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2oceansvibe

30 March 2009, 06:46

One of the coolest things about traveling is that you open yourself up to so many new things and you get to absorb the culture of the places you visit. Even traveling locally, it's amazing how each of our BIg 3 cities have their own personality. Between Jozi, Cape Town and Durbs, there's so many subtle differences between what people are into and what they do, as a result of the lifestyle.

The one thing that seems to be very popular in Jozi and CT, and that we Durban folk are yet to catch onto is Seth Rotheram. This guy is possibly the funniest, witties and bravest South African in cyberspace.

Click on this link www.2oceansvibe.com

If you have the Monday blues, I promise Seth will cheer you up.

1 Comments so far:

warren loom on 30 March 2009

Hey guys. Had no mail and no cell access since arriving in Reunion. Only internet access. Will let you know how this place is when I am online 100% again. Cheers.

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Blog from Mauritius

24 March 2009, 18:40

North Beach local and Bay Boards shaper Warren Loom sent this blog from Mauritius:

Today I got up and gazed over a 1 foot Tamarin Bay. Got skunked I thought. Did some work and then I had a look on the net for the swell details and saw that One Eyes HAD to have something. I packed up the board, and R200 later was at One Eyes. Low and behold the Wave Gods were smiling on me. Perfect left One Eyes at 3 feet, mid tide, no wind and only 3 locals out. I paddled the 700m out to the break and introduced myself to the 3 locals. No English was the response. Oh well. I had my H-Bomb with me so they probably thought here comes some kook on a mini mal looking thing. I let the 3 locals get a wave each and then made my move. I chose a nice 3 foot set wave, grabbed the rail and made the drop over edge, watching the reef coming up at me. Always looks strange that. 100m later I kicked out and paddled back to “The 3”. Suddenly one of them spoke some English and then the second also suddenly spoke some English. “Where you from?” said the biggest of “The 3”. “South Africa” I said. “Oh Johannesburg?” he said. Uh? “No. Durban.” “Cool” he said. “Don’t drop in and we will all have a good time.” I nodded politely and thought that sounded good to me. Anyway, 3 hours later, 4 barrels later. One of which had the big guy give me a hoot and a holler, my back was burnt, my arms were like noodles, I did the paddle back to the beach. That session was pure stoke. Four guys, plenty waves, minimal English, but one thing in common. We all love to surf. I left having made 3 new friends. And I swear they’re still wondering what the hell I was riding? Love it! Tomorrow and Thursday is full on work days, so I will catch up after that. Keep well guys!

Attached are 2 photos, and as you can see the break is so far out its difficult to get a decent shot, but it definatley gives you the idea.

The One Eyes photo was taken after the session when the wind started to come up.

5 Comments so far:

Phil on 25 March 2009

Nice one Warren, guess you are missing the Durban piers now ! Cut the crap your are not working that hard over there...... making it sound like some sort of punnishment ! Rip rave and misbehave see you back at North Beach you lazy bumb.

warren on 25 March 2009

Hey Phillie. Trust all is well. I actually worked a 12 hour day today and it will go on tomorrow. Dammit! But Friday is a public holiday here, so surfs up! Keep the coffee warm.

The old man on 26 March 2009

Read your letter, you will need a holiday when you get back.
glad to hear that alls well and the surf is picking up.
injoy the public holiday and try not to work yo hard !!!!!!
All ok at home.

Phil on 27 March 2009

Morning, just looking for some opinions on the news that the Mr Price Pro is leaving Durban for Ballito ??? any comments ???

Dylan Loom on 28 March 2009

I' ve seen your email and photos and it looks like a great place to be.Are you going to send photos of the next island you go to.And I played rugby today and my team won one of two matches.

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A feeling called freedom

24 March 2009, 11:04

Even though you know it's coming - you can never really prepare for how cold the water is down here! Rubbered up to the max, John and I paddled out to perfect, clean icy barrels on the Cape Peninsula this morning. The sun, was out, the water was crystal clean and the waves were super fun. But it was still flipiin COLD! I think the cold water also got to John's board, because as I turned around after a wave, I saw him drop down a perfect 4ft face and as he was about to pull into the tube, he slid right out and wiped like a champion (which is something you don't see often) so I paddled up to him and after I had finished laughing, asked what happened - he turned his board over and it was missing 2 fins! He reckons he bottom turned and the fins just snapped right off his board - very strange indeed.

The freedom, the adrenaline, the fear and the ecstay of surfing the Peninsula is a glorious feeling - especially considering we were surfing a crowded, balmy KZN South Coast point just 2 days ago.

Stoked.

Iain.

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As seasons change

22 March 2009, 22:17

There couldn't have been too many guys who surfed the KZN South Coast on Sat and Sun mornings who didn't get properly stoked. The water was warm and clean, the swell a fun 2-4' and the first vestiges of a landbreeze groomed the faces and fanned the barrels. As the seasons change you can feel the texture of the light change. The air feels different and the sea just looks and feels amazing.It's still warm enough to surf without a suit, but the sun doesn't fry your brains out. The whole experience of surfing a dawnie at this time of year in KZN is beautiful. If you live in this part of the world and you don't partake in the magic of these mornings you are crazy. Go on, pack your cabbie the night before. Set your alarm. Have a quick cup of coffee and hit it early. We are truly blessed to have jewels like this on our doorstep that we can dive into.

