theBOMBsurf blog - theBOMBsurf - South African surfing magazine

MMA

27 February 2010, 19:12

I went to watch my first MMA fight last night. I was pretty nervous about the whole thing, having a definite stereotyped pre-conception of what I'd see. I was thinking, tow truck drivers, mullets, aggro, bare knuckle hatred-cum-street fighting in a steel cage. I was presently surprised at how wrong I was.

Ok, there were a few mullets and some of the largest hulk-men I've ever seen, but these were generally the trainers. The actual fighters were all super fit, ripped, incredibly supple and lightning quick with their hands, feet and reflexes. But the thing that shocked me the most, was how much respect they have for their opponents, the skills and the MMA etiquette. The other thing I was shocked at, was how much I enjoyed it, and how exciting the fights are. The athletes don't actually hate each other. Hello.

What's the link to surfing? Beside the athletic nature of the fighters/surfers and the parallels between the sports, it seems a lot of surfers are into it. I saw Rudy Palmboom Jnr there, I saw a few other surfers I recognized from the line-up in and around Durbs, and I even watched local surf photographer (and clearly part time MMA fighter) Matt Donaldson clean some poor buggers pipes in a brutal encounter.

I've heard Makua Rothman and a host of other surfers are into MMA, even Kelly Slater apparently. Like I said, I don't know much about it, but it's damn exciting, damn inspiring and I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes the next 'cool' sport to influence the mainstream.

I couldn't find too much info about it in SA, but I found this clip on ESPN, to give you and idea - ok this is way more hardcore than the SA fight scene, but it's the same sport. What do you folks think?

Drop a comment below. I'm off to the gym.

Iain

13 Comments so far:

zane on 28 February 2010

Hey Iain, checked the vid, not so rad when the floored, knocked out oke is still getting punched/kicked/knee'd in the head, but maybe I'm just soft.....

roo on 1 March 2010

To stretch for a connection here is saying more about you.

Damien on 1 March 2010

Are you guys getting desperate to make people post comments? Fighters/surfer links-are you guys hinting at starting an MMA magazine alongside theBombrugby??Now I get it.

Grant on 1 March 2010

Human cockfighting....How amazingly cool! Not.

JMc on 1 March 2010

I agree this particular video of MMA is like watching some kind of sadistic crap that offends the senses. Maybe I'm old school but it is not cool to smack a guy when he is already down. That said the whole point of this is to explore the essence of cross training and how it will translate into improved performance in the surf. MMA is just one of heaps of differerent options that surfers have at their disposal these days. Recently we did some breath hold training with Wilma - super Triathlete and Hanli - SA Free Diving Champ. The benefits were immediate and amazing. We took breath hold times of 2mins and basically doubled them, just by stepping outside of the surfing niche and tapping in to the understanding of another sport. When we got back into the surf the effect was amazing. Also recently what I've been trying is to NOT ride the same board in consecutive sessions. So if you are not surfing then what do you do to keep in shape for surfing? Personally I'm into yoga, running away from the cops at Cool Runnings and bodysurfing.

John Mc

TrevorG on 1 March 2010

After watching that video, I could not help but wonder if some of the heavy locals would be so keen to throw their weight around if they ran the risk of coming up against some of these mothers!!

Matt on 2 March 2010

If the fighter does not tap it is the ref's call to end the fight. No fault of the fighter at all!

JM Tostee on 2 March 2010

Glad you enjoyed the figthing Iain - a lot of surfers are into it now as back-up training, including Kelly Slater who took up Jiu Jitsu to improve his strength and stamina. The Sharks rugby squad are tarined at Shuriken Dojo to increase their strength too. Mixed Martial Arts fighters who get into the ring to compete are athletes excatly the same as the top level surfers like Twiggy ; Bertish; Jason Ribbink etc; or rugby players like Victor Matfiled and the Beast who train themselves to take MASSIVE blows at Dungeons; Jaws and Mavericks - or for 90 minutes on a rugby filed every saturday. The MMA guys who get to competing level train at least 2 hours everyday in the same situation you see in the ring. They can walk out of the ring any time by "tapping out" 3 times and the ref stops the fight - the reason they dont tap out is because they are CONDITIONED to take the type of pounding normal soft ou's like us cant. Twiggy takes an even bigger pounding everytime he falls off on of those monsters he takes off on - but hes okay with it because hes conditioned to take the smackdown afterwards. Funny how Twiggy keeps going back for another one after that when i would be heading for the dry land.. SAME thing with rugby - how many times have you seen Schalk Burger walk off covered in blood; or Victor Matfield .. its way more aggro than MMA fighting? The common denomintaor with all of this is that the MMA fighters conditioning allows them to take the pounding; heal fast and they cant wait for the next Fight Night. I reckon don't go knocking someone elses sport simply for a lack of understanding of the background - and also dont underetimate the unassuming guy in the pub anymore - you could be the one causing kak one night and the little guy wraps you into a pretzel.

