

1. Jamie O’ Brien.

While his antics doing step-off’s mid tube will keep us and the youtube generation entertained for hours, his narrow loss to John-John in the finals of The Volcom Pipe Pro will surely chafe him sorely. There was a time when Jamie was undisputedly the man at Pipe. Is that time over? There is no question he still rips, but has John-John taken things to another level and has Jamie’s reign been superseded? We think perhaps it has.

2. Julius Malema.

Eish it is back to the drawing board for Juju as last week the ANC decided to uphold it’s decision to ban him from the party for 5 years. The Breitling wearing, expensive whisky quaffing ‘economic freedom fighter’ will be pondering a protracted spell in the political wilderness. While we all heave a sigh of relief news editors all over SA will be gnashing their teeth wondering where they are going to find a substitute for all his comedic headlines. As the Holmes Bros said on one of their T shirts “Malema don’t surf!”. All we can say with all that free time on his hands now is thank goodness.

3. John McCarthy.

Thinking he would capitalise on the tail end of Funso’s cyclonic gifts in Southern Mozambique John drove for 10 hrs only to find that the sand on the point had been completely washed away in the preceding days of cyclone swell activity. To ad insult to injury the onshore came up as he arrived and he got stung by gnarly bluebottles for good measure. At least he found a cool smoothie place (check Mango blog), but that is a hell of a long way to drive for a smoothie. A good skunking if ever there was one!

Got something to say? Then leave a comment!

Posted by Albeiro on the 20/02/2012 18:32

It's pblsiose but only if you took a hit directly with in seconds of some one with a cold sore taking one. Herpes doesn't last long on objects or in open air. It likes direct skin contact with an open sore or blister to be passed on like kissing some one that has a cold sore.

Posted by Justin on the 22/02/2012 12:15

jaime - WOW Joy and Ryel You guys are awomese! I am sooo happy with how they all turned out! can't wait till I have the book in my hands! Thanks a million!