3 Comments so far:

Hofa on 23 March 2009

Awesome I'm leaving Dubai in 10 days - Can't wait for that perfection! Here we get stoked when the onshore howls, because we may get 2ft in the gulf!
KZN truly is blessed when it comes to the combination of a place to live, work and surf in warm cooking waves!

Davey on 23 March 2009

25 guys out at green point saturday too...

domo on 4 April 2009

Theres plenty of points guys you dont all have to congregate at greenies as it does have its local crew who have been surfing there religiously for years

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Another Fatal Shak attack at Port St Johns

20 March 2009, 20:58

Just got some calls confirming that there has been another fatal shark attack at Port St Johns. Apparently a 16 year old development surfer was attacked while leaving the water and died shortly afterwards from wounds suffered in the attack. On the same day Greg Emslie had a very big scare in East London when he was'bumped' by a shark while paddling out at the Reef. Greg reckons that both him and the shark got a huge fright as he feels that he paddled over it on a very shallow section of reef. Apart from minor bumps to his board and a slight slap from the tail Greg escaped unscathed. Sheww deep breath...

Will try and get the full details and let you guys know what the full story with the PSJ attack.

In the meantime we spare a thought for the youngster who died doing what he loved and to the family he leaves behind.

24 Comments so far:

Peter Jones on 30 March 2009

Was closest to Greg when he got bumped on Fri. at the Reef same day as the PSJ attack on Luyolo at PSJ, was also the first to surf PSJ ( This Sat. ) on my own after the attack.I was doing a demo on the new Surf 7 Shark Shield at the invitation of Tim from Amapondo Backpackers. Turns out Tim has a sponsor lined up to keep the young local gromms in the water. Any comments ??contact me on 083 4527309 / peterj@abe.co.za

herbit on 30 March 2009

Ja those shark shields must really work, there is this guy we know only as 'man-whore' who surfs ntlonyana all winter over the last few years wearing a shark shield and has never been eaten. i surf there a lot but definately not in june/july!!! too sharky but probably ok with a shark shield!

Peter Jones on 30 March 2009

Was hoping for some for intelligent response,but not from a Malherbe thats like hooking barbel off the back of Breezies on a surf ski. Anyway back to the main story. Rob Gault, Craig Sinclair & I were having seriously good waves & in my book it was getting better & better, next thing Greg s off the back shouting Shark, Shark, F#@, Shark. Rob, C & I look at each other as a 4 - 5 ft bomb loombs.We`re all on it, I look back at Greg who kept on looking at his left hand, while trying to paddle. I remember his eyes being as big as side plates. Our wave took us into the gully about 20 m from where you get out. I turned to Craig & asked him if I could use his board to paddle back & see if Greg was Ok - Craig had a shark shield on. Turns out Greg was fine, but spent the next 1/2 hr in the car park on an adrenelin rush next to none ( motor mouth ). Why not send me your narrow escapes & I `ll send you some. Seriously we`ve all had some close calls. I was in J - Bay zipping up in about +- July 89 ( would love to contact the chap plse send details if you have. ) when I saw a guy get chowed at Supers, the shark breached with this guy in its mouth. I was about to paddle out the surf was cooking. I helped the guy out the water.. Eish its a long story. Send me your storey. Peter

Brent Adams on 30 March 2009

Hey Guys. Did you hear about the shark that got beached on the sandbank at the entrance to the Nahoon River a couple of weeks ago. The tide was obviously too low. Aparently it was a Raggie of about 2m and had to be dragged out to sea by the lifeguards. The scary thing is that he got beached trying to get into the river. Later. Brent

Peter Jones on 31 March 2009

Yeah hi Brent, Gavin Wyness ( Head Life Guard ) told me about it - t`was the day before Surfers Marathon. So the shark was pulled off the bank & released but hung around in the gully infront of the Life`s Shack for quite a while. This was not long after hearing about the largest Tiger Shark ever recorded ( 4 M )being caught & tagged with sounding device & released in the Breede River. Scary Stuff. No more wading out to throw rupalas in the Breede. Hey Brent get your ass inthe water again & leave those motor bikes for the serious petrol heads.Peter