matt donaldson on 2 March 2010

iam not one to comment on this subject cause it can be quiet contoversial at times, it seems alot more grusome than it is at times , this whole stereotype about it being human cockfighting is rubbish, the whole reason why guys like me and rory beach got into jiujitsu (the ground work of mma) was to become more flexible it has major advantages to your surfing, my surfing has improved ten fold since i started jiujitsu two years ago, i got into fighting because i got good at juijitsu and wanted to see how i could perform in a mma fight , there is two aspects in mma stand up fighting and ground game they can both improve your surfing , i think this is why the bomb has gotten a interest in it, and not to mention the people in the surf community getting involved (jp ras, rory beach) also more then half the people on the north shore of hawaii do it aswell ,not to mention brazil where its roots come from. what may look very violent to you may look like art to us. its just a lack of understanding is why people think it is violent , they have done tests and it is a known fact that it is safer the boxing and rugby , american football, do to the fact that it is not repetitive blows.anyways just something for you guys to think about. matt

JMc on 2 March 2010

Hey Matt, safer than boxing, rugby and american football? Shew it sure doesn't look like it. Either way I'm gonna think twice next time I paddle past you in the lineup at The New Pier. You guys are gnarly!

Marcel on 4 March 2010

Fight contests have been around for ages.
Look if a guy is willing to go in the ring and go down like that then thats his perogative. He knows the consequences and still CHOOSES to fight. They dig doing it. Just like we dig surfing.
The sport is growing at such a rapid pace not because of it's brutality but because of our inability to know the outcome.
Now in MMA you don't have 2 boxers head to head anymore - you don't know what you gonna get cos it's mixed fighters and arts.
I too was sceptic and i went to watch a fight and now i dig going.
The atmosphere is rad and you get so amped.
I met alot of the top fighters overseas and i tell you what they respect each other. Like JM said - they are conditioned for this. It's not WWE (bold and beautiful soapie) It's real with no smoke and mirrors and yes it is crossing over into surfing - just saw overboard fighter Minotauro at Quik Pro bells beach watching his mates surf their heats. Go watch a fight and you'll see for yourself.
I reckon this sport is gonna get massive (more than it is now)

Dieter G�ttert on 4 March 2010

FYI, the only TV show that features professional MMA in South Africa on a regular basis is "Power Combat Zone", broadcast on Supersport.

The SA MMA scene is maturing as we speak with a number of SA fighters having gone overseas to compete, notably Mark Robinson, having fought in the UFC circuit years ago.

Having said that, MMA can be very technical and demanding, and contrary to popular belief, does not advocate "no-rules" and "no-holds barred" (whoever coined those phrases should be shot as it has left MMA sport with a negative stigma).

MMA is anything but no holds barred, with proper rules, officials and medical personnel in place - just like in any other sport.

And yes, along with rugby, soccer and cricket, MMA will also attract your typical Southern suburbs stereotype breeker - but so what - what about the celebrities and other "normal" people that make up the majority of the audience ? They also enjoy the sport.

Best to try understand the sport first before passing judgement, but its cool that Iain has written something about MMA - thanks for that, Iain.

louis on 10 March 2010

Interesting comments.. MMA and indeed any martial art is excellent cross - training for surfing in that they emphasise fitness, flexibility, strength training and discipline..all key factors in surfing as well. I have also attended MMA and found it professional.

Name*
Email Address*	(Will not be shown)
Comment*

Heavy locals in Mauritius giving SA surfers stick

25 February 2010, 11:59

North Beach local and Durban shaper Warren Loom writes from Mauritius:

I stumbled across what must surely be the last vestige of old school localism here in Mauritius. I was first in the car park at One eyes this morning (around 6am, which for here is damn early) looking at a nice clean 3 to 4ft left rolling off the reef. Perfect. A quick 2 hours and then I still have time to get to town for work without too much traffic.) Now I am coming here quite regularly so I don’t consider myself “local” but I am not a once off tourist flailing around either. I pulled my board out, put on my board shorts and (note to everyone reading this: here’s where the wheels fell off) went over to another black 4x4 that had just pulled up, and asked the 2 guys if they were going to use the boat or were they just paddling out?

“Where you going?”, asked the guy.

“Thought I would get a few at One Eyes before work” I innocently said.

“We do not share our waves here” he said glumly.

“????” Is this guy for real? Is he serious? There is no one else out there! Have I just shot back to the eighties? Am I wearing lumo sunblock? I thought localism died with the Dodo? (pun intended)

“We do not share our waves here” he said again.

But he was serious. Bruno (I found out his name later) was very serious. He is one of the last “white shorts” still dragging the name of surfing down the preverbial gutter while everyone else is trying so hard to open the sport up and improve its public perception.

So tail between my legs I slinked away, back into my car, wishing I was back home with guys who know the true meaning of surfing. All you boys and my friends in SA. Shame on guys like Bruno. I did leave with the reasurence that Karma will come back and fill his rash vest with a thousand jelly fish one day.