Craig Sinclair on 31 March 2009

PJ picturethis. Sunday afternoon I am out in the water at Reef with Greg Emslie, Andrew Carter, Dave Fish and Heinie. I had a really strange feeling about being out with Greg and Andrew considering Andrews history and Gregs recent escape. So I was feeling rather vulnerable as lightning does not usually strike twice in the same place. I heard Dave shout " Craig just watch there is a shark over there in that area" pointing with his hand. Andrew had seen the tail end and Dave had seen it surface. Andrew, greg, Heinie and myself start discussing what to do. From the conversation Heinie was convinced it was here for me, Greg thought he had had his turn and Andrew said "I dont care because I am between all of you"
That he was.
Eventually Andrew the voice of reason said even a 5 footer can take a nice bight.
With that picture in mind we all went in.
Later PJ
Craig Sinclair

julian on 31 March 2009

lets not dramatize. Sharks live in the ocean. Anybody who has been surfing up and down the east coast for 20+ years would be able to tell stories of "close encounters".
Maybe if the Darwinisms of the world are correct, that man dragged himself from the ocean, it was the sharks that pushed him into evolving into a land animal. Hence the fear of sharks?
Common sense needs to prevail. More people enter the ocean every year, so therfore the probability of a human-shark encounter will increase every year and if you happen to surf, then the liklihood of an encounter increases.
Furthermore, the transkei has always been regarded as a shark encounter "hotspot".
tragic as attacks are, they drive home the fact that man is not the top dog in the ocean and makes man question why?
Sharks are not know to posses sentient logic and reasoning. They are wild animal that can attack.
Perhaps they are natures way of crowd control?
Any way you look at it,shark attacks are real, they happen and if you are concerned that the next one could be you - then stay out the ocean as then the only sharks you need to worry about are the ones nibbling on the end of your wallet.

Leigh Stolworthy on 31 March 2009

Hey Peter

Shark Stories...we've all got one. We've all heard them but it doesn't really sink in until you have an experience of your own. It's like "hey did you hear about that guy that got chowed at Gonubie Point?" or "Did you hear about Andrew and Bruce?" and you feel bad for them but it doesn't deter you in anyway because you just don't get it. You probably think cool well at least there won't be any crowds at reef! I didn't get it. I had seen a couple of small sharks before over the years but nothing to write home about. It all changed for me on the 3rd of November 2007 when a 4.5m White shark (confirmed by Natal Sharks Board based on jaw impression in the board) cruised up to me at about 2m away and just below the surface in cristal clear cold water at Bonza Bay. The feeling is hard to describe. You just know things are about to get ugly. I called out to long time dawny buddy Lee Mellin saying that we needed to get gone asap. He saw it and i turned to head to the beach instincively knowing not to thrash too much. The shark made a u-turn and broke surface between us and grabbed Lee on the leg kind of slow motion like it was testing to see if he was edible! it must have decided he was because it surged forward to get a better grip. luckily he managed to roll off at that time and it bit down on his board and went to town on it thrashing from side to side. I watched helplessly from about 10m away. Lee held onto his board and the shark bit the back of it off and turned to swim away. unfortunatley he was still attached by the leash so he got dragged a bit before it snapped. It came back still chomping on the board but i lost sight of it and thats when we managed to make our exit. It took 2 months and a shark shield before i got back in the water. It took Lee a bit longer because of the sticthes!The shark shield just gave me that phsycological edge

Leigh Stolworthy on 31 March 2009

sorry i clicked on the comment button by mistake.... i just wanted to say thanks again Peter for donating that shark shield unit to Lee after his bite. It made the world of difference. I use the Freedom 7 ankle unit and to be honest it is obviously much better to surf without it. which i do if i think the risk is minimal. I will never surf reef without it though. If the water is cold and clear i still get that uneasy feeling. I have a wife and kids and to me the shark shield is a no brainer. It causes drag when i am paddling for a wave and it shocks me occassionally but what are you gonna do...give up surfing....not bloody likely!

Mark Okilupo on 31 March 2009

Julian, Julian, Julian, lighten up brother. I am told this is just a nice little BLOGG for the locals to let off some stories and assist each other.
As we say in OZ " brother Dingos" .THey all know the risks and are willing to take them. Some of the above stories are tongue in cheek anyway.
I think its a great idea.
Keep it up PJ.
Maybe one day we meet.
Oki

roibart smith on 31 March 2009

bugger iPod, i want sPod! good enough for the bent judge, good enough for me.
PS. sorry, PJ. i agree, you are a star. must have had good teacher

P.J. on 31 March 2009

Now, now kids just another cooking day @ the reef - just cause Dev & Greg got most of the bombs except for parko 2 ( Lumps with camera on head ), Bully & I ( where was Wayne ). Hey guys shot for the comments. Esp. Leigh. Tks Julian, Craig, Oukie, sorry Okkie, Pillip, Brent oh & my teacher. Thats what its all about, serious shark incidents not just in the E.L. area, where are the rest of the owe`s.? What about in about 1982 sitting out at Bruces with Paul Naude, there where 4 of us out cooking waves when this massive fin popped up & just cruized straight past us. Or the Ntlonyana trip in - June 96 ( the year before Mark Penches was tradgically taken at the same spot ) Mike Knott, Don Bently & I - just the two of us were surfing - getting serious tube time, M.K. was standing on the sandbank taking photo`s - we got the pic`s - wish you where there. Anyway along comes MR massive G. White - fin about 2 ft high. We all scramble for the rocks - wait an hr or 2 & paddle out again. Oops big mistake.

reefrat on 31 March 2009

With DWEemslie Devon Wayne and Greg in the water you don't get to many waves anyway. Glad to see Hinie at least got" who it was coming for right" Grant TOUCH WOOD and just pulling your other paddle around me again arm. The sards action is happening at the reef so pick out a shield man and stick on him like you're marking him tight. OR just go surf the beach break as the wall that runs between reef and corner is shark proof. tinimpeniiimpenertableimpenetrabless

reefrat on 31 March 2009

Looks like that post got bastardized to hell in cyberspace. Oh well you get the idea.

Kneelo Tim on 1 April 2009

Surf the Kei without a shark shield at your peril.. think about how hectic the ratios are of people in the water (very minimal compared to other surf locales is SA) compared to the number of attacks, deaths and sightings that there have been over the years.... it must be up there with the sharkiest coastlines on the planet. Thankfully the technology to avoid becoming a statistic is available... Shot PJ

Peter Jones on 1 April 2009

Shot Tim hope to see you in the water again - soon. I Just gotta respond to some of Julians comments, Tks Julian a very well, written blog. I like it a lot - that`s just what this is all about. Esp. smaak the part about `anybody who has been surfing for.. has a few shark stories`..THAT`s WHAT I`D LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT. I have a serious interest in the stories esp those never made the front page, or the zag or theBOMB. I`m not trying to dramatize anything I would just smaak more input from all the owes out there who have a story. Hey check out Surfing`s Greatest Misadventures some cool tales esp. check out Terry Gibson`s story ` In a Place Called Transkei` very close to home for some of us. Off to Coffee Bay tom, did you say its gonna be west in the pub tomorrow night breaking six ft top to bottom spitting... aarh BUFFALO.......

Trevorg on 2 April 2009

Seeing as everyone is sharing war stories,my closest encounter was with a 5m + Great White a couple of years back. As I live very close to Blouberg, I often surf the various spots in the vicinity. On this particular Saturday AM in June, the waves were small with a foggy gunmetal colour often found on the Weskus. I decided to rather launch my ski and paddle from Little Bay( next to Blue Peter) Within 2 minutes I heard the sound of the water draining

and

Trevorg on 2 April 2009

What happened??!! anyhow I looked behind me to see a huge M.F eyeballing me from 6 " behind my boat. Ugliest and meanest eyes! This dude followed me across Big Bay,just slip streaming me for the longest 3 minutes of my life.Had to pull into the kelp next to the rocks at Kamers. The Johnnie then patrolled the area for the next 15 minutes swimming around the island checking for me. I eventually ducked in shore and aborted the paddle. Totally hectic, especially as this is the cold side. I reckon that they are out there far more than we realize. We just don not see them!!

Peter Jones on 2 April 2009

Tks Trevorg, that the stuff ... next

Scar Face on 2 April 2009

Come on PJ you must know one bloke in EL that will give you the run down on all the shark incidents he has been involved in and if he can't come up with a good one I am sure he could make one up for you. In fact he could tell you stories about 100 second long barrels at Yellows beachbreak and 20ft tow-ins at German bay - come on he is a legend, even he thinks so!
I think he has a story that when he checks a big johnny rotten he can tame it - similar to that other bloke that does it on the discovery channel for real.

richimages on 2 April 2009

I haven't been 'buzzed' by a shark yet, a few aggresive local surfers most definatly. I have only ever 'seen' sharks once in my whole surfing life and that was at Nahoon reef whilst surfing. I try and shoot stills from the water as much as I can and consequently am always putting myself at risk and the thoughts of sharks into the furtherest part of my mind. Did a shoot in mozam recently and that was a real eye opener. I had to jump off the point well behind the wave to try and beat the rip which meant a 300 m swim thru VERY deep water to get back to the line up. it was the only way I could into position. filmed a few waves and eventually got washed out of position and wanted to jump of the back point again but luckily i didn't. later on i heard from two of the surfers, who know a thing or two about surfing and the ocean, who were surfing the back point that they had seen something very big and very black swim underneath and around them. they scurried for the very sharp rocks on the inside, paddling all along them till they joined the other surfers further down the point. i thought to myself if that was me, filming from the water, i would have been a dead man cause there was no way i could have paddled to the rocks as quickly as the surfers did. i would have been a sitting duck. i've followed the development of the shark shield from its inception and am confident in the technology. it has also recieved rave reviews from everone that has used one and my experience in mozam was my deciding factor to buy one and i have never looked back since. they are comfortable to swim with and give me the ultimate confidence to shoot any wave, any where and i would really like to give a recomendation to anyone wanting to buy one for whatever reason to go ahead and but one, it really is worth it. regards.