I will try again tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Warren.

What do you BOMBsurfers think? Anyone else had this kind of experience in Mauritius? Is it acceptable? Comment below.

11 Comments so far:

mark on 25 February 2010

Bru-no man why did you not wait for them to go for a surf and let their tyres down?Bru-no would not have had white shorts by the time he had walked to the local garage to get a footpump.
What wankers but at least they cannot go anywhere else with their outlook.Bet you still come across him when the shoe is on the other foot and he gets his com-uppance!Even stress in the islands,where to next!?

warren loom on 25 February 2010

hey mark.I thought of a lot of bad things to do to there car while I watched them paddle out. But we are better than that. They will get there just deserves.

Dr Nikki on 25 February 2010

i went mauritius last year with my husband, and although one hears of localism, we have never really had a bad experience on our various surf trips to all sorts of places. stick to the rules, don't be rude and drop in or hog the waves etc etc. boy were my eyes opened! casually paddled out at tamarin bay, small and a bit too windy. we sit way down the line minding our own business, sussing things out. doesn't one guy (with his white shorts over his wetsuit!) just paddle up to us and start telling us to %*£@ off! the second wally who told us off could barely even surf. i really could not believe how pathetic that is. but shame maybe they have to protect their spot, because it is so piss easy, any dick can surf it!
one eye was more hectic, bummer you didn't get to surf it!

julian on 26 February 2010

Its ironic. Perhaps Bruno is correct in chasing you away, after all you are agreeing witht rying to "open the sport up" . Bruno is trying to empty it so the locals can get some waves. Then wishing "karma" will bring physical pain (on your behalf) to this dude?????
tut, tut,tut.........
What you should have done is stand your "righteous ground", and engaged Bruno in conversation, you could have diffused the situation through communication, instead you agreed with his attitude by leaving in silence, but covertly wishing ill on him.

warren loom on 26 February 2010

Hey Julian.Your comments are appreciated, but how do dialogue with someone who is so closed minded. They physically ignored my efforts to even just greet by turning there backs on me in the car park. And you expect me to try diffuse through communication? These guys are pathetic! I only got there attention because I "stood my ground" and insisted on being polite. It go me no where. And if I agreed with his attitude do you think I would have written the blog? To elaborate on the situation, there was not a single other person in the water. They actually wanted it ALL to themsleves. That is just disgustingly greedy. No excuse is acceptable here, no matter how you flower it. As for wishing him ill, sorry mate, but yes I do. I am no saint, but I am honest and open.

warren loom on 26 February 2010

Hey John Mc.
Thanks for the advice last night. Got on it even earlier this morning and arrived to an even better morning than yesterday. Got my fill of waves (3ft with slight offshore wind and pushing tide) and mixed it up with a few locals who were brilliant! Its these type of guys whats surfings all about. I'll be back!

Hey thanks also to Mike Frew from Hurley for hooking me up with some local industry boys who gave me some great advice. You're a legend Mike!

See you all in the water soon! Cio!

julian on 26 February 2010

No worries Warren. It is always to difficult to travel, score waves and keep the peace. I have alwas found communication a good tool to keep the vibe good and soften local attitude, but most people back down pretty quickly when confronted with respect and common sense.
However, we will never hear Bruno's side of the story, which unfortunately taints your blog as one sided.
Glad to see you scored this morning.

warren loom on 26 February 2010

Hey Julian. You are absolutely right. I have travelled to many other countries from Australia to Europe, Maldives, Reunion, Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya to name a few. Even with language problems in all these places I have always made new friends and work colleagues by being polite and open to the way they do things. But I have never been treated with such disrespect by anyone for only saying "good morning." Sorry mate its just wrong. Quite frankly Bruno doesn't deserve to have a say as he said it to me already when he said "We do not share our waves."

louis on 1 March 2010

Hi Warren. I'm with you on this issue. I was also kicked off the beach at le morne big pass by the same Bruno in a situation where i was just sitting in my car watching the crappy 2-3ft sideshore slop early one sunday morning. Bruno stomped over to my car and told me to leave the beach as there are no waves for foreign surfers in mauritius..man, i didnt even have a board with me. He and his 5 heavy mates then stood glowering at me until i did so. Julian, the piss poor attitude of Bruno and a couple of his buds is well known and many travellers have been through the mill with this guy. I completely believe Warren as it ties in with my own experience, unless you would maybe also like to hear Bruno's version of why he thought fit to remove me from the beach when i was just sitting in my car watching waves..hmmm?

kowie kid cum ballie on 1 March 2010

shame warren, that is heavy. I was at Supers the other Friday morning and I know most of the locals very well and also who to respect most (elsie, warren dean,brad davey,etc) and I was on the outside furthest out, after waiting my turn, when an old local who does not really know me (best I leave his name out) paddled up my inside fast and furiously, so I casually asked ( as a set was coming ) "Are you going ?" . He snarled and grunted " Don't f...ken talk to me, I will take any wave I want" and promptly did... Man that hurt me a bit but anyway, I laughed it off, and continued my surf, staying out of old fart's way... he he he, wait till he ever comes to my local spot...Ok no near as heavy as your episode but it came to mind again reading your story... hope you get more uncrowded waves there !