Peter Jones on 6 April 2009

Hey Shot Rich & Scarface or is that `scar leg` are n`t you the ow that had a `not so small` nip on the leg & then had to head butt a +- 4 m Great White on the nose in order to get the back piece of your board back ?? Just got back from Coffee Bay, was with well Andrew Carter, Rob & his girlfriend Carol, Stan Badger, Steve Ayers & few others. Rob & I managed to squease in a paddle in between Tequilas a lot of beer & an 8 kg cob. Wow the place was buzzing, anyway back to Shark Stories. Arrived at a notoriously sharky spot deep in the Kei last year. A friend David mentioned that while out alone earlier he had been `bumped`. While preparing for the dawnie Mike & I noticed Dave already out - (on his own )- no Shark Shield. Mike & I paddled out with our new Surf 7 board attached ( what a pleasure complete piece of mind ) units & proceeded to stare in disbelief at the `bite` mark on Daves board. Balls of steal bro. C u in the water

Craig Sinclair on 6 April 2009

Check this out PJ. very interesting mate.
http://www.thebombsurf.com/pages/119/treating-a-shark-attack

Craig

P.J. on 14 April 2009

What no more shark stories, Yeah shot Craig have checked out the site, well how cool do`s the good doctor look. Ouch I just kicked my toe. Come on guys.- I surfed the Kei again 4 of us had shark shields 5 did not. I tell you the sea life was hectic my mate Pip `the video slut` nearly got taken out by a flying shad being chased by ... I don`t know what. But seriously there where fish trying to beach themselves as dolfins or something else chased them right onto the rocks. Hey Pip why were you sitting on the front of my board in beteween sets.

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GoBurg!

20 March 2009, 09:16

It's 9.17am, Friday morning. John is weaving the car down the N3 towards Durban. We're late for the Volcom Games. The phones are ringing off the hook, Swanky's at the beach, he reckons the waves are super fun, Clayton says the Coast is cooking - we're racing down the N3 and dodging some massive thunderstorms. Check out the first of our new postings...the videoblog below

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St. Paddy's day and not a wave in sight.

19 March 2009, 18:45

So we’re always bragging about this and that session we had up and down the coast and most of the time that’s how we roll.
However the karmic wheel has turned momentarily and we find ourselves on the receiving end of puzzled calls and sms’s. “The surf is cooking where are you guys?”

We’re 600kms from the nearest ocean right now stuck in the Jozi traffic. Our mates are getting shacked and we’re doing the grind. Eish!

So what do you do if there is no way to go surfing? Well if its St Paddy’s day then you line up the Guiness and climb right in!

1 Comments so far:

Jasper on 20 March 2009

Ha ha John you look like a leprechaun...

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New beginnings

18 March 2009, 08:39

Travis Logie blogs from Australia: i just arrived in newcastle australia for my first real assault on the wqs in four years . falling off the wct last year though , was actually the best thing thats happened to me . i have such a renewed passion and drive and it feels amazing, it feel like being a grom doin the junior serious all over again. you see what happens on the CT is that its so easy to settle for mediocrity ,caus the public and the industry only expect about four or five guys (the so called big guns} to be pushing for a win and for everyone else its fine to get a couple ninths and requalify.

I must say my first and third years on the CT i really went for it which is probably why they where my best results wise , but my second and fourth i really felt like i was just making up the numbers and it showed in my results and my surfing, i did have some really heavy stuff to go through personally like injuries and family tragedy but i think i was on that path even before it all went down. being determined and competitve to almost a ridiculous degree is something ive always been proud of , but in 2008 i completely lost that desire, maybe i expected success on the WCT to come easier or maybe my selfbelief disappeared after doing so well in 2007 only to get injured and miss the second half of the year , maybe it was both . all i know is that i felt very sorry for my self and im never gonna let it happen again.

Anyway im absolutely frothing for this year and i feel like im the luckiest guy in the world , i get to travel the world with my best friends , surf for a living and i still have sponsors that really believe in me. im travelling with warwick , daniel , jacko and ricky and its such a classic crew , im pretty much in hysterics non stop , most of the time its daniel and his amazing vocab or lack of vocab i should say that has us in stiches. he also doesnt swear so he has made up his own curse words , two of my favourite are FLUP and SHRIKKEN . every time he says one of these we all laugh at him which makes him angry and in turn swears at us even more, its golden . check my next blog for some more Dan swear word and quotes till then the boys and i will fly the flag proud.

cheers trav

3 Comments so far:

jag9 on 18 March 2009

Trav, you the man - we're behind you all the Shrikken way. You're ripping at the moment, so give em horns on the QS this year.

Jag9

bluffite on 20 March 2009

All the best, let your surfing do the talking. Still never seen quicker backhand hack combos from anyone else, ever. With any luck maybe some of the bluff talent will learn from your example that clean living gets results. Good luck for the QS until you get back to where you belong - top 16 CT.

Brett Florens on 23 March 2009

Ripping Trent!! You have the potential to do great things - We all believe in you. Enjoy the Victory!!

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Sign of things to come?

15 March 2009, 23:15

It's been a week of re-grouping here in KZN after the barrel-fest we had recently. Stories have been swapped, photos and videos poured over, comparisons made, boards repaired and now it looks like there another really promising pulse for this week again. Not just KZN either - Everywhere from Ponta to CT is gonna get waves this week, and between EL and the 'kei it looks epic! After the last few dismal winters we've had, is this a sign of things to come? There is a hint of autumn in the air, the air is slightly cooler, the sun a little less harsh, glassy mornings are becoming more frequent...Aah yes. Gotta love this time of year.