JMc on 1 March 2010

Guys some lessons I've learned surfing all over the world in some very heavy local spots that are not your own.
1. Surf alone.
2. Never arrive with a photographer.
3. Wake up very early.
4. Charge hard.
5. Never paddle around anyone in the lineup.
6. Do not back down (even if it means temporary bloodshed).
7. Remind yourself of why you are there. If you don't really want to be there then leave.

For a real local trying to look after his spot there is nothing worse than a truck load of tourists arriving with video cameras girlfriends and hangers on, be sensitive to that. That said a cool dude who is low profile and who respectfully does his thing is a hard act to challenge.

John

Name*
Email Address*	(Will not be shown)
Comment*

Cleansing surf

24 February 2010, 21:33

As Iain said in his previous blog making mags doesn't get easier. This one was a whopper! Chris Bertish winning at the last mo. The most amazing selections of images I've ever seen for a mag courtesy of the el nino effect and some hard charging surfing plus the usual last minute ad schenanigans. Shew when we walked out this evening with it all done I couldn't believe it. What did I do? What any self respecting surf mag publisher would. I went for a surf in the howling onshore 1-2' bluebottle riddled dusk. I surfed The New Pier alone. I just needed to get wet. To rinse the accumulated filth of the deadline off my body and mind. I only had one good wave but damn it felt good!

John

Be the first to leave a comment:

Name*
Email Address*	(Will not be shown)
Comment*

Deadlines and 1footers

24 February 2010, 08:48

If you wondering why the blog's been so quiet, these last few days, it's NOT because the waves have been cranking and we're too busy surfing to post something...for a change. On the contrary, the waves have been pretty terrible here in Durbs the last week or so and it's been hot, hot, hot and the east has been raging as a result....The real reason, dear readers, is that we've been slaving over the lastest issue, which is going into print very very shortly...and looking pretty sick I might add!

As I quickly type this, John is pouring over the first proofs of the layout and furiously marking pages with his favourite lumionous yellow highlighter. We've published quite a few magazines together in the last 4-5 years, and you'd think it gets easier as you go, but nope...not the case I'm afraid.

Is it still fun?

Hell yeah.

Be the first to leave a comment:

Name*
Email Address*	(Will not be shown)
Comment*

Surfing with your groms

21 February 2010, 20:12

Once a week at least I try and take my groms aged 3 and 6 down for a surf. We ride amongst other things an old longboard which we all share. It is so big I can literally push them onto waves already standing up. They get so stoked but I think I get more stoked just watching them learn. I'm trying hard not to be one of those pushy dads who ends up destroying the experience by pushing too hard. Today was a breakthrough of sorts. After weeks of flailing around in the foamies my son (3) kept urging me to paddle further out. Pretty soon we got out to the back (surf was only 1ft) and both caught a wave in together on the same old longboard. I haven't been that stoked in a long time.
John

2 Comments so far:

warren loom on 23 February 2010

Hey John. Isn't it amaizing how we get that stoked feeling all over again by watching our lighties going through the same steps we did when growing up in the water. Its amazing! The really amazing (funny) thing was when last Sunday I was teaching my 3 year old son to dive through the waves with me at Umhloti and he shouted at me "my wave!" I really didn't think I was going to hear that for a few more years at least. Little bugger! Gotta love em!

JMc on 24 February 2010

Hey Warren he's gonna be a hustler just like his old man ha ha.

Teaching anyone to surf and watching the lights go on is a cool experience, but you are right with your own kids it really is amazing.

Enjoy.

Name*
Email Address*	(Will not be shown)
Comment*

The will to succeed

19 February 2010, 11:38

This morning a group of Durban's hardcore locals pulled into listen to Chris B talk about his Mav's win. I don't this story can be told enough, for a number of reasons.

Firstly, just listening to what Chris had to go through to get there - no money, no clarification that the event was even going to run, no organised travel plans and no belongings to speak of, Chris literally happened to be at the airport - then checked his mail, saw that the comp might run, so he borrowed cash, took his back up board that just happened to be in the car, managed to scramble a ticket and jumped on the next flight to LA. He didn't even take a toothbrush.

Secondly, the sheer physical feat of the achievement. After traveling for over 36 hours, not sleeping, arriving at 1am, then going straight to the contest site, surfing 3 heats in a row on a borrowed board, during which he charged over six 35-40 foot waves, suffered some of the worst hold downs of his entire career, including being dragged 1.2km underwater on one particular wave in his 1st heat when he was caught inside by a freak 60 footer, is insane. He still went on to surf 2 more heats and win.

Finally, the absolute belief and self-determination to succeed. Not to win, just to succeed in his dream to surf the Mavericks comp and representing for himself and his country, against all the odds, is incredible. The fact that he won, is almost unbelievable.