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Did Dane Reynolds get ripped off?

11 March 2009, 22:00

A little story surfaced post Parko's win on the Goldie about how all the judges missed Dane Reyniold's last wave in his heat against Taj. Dane was one of the standout surfers of the event going into that heat but Taj won and then came left in his next heat. Dane was outraged though because he needed like a 7 and was awarded a 6 something on a wave the judges actually missed. In fact the webstreaming and video guys missed it too. What a stuff up! The water photog actually did get it, but was too late to show the judges before they awarded a score for a wave they never saw... hang on in a WCT event? Is that judging panel being run by the ANC? Perhaps the same panel of experts who awarded Shabir Shaik medical parole...

Sorry Dane, sometimes life is just not fair!

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Bent and buckled

8 March 2009, 22:48

Four days into this swell we've been having in DBN and the boys are bent and buckled. It's been amazing but it's taken it's toll. Personally I'm 2 boards down and one visit to the chiropracter. We haven't had waves of this magnitute for so long that I thought everyone would still be trying to remember how to ride them. If anything the opposit has been true. The standard of surfing has been incredibly high, but perhaps more noticible is how hard the guys have been pushing themselves and each other. The result? Some truly incredible surfing. Davey Van Zyle and Kane Bennewith at the young end of the spectrum with Rudy Palmboom SNR at the other and all kinds of diehards in between. There have also been some amazing waves. Serious, proper waves in a world class category. Well tomorrow is supposed to be the last morning... we'll see who jumps of the pier first and gets shacked first.

1 Comments so far:

Derek Watson on 9 March 2009

Where were you Ballie? The stock standard question posed to me.. Well I've been in Jozi finalising a R 9 million tender and at the same time straining my back - FAR too many hours at the desk with NO water time, not even laps at the pool...
But careful now... I should be back on the swim and surf program from this week onwards (AAAGGGHH but I missed it all) Derek Watson

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WWE SMACKDOWN!

7 March 2009, 19:56

In the debate and discussion about whether the Goodwave should run this weekend Spike was quoted as saying something along the lines of the swell on Saturday is going to resemble the WWE SMACKDOWN as 8-12ft heaving slabs unload accross the Durban sandbars. I had an early meeting (thank god) which prevented me from getting amongst it early today, but I still had a chance to spend half an hour on the North Beach Pier watching Spike's WWE SMACKDOWN. I can tell you this it was flippen heavy! Borderline out of control 6-10ft mayhem. And the boys were charging! Josh Redman, just squeaked past the North Beach Pier after getting caught inside. Twiggy got mauled by a wide set, Dale Bamford somehow weaved through a mutant double up barrel emerged unscathed, proned in and went straight to see Spider to order a board with 'more volume'. Rudy Palmboom SNR was in his element. For a guy who is around 50 it was unbelievable to see how long and hard he charged. At the other end of the age spectrum was young Kane Benewith. Holy shit this kid is making a name for himself he really does charge and he's only 15! Reb Bull BWA selectors you might want to keep your eye on this one. Dan Redman, you'll see the pictures I'm sure, but Dan's gotta barrel of the swell so far and that's a big call considering who was out and how hard they were charging. A ten foot monster that he somehow made the drop, then somehow pulled in under the lip, then somehow rode through the heaviest barrel section in front of the pier only to emerge unscathed... what a ride! The tow guys were having a ball at North Beach.brandon Ribbink had to leave the water after getting a towboard to the face in a REALLY HEAVY barrel. If he'd made that barrel it would have been the tube ride of his life... as Spike said it was the WWE SMACKDOWN.

I eventually got down around 2pm. The jump off at the New Pier was mental, so I paddled out at South Beach. It was such a perfect day it was silly. Light winds, sun shining and these absurdly big waves that were just too big to be perfect. On the way over to New Pier The Mound started maxing and I was stressing I was going to get caught inside out at the shark nets! Made it to New Pier and dodged some sets before snagging a shoulder. Then bailed to North Beach and got one decent one before the sets had their way with me. There was a LOT of water moving around.

Then went down to Vetches and paddled out on the reef. It was weird to go from big waves to small waves in 30 mins, but the waves were really fun. Shared them with Jonno, Dave Jennings, Warren Wareing and Annie De Vries, Heidi Palmboom, and Tarryn Chudleigh. It reminded me of Velzyland in Hawaii. So fun and rippable. Surfed until it got too low then went into the Beach Club, where my mate Coffee handed me a cold Heineken. What a way to end the day sipping a cold beer, watching the tide going out on the reef and the sets continue to roll through at The Mound. Today really was a cracker in Durban.

1 Comments so far:

Bill on 19 March 2009

Cape Version of WWE Smackdown..
Surfed Kalk Bay yesterday. It was solid and very gnarly with a diabolical crowd..some crazy, hellish barrells..
Paris Basson, as he always has, completely owned it. Some unreal committment rewarded with huge, deep tubes while at the same time being prepared to pay his right of admission on a few..
Inspirational stuff Paris, thanks for the show!