1 Comments so far:

james on 19 February 2010

Awesome achievement Chris! The story has the makings of a hollywood movie - how about Neil Blomkamp as the director ? :)

Name*
Email Address*	(Will not be shown)
Comment*

Caught with my pants down

18 February 2010, 20:53

We're working late at the mo collecting material from 4-5 different time zones. As we get up the Aussies are ghoing to sleep. As we go to sleep the Americans are getting up. We've been trying to get material from the Mavericks contest for our mag, plus we've been chasing some Aussie contributors. Actually working at night is cool, there are no distractions the only downside is that you are kieshed the next morning so the dawnie tends to fall by the wayside. This morning I dragged myself down to the beach for a swim in a feeble attempt to wake up. Not expecting any surf I didn't even bring a board. Talk about getting caught with my pants down! There were some really fun 3-4' walls on offer at the New Pier contrary to all the respectable surf prediction sites I use. I quickly called Iain and we rescheduled our morning and hit it. Man it was fun. then it was back to deadline crunch!

John

Be the first to leave a comment:

Name*
Email Address*	(Will not be shown)
Comment*

Crazy times.

17 February 2010, 21:37

This has been one serious rollercoaster week! Chrisby winning Mavs was just amazing. We're on deadline for our 6th issue and as we go into print Chris wins Mavs. Whooo hooo! Try change covers around, restructure the mag, try get photos. At the death three of our advertisers pull out of supporting the mag. EISH!!! Holy shit what are we gonna do? Out of the blue 3 other advertisers step up to the plate to fullfil the defecit, shew! Game on again. (Remember the advertisers pay for the mag, no advertisers, no mag!) Then there is a shark attack in EL... Oh no... but he's gonna be ok shew, thank god! Then Chris Bertish phones me and tells me he is coming to Durban. I say can you do a brekkie for BOMBsurf subscribers on Friday morning in DBN? He says No Problem. So we're on for Durban Surf 7am for 7:30am. Gotta be finished by 8am because Chris's first appointment is accross town at 8:30am. All welcome, entrance FREE! All this and we go into print on Monday... ha ha now we just need a cyclone swell to really derail us.

John

Be the first to leave a comment:

Name*
Email Address*	(Will not be shown)
Comment*

theBOMBsurf interview with Chris Bertish

15 February 2010, 16:58

I managed to catch up with Chris Bertish who this afternoon is in London on his way back from California where he was victorious at Mavericks.

John: Hey Chris, so stoked for you bro, well done!

Chris: Ja thanks man, whooo hooo hoo.

John: How did you feel when you found out that you’d won?

Chris: Ha ha I didn’t know I’d won for about 10mins. I was signing autographs and people were saying well done but I didn’t realise that I was the winner, I just thought all the finalists were signing autographs. It was a bit chaotic on the beach because all the scaffolding had been washed away... It was nuts. When I actually found out I’d won I couldn’t believe it. To be honest it still hasn’t sunken in properly yet.

John: What was the surf like?

Chris: It was scary, massive, it was breaking like 200m further out than all my usual lineups. In my first heat even though I was sitting way further out than usual I still got caught inside. Man that was heavy, I got dragged right through the impact zone to within a couple of hundred meters of Mushroom rock. By the time the ski got to me I was on the verge of blacking out. I was so exhausted that I though I was done, that my day was over right there. Somehow I got my breath back and said to myself this might be the only chance I ever have at this I better get back out there and charge.

John: And charge you did!

Chris: Ha ha, ja I got a couple of good one’s.

John: Tell us a bit about the board you were riding.

Chris: Actually it was my back up board. The board I took from SA never arrived! The one I rode is a 9’2” Jeff Clark shaped for me, it is an amazing board. When it comes to making boards for Mavericks he’s the man. I mean he’s been surfing there and shaping there longer than anyone. The rocker line in that board is unbelievable. It paddles like a 9’ 6” but performs like a 9 footer.

John: Did you have a conscious heat strategy or where you just out there surfing?

Chris: I’ve learned a lot over the years at The Red Bull. I used to just go out and charge regardless, but I’ve learned to be selective in my waves and try to get a ride under the belt early in the heat. At the Oregon event last year I put some of this into practice and it really paid off as I got a third in that event. With this one I built on that, I’m just stoked it worked out.

John: Did anyone get seriously injured in the event?

Chris: Amazingly no. Shawn Aladio and the water safety were incredible. Infact I think I was the worst hurt when my last wave in the final steamed over me at the end with all that white water. My two teeth ended up going through my lip ha ha it was a small price to pay though.

John: Towards the end of the final what was going through your mind?

Chris: Well I knew if I could get a second good wave I’d be in the running for a top three slot so I just went for it. I was pretty exhausted but I hung in there. With about 10 mins to go I got my second big one. Half way down I nearly lost it but somehow I managed to hold on.

John: US$50K is a good prize what are you gonna do with all the cash?

Chris: Well the US Tax man has already taken a US$ 13K slice, then I have quite a bit of debt I need to square with my brothers and the people who helped me get over there. Then with what’s left over I’d like to be able to go back to Todos if the event runs. I’m in the same heat as Kelly Slater and I’d love to surf against him in big waves.

John: Chris you’ve been doing this (surfing big waves) a long time, do you feel a sense of satisfaction now that you’ve won?

Chris: Most certainly! Surfing for me is a hobby, but its a hobby that has ruled my life. I haven’t been able to make a living out of it but I’ve always dreamed of being able to do so. In fact the guys in the States were upset I wouldn’t stay longer to do TV interviews and stuff. They couldn’t believe that I have a real job and that I’m in the middle of my range launch right now!

John: You have a big support base in Cape Town, do you feel like your win symbolised anything for them?

Chris: My brothers have always supported me in my quest to compete at the top. They always believed in me, so yeah, it feels great to show them that I could do it, but seriously I’ve had so much help from so many people I just hope in some small way my win gets them stoked and inspired to be the best they can be. It took me over ten years of trying to achieve this. I always believed that if I could get in the event I could win it. To be honest my darkest hour was when I came home in December. All the cash I was spending, the time travelling and it just felt as if things were not going my way. I think I got my closest then to giving it up but somehow I didn’t and here I am. I suppose if there is a lesson in this it's that if you have a dream and you stay determined you CAN make it happen.

John: Do you think this win will open some doors for you?

Chris: Ha ha I hope so! To compete against the worlds best you need support so ja we’ll see. It would be cool to be able to do this and not stress about the money but we’ll see...

John: What happened after you won?

Chris: Well I went back to Jeff Clark’s shop for a bit and signed some autographs there were a bunch of kids there and it was pretty cool. After that I went to the Oceana to collect the prize. Twiggy, Mike, James and all the boys were there. They lifted me up on their shoulders on the stage, it was pretty cool. After that we went to the Star Wars Bar and it got pretty crazy. I was broken though, to be honest I was exhausted. I slipped out at about 1am, then I was up early for a quick brekkie and then back to the airport to fly home.

John: When you get home we’re gonna have to have a few beers to celebrate!

Chris: You better believe it, ha ha can’t wait, just let me get through my work this week then we’ll go big...

At this point Chris’s battery crashes so that’s the end of the interview folks. We will chat to him again when he gets back to SA tomorrow.

5 Comments so far:

derek on 16 February 2010

Chris arrives back in South Africa at Cape Town international airport today (Tues) at 10.30am on a Virgin flight from London.

Let�s get to the airport and welcome the champ home!

Mark on 16 February 2010

Awesome guy, awesome achievement...another SA Surfer to be proud of!! Congrats Chris!

spoon on 16 February 2010

JA man KriSpEE !!!! We knew all along that sooner or later you'd achieve it, so well done! Nogal the largest surf to really make it a resounding Bertish stamp of Hellman success, The US govt se moer, steal my bruddahs hard earned cash I'll moer them !!! See you later.!!! I've been telling everyone for so long now, yah you did it !! SO Stoked.!

Jamii on 16 February 2010

Having known Chris since SAU's day this is a testament to self belief and persistence. Well done Chris, you can proud of yourself for living your dream.

Barry on 16 February 2010

Yeeees Chris, well done bro. It makes me so stoked to hear you won, and to show the world that if you believe it you can acheive it. You my boy blue!

Name*
Email Address*	(Will not be shown)
Comment*

Chris wins at Mavericks!

14 February 2010, 13:07

Chris Bertish won the Mavericks event yesterday in what many of the big wave chargers are calling the biggest ever waves for a paddle in surf contest ever! Chris beat Shane Desmond, Anthony Tashnick, Dave Wassel, Carlos Burle, and Kenny “Skindog” Collinsto take the $50 000 first prize and all the glory that goes with it. After an epic winter in CT and saving all his cash to get over to Northern Cali, it's finally paid off for Chris. We're proud of you bru! We'll be chatting to Chris shortly, but in the meanwhile if you want to post Chris a message, punch it in below - we're sure he'll be stoked to see all the support!

5 Comments so far:

JMc on 14 February 2010

Chris you frikken legend, well done ma bru!

Garth on 14 February 2010

Nice one crispy!

frewbru on 15 February 2010

Well done Chris, that's a huge result bru. Very stoked.

Warwick EC on 15 February 2010

What a wonderful day for Chris and for all the SA big wave chargers ! Chris, well done !

Richard on 16 February 2010

No big ego here. Courage & determination ! the man has both.
A surfer who has earned respect.