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Jason gets wave of the day - Friday

6 March 2009, 23:01

This sequence was shot by Warren Yunnie from Clayton Surfboards. When I popped in to Clay's shop this afternoon, Warren showed me the sequence and reckons this wave of jason's was by far the best wave of the session that he saw. That's a big call considering the quality of big heaving pits that were ridden this morning, but until we see evidence otherwise....we're going with Warren's call.

Send us photos if you have 'em or tune us who you think the standouts have been.

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Payback time

5 March 2009, 18:48

Geeze but it's cranking in DBN right now! It's about 4-6ft and getting more powerful by the minute. Today I saw some really amazing rides. it's got to that size and intensity now that when a wave unloads accross the sandbar it growls and spits a chocholate sand miilkshake afterwards. Some pretty savage beatings, but my word some incredible tube rides. Brandon Jackson this evening was unbelievable. I watched for about half an hour and in that time he had 4 of the craziest barrels. He was just weaving through the frothy warping sections and somehow making them every time. Travis was on fire too with some seriously committed backside tube riding. If the Goodwave goes down in the next couple of days (which it well might) I'd be putting my money on those guys.

Talking of the Goodwave I believe a call will be made tomorrow, but if things keep developing the way they are I reckon, sat, sun or mon could all be potential Goodwave days. Stay tuned and we'll keep you posted!

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Twig comes home

5 March 2009, 10:25

Twiggy's Blog 12 : "Home."

So here I am, sitting in London International on a 12 hour stop over
(they don’t let you out the airport anymore unless you have a visa
thanks to some unscrupulous individuals who abused the immigration
laws) on my way home after three months on the road and I finally got
to watch the Zeitgeist movie and it made me think of what as a surfer
I can do to help guide the perception of other individuals on what’s
important in life.

And what is it that’s important?

Is it money, power, status, possession, ownership and prowess? Or in
our little pond which is the surf world is it our new boards and
wetsuits, our place in the pecking order of a line-up, being an
aggressive local at a particular beach or whether we are a better
surfer then the guy sitting next to us?

Now I live two parallel lives at the moment, one when I’m in South
Africa with all my possessions being a nice house and car with a rack
of surfboards and a jetski in the garage, a beautiful girlfriend and
two designer dogs holding down a good job with a healthy income and
all the seeming necessities of the world.

The second is when I spend a few months in the USA, living in an old
van that needs to be jump started every day, scraping by on the Rand
like every other poor immigrant trying to make it in the land of
dreams. Just living day to day, meal to meal and with my biggest
issues in the world being where the next tank of gas (sorry petrol –
shit I have been away to long) and full stomach is coming from.

So which one is better?

That’s a tough one and I think easier for me to make the call because
I don’t have kids but right now in my situation the better would be
the latter but doing it in South Africa. Less in the way of
possessions and responsibility to the man and more in the way of
personal freedom and enlightenment to me is the answer, but that’s
just my opinion and in relation to where I am in my life at the
moment.

Now I know what some of you are going to say.... Twiggy has
gone mad, too many barrels finally cooked his brain but just take a
second to think about what just happened to our world in the past few
months.

Surely the total collapse of our banking system which was the most
corrupt and evil enterprise the world has ever known and the complete
demise of the financial world which was the most greedy and
destructive endeavour ever created by man has made us all sit up and
go what the fuck was I thinking? Did I really buy into this system?
Did I really trust those people in their suits and did I really just
spend 5 days a week working to help create this mess?

What I think we need to do is sit up and realise that we were all to
blame in what has just transpired and unless we all make a
comprehensive decision to change our ways in a hurry we don’t have
much longer before it’s too late to correct.

Shouldn’t we stop the spending on stuff we don’t need that’s
destroying the earth, stop polluting and watch our carbon footprint s
and stop procreating at such a ridiculous rate that we all know the
world cannot support?

And then shouldn’t we take it one step further and onto a political
level. Don’t you think it's ridiculous that the people who you trust
with your hard earned money are only in politics for their own gain?
And on a local level shouldn’t the people who are responsible for
letting Durban degenerate into the state it has be prosecuted and sent
to jail? Harsh, I don’t think so, just look at the state of our once
beautiful city?

What I do believe however is that with the emergence of Barrack Obama
we will begin to see a new type of Politian in the future, hopefully
people with real integrity, who honestly have got our best interests
at heart. I was in the USA glued to the TV with every other American
last week and heard Obama’s presidential speech live and it’s affected
me more than any other speech I have ever heard.

Right now the world has hit rock bottom because of the greed
associated with people in power both politically and in big business
and there is about to be a major shift in how South Africa and the
world is governed and run.

We in South Africa have to find and appoint the correct people in
these next elections and make sure that they and each of us are held
accountable for their actions that adversely affect others. I know I
have been harping on about this but believe me it’s more important
than any of us realise to get things changed right now before it’s too
late.