Name*
Email Address*	(Will not be shown)
Comment*

Goin' Big

11 February 2010, 07:51

I'm reading the most fascinating book at the moment by Kevin O'Sullivan, called "Goin' Big - Gotcha and the Evolution of Modern Surf Style". It's basically the Gotcha story, of how Michael Tomson and Joel Cooper took their fledgling little clothing business based in South Africa (Joel's father owned a clothing factory in Johannesburg in the early 70s called Vance clothing and Joel and MT studied at Durban University together) and transplanted it to Laguna beach in California in 1979. I'm not too sure how many people actually know this story, especially the younger SA groms, but Gotcha pretty much changed the face of the surf industry forever. MT and Joel, as 2 young South Africans, basically took surfing from a cottage industry to a multi-billion dollar industry in the space of a couple of years. A lot of it was lucky timing, lucky trending, lucky in meeting people who just happened to help them - but most of it, from this account, was just very very bold and progressive thinking and hard work. I'm not going to recount the whole story, you guys must try and read it for yourselves. However, the two things that really blow me away was firstly just how wild their marketing was. And secondly, how when there is no map to follow, no safety net, the most creative ideas are allowed to flourish and they generally succeed. I remember these Copy driven ads as a grom...mainly from the work of the great West Coast advertising giant Mike Salisbury" If you don't surf, don't start", "Truth never damages a cause that is just"(Tyra Banks was in this ad!), "Too many kooks", always using the cool of surf against the mainstream and always taking elements of music, counter culture and a shit hot surf team to spread the message.

"Goin' Big - Gotcha and the Evolution of Modern Surf Style" by Kevin O'Sullivan is available at
http://www.amazon.com/Goin-Gotcha-Evolution-Modern-Style/dp/0615161537/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265867816&sr=1-2

I've been really inspired reading this book as it's helped me gain an amazing insight into the birth of our surf culture as an industry. I'd be fascinated to hear which ads you guys remember the most clearly from this era...I remember the one Instinct poster I had on my wall "Surfing is life...the rest is details" and another one "Either you get the wave, or it gets you". Classic.

Iain

1 Comments so far:

Mark on 11 February 2010

I think INSIGHT is the only surf company at the moment breaking the boundaries in terms of creativity in their advertising. Awesome photography, creative angles and ideas....SOOOOOOO different to everything else out there which all seems the same, one ad for one brand looks like another...

Mambo also used to do some great stuff

Name*
Email Address*	(Will not be shown)
Comment*

Different strokes for different folks

8 February 2010, 12:49

This morning I went for my customary surf before work at North Beach as I do when we're in DBN. There is something about being able to surf for an hour and a half in boardies, cruise past your favorite coffee shop and still make it to your desk by 7:45am that makes the summers here amazing. Anyway what was really interesting was that out of the 6 surfers trading waves in the North Beach bowl only one of them was riding a conventional thruster. I was on my Alaia, Dave Jennings was riding a 5'8" Fish thruster shaped by Derek Girven, Kevin Kolby was riding one of the first 1980's thrusters ever built in SA, Greg Kitto was riding an old single fin, Daniel was riding a stringerless 5'3" quad and then there was some kid on his 'regular' thruster. None of this was coordinated, it was simply how we all decided to go surfing this morning. Five years ago we'd have been lined up on our 6'1" thrusters - or not surfing because the waves were too small. It makes you realise how radical surfboard R&D in the last couple of years has been. The unprecidented success of the Spider Bomb model of surfboard that Safari released just before Christmas (they literally sold hundreds of those boards and have advance orders for more) illustrates how the modern surfer is looking for something more. I'm not knocking the regular thruster though don't get me wrong. The other day at a heavy Cape beach break I learned the lesson that the Alaia was the wrong tool for the job. I would have killed for a decent 6'6" thruster in those conditions. Today though I was happy drifting around on my plank and I could tell that the other guys were stoked too, just doing their thing.

1 Comments so far:

wavey davey on 10 February 2010

Happy were you? stoked? Happy and stoked? doing your thing?
good for you!

Name*
Email Address*	(Will not be shown)
Comment*

Friends like these..

7 February 2010, 21:34

The call came through late last Friday from the wiry haired crazy man in Cape Town: "Boys, I've cracked the back end of that new app you wanted to try - shoot the footage and get it to me by Monday." Oh shit Oh shit Oh shit! Although we had briefly chatted to some people we liked about working with on this project we hadn't really confirmed anything. With just over 48 hours to get it done we had No studio. No model. No wardrobe. No make up. No frikkin camera crew or green screen. John and I started scrambling and calling in favours left right and centre.

And what do we know? We make magazines and websites - not motion pictures!

Gironkey, Polly and Rich from D4 productions pulled in with the rigging, the greenscreen, the cameras and the lighting.

My surfing mate Brendan provided his mini-factory as our studio and our favourite Durban BOMBshell and surfergirl, Lauren, not only cancelled her weekend to join us, but organised her own wardrobe and makeup, pitched up at our makeshift studio and worked through sweltering conditions to absolutely nail the shots.

The good news for you, BOMBsurf fans, is that the benefit of all this scrambling, will be coming to a desktop near you, very soon...

Iain

Be the first to leave a comment:

Name*
Email Address*	(Will not be shown)
Comment*

A new Head Judge for the ASP?

5 February 2010, 16:44

I see that the ASP have decided not to renew Perry Hatchet's job as the Head Judge on the ASP WCT this year. This is a pretty interesting move and perhaps the strongest signal that the ASP is willing or perhaps even trying to move with the times in terms of embracing a more progressive free flowing performance from it's competitive surfers. If you could choose an ideal replacement who would it be? There are a lot of changes coming into the world of pro surfing this year. We're going to be doing an in depth look at it in our next issue but in the interim would be stoked to hear what you guys think.
John

2 Comments so far:

james on 6 February 2010

I think Shaun Tomson would be the ideal candidate - probably won't want to, though. I find his interviews really insightful and I think he can really relate to the new school changes since he was a pioneer of new surfing moves/style in his day.

deon on 9 February 2010

please not shaun
the guys ego's just far too big for something like that
I'm just reading slater's new book and the shaun interviews about kelly are answered mostly talking about himself

Potter may be a better candidate,
good pedigree as well as being the sorta surfer who in his day was always pushing the limits - open to ideas etc
however neither of these guys really have a judging background

Name*
Email Address*	(Will not be shown)
Comment*

Wham Bam thankyou Mozam

3 February 2010, 18:53

As we crossed the border back into SA this morning, my cell phone started to go ballistic. 18 voicemails and 91 emails waiting for me. "Iain, where the hell are you, did you get that first draft", then "Iain, I sent you images for the mag - let me know which high ressies to send through" and so on and so forth... was it worth it? Hell yeah! These surgical strikes across the border at this time of year are magical, especially when you have such a cool crew who are psyched to get good shots. Casey, Jacko and Sheppo were absolutely ripping for the camera and Heidi and Kirsty paddled for anything and everything that came near them. It was awesome to watch. We surfed 2 sessions yesterday, one on the full low which saw the crew racing some massive walls and throwing down some crazy maneuvers. The second session, was from late arvo into the evening and was way more chilled as the wind backed of and the ocean settled down into a gentle rhythm. The girls and boys surfed till it was pretty much dark out there.

All images by Mike van Heerden:

Sheppo on a Mozam cyclone bomb.

Jacko hits the lip at Mach 3.

Casey, looking for some shade from "The hot hot rays" (Google it...)

Iain

1 Comments so far:

Sean on 4 February 2010

I couldn't believe your timing, as the onshore died, the offshore blew for about 10 minutes then died leaving polished perfection - eish, what a sesh hey!!

Name*
Email Address*	(Will not be shown)
Comment*

When bad turns to good

2 February 2010, 10:01

When bad turns to good.

We arrived in Moz to find swell on our favorite point break but the wind hadn't switched yet and it was still ruffled by the onshore. Eish we needed to get wet anyway so decided to go for a rinse. The water temp is around 26 degrees and there is something about the luminescence in the water up here that makes you linger underwater when you do your push-unders. After lunch and a nap we woke to find that everything had changed... for the better! The surf had picked up and was now a sold 6' and the west had come through cleaning it up. We all hit it. Sheppo, Casey and Jacko were going toe to toe in the long winding walls. It was awesome to watch these guys cutting loose. Heidi and Kirsty charmed their way into getting a lift on one of the ski boats. The problem was that the guys driving the boat were so wasted they couldn't even get out. The Girls ended up getting dropped of further down the beach and had to walk all the way back to the point ha ha. The light wasn't great so Mike wasn't too stoked with the shots he got never the less the waves were really fun. I saw my business partner Iain have a cracker, ja a cool day at work for us. Last night we had a couple of 2M drafts and crashed early. This morning the surf is a bit smaller, but its cleaner and the light looks better so we're gonna hit it now.
John

Be the first to leave a comment:

Name*
Email Address*	(Will not be shown)
Comment*

This week Mozambique

1 February 2010, 08:12

This is a strange time of year on our coastline. If you look at the charts around SA this week there are pretty much gonna be waves everywhere. We've decided to hit Mozam for a little bit of early cyclone season action, that and we need some more shots for our next mag. After studying the charts last week we assembled a crew of rippers (Brandon Jackson, Mark Shepperson, Casey Grant, Heidi Palmboom and Kirsty Delport) and so as I write this we're waiting for the Kosi Bay boarder to open and let us in. Its such a cool boarder post. The tar literally runs out as you cross into Mozambique and then its just sand tracks. Time moves slowly up here. It's 8am and already 30 degrees in the shade, little wonder that no one is in a rush to do anything. So what is the surf gonna be like? Well you never know until you see it but the crew are frothing. There are worst places to be on a Monday morning. Fingers crossed we score.
John

1 Comments so far:

Mark on 1 February 2010

If the surfing by Jacko, Casey and Mark Shep, yesterday in the open men's final of the 1st North swell contest is anything to go by you guys are going to come back with a magazine's worth of great shots! Those boys blew up! Have fun guys!

Name*
Email Address*	(Will not be shown)
Comment*