And on a surfing level, keep those boards and wetsuits a while longer,
only use the ski when you absolutely need to, give a lesser surfer a
wave some time, don’t claim owner ship of the ocean even if you live
across the road and never think you are above someone else just
because you can do a better turn then them. It’s just the small start
that we as surfers can make towards helping to engineer a shift in
global consciousness.

I’m as much to blame as the next guy, probably even more so, but shit,
I’m going to try my best!

Come on Twig, to fucking serious buddy!! Sorry, just had to get that
off my chest and anyway, I’ll see you at North Beach on Wednesday
morning for a week of sick Durban barrels that should wash away all
our worries...To easy...ha ha

See ya
Twig

5 Comments so far:

Mark Hansel on 5 March 2009

Welcome back twig! good timing too what with the new swell on us! Just wanted to say i think you are onto a good thing in your thinking and sentiments, change will never start with politicians or the people in power it starts with each of us as individuals, and we can make a difference. It may be small at first and may only impact on your life but with more people doing change for the good, your individual attempt will become a collaborative effort and thinks will happen...just think how waves are formed from a little wind blowing across water to form the beautiful walls of water we ride... so start today, do something to change things for the good... for example instead of bitching how dirty the beach is... pick up a piece of litter... give a stranger a wave, smile more often....

Paul on 6 March 2009

Right on Twiggy.

Jerome on 6 March 2009

nice outlook there Twiggy, Recently watch the Zietgiest movies and makes one think.....
Hope all you Durbs folks scoring some good epic waves!

TrevorG on 16 March 2009

Well said Twiggy, money is addictive and can be as destructive as any drug.All the shit happening in the world is a result of the pursuit for more. The number of developments and strip malls is crazy.When is enough enough?

Julian on 9 April 2009

Seeing that you are concern about the environment and carbon footprints, are you aware of the amount of carbon that you have contributed to by flying all over the world? Perhaps your contribution will be one of not flying for a year.

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The surgical strike

4 March 2009, 07:07

Travis Logie writes: I just got back from a trip to one of theBOMB crew's favourite destinations across the border with John and Iain. These guys are not normal!!!!!!! It started at about eight thirty on Sunday night. I was settling in for bed after another depressing Carte Blanche session when I got a call from John saying he's leaving for Mozam at 4am and offered me a spot in the car. I couldn't refuse! For two reasons, firstly the forcast looked good and secondly I suffer from a serious condition known as FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).

So three thirty am rolled around and Iain was at my gate and the journey began. Johns coffee binge kept him awake so he could drive while his coffee farts made sure I didn't nod off either. We got to the border no hassles and were shuttled down to Kaya Kweru. The waves weren't classic but were super rippable and after about two and a half hours of surfing one of the world's longest rights I was completly poked, but John and Iain just kept on trucking and stayed out for another hour and a half and still surfed the hight tide shorey with me in the afternoon. They then introduced me to an R&R , its a local treat which consists of half a beer jug of local rum, filled with ice cubes and a splash of raspberry sparletta. It's amazing - but after one I was on the verge of getting my stomach pumped, they had two and a couple beers and seemed to be in control ,which I still need to figure out. Anyway we woke up this morning and the waves were pumping. Again these two mullets got straight out there while I needed some R and R because of last nights R and R. I came right at about nine and joined them in the surf. I surfed pumping 3-5ft rippable rights till noon and had to pretty much crawl back to the hotel room with fatigue and arc eye setting in properly. Iain and John came in 45 min later.

We packed up and split like a robbers dog. As soon as we crossed the border though John asked me to drive and him and Iain went into hyperdrive, laptops came out, conference calls, swell checks, emails you name it they were on it for five hours non stop, they were so busy wheeling and dealing that they didnt notice me nearly kill a cow and a group of school kids. Well the mobile office made it home at six thirty in one piece. Awsome trip. Trav.

1 Comments so far:

Mark Zeller on 4 March 2009

Hey guys you have to talk to me about investing in property in Mozam. I have FANTASTIC opportunties for you with GREAT ROI. Why not earn passive income when you are not there, and enjoy your own spot when you are?? Talk to me - we have various options
Mark Zeller
0828928594

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Putting in the time

2 March 2009, 02:57

It's 2.56am Monday morning. I've just finished this weeks email newsletter and loaded the last of the content onto the site. It's been a hell of a busy night. In half an hour I'm picking up Travis and John and we're heading off to a quiet place far away where there are going to be cooking waves today and tomorrow. I hope I can handle the lack of sleep and the size of the wave, 'cos apparently it's going to be macking. I guess working on theBOMBsurf and surfing waves that challenge your ability have something in common - it's all about putting in the time to reap the rewards.

Check back here for news on our trip. As we get access to the net, we'll post some photos and news - there's bound to be drama!

Iain

1 Comments so far:

Caroline on 2 March 2009

Hope you guys get some cracking waves!!! Remember to always have fun and make the most of your God given talents!!

Be safe!!!

Best wishes
Callie

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