The Garden Route

Hope all of you had a very good weekend. We were blessed with perfect surf and sunshine here on the Garden Route once again. Woke up Sunday morning to another glorious day the the Bay. Took a drive around the point and from looking at conditions there one can tell if there are going to be waves elsewhere. Conditions were epic, not a breath of wind a small 2m swell running these kind of conditions open the door to many many other unsurfed uncrowded spots.

No one but no one wanted to go on a surf mission so instead i call my girlfriend and in a flash she was ready to go spend the day on the beach. Dog, child, girlfriend, braai, boards and suits packed and off we go. We pulled up to this bank that i found beginning of last week and as expected it was going off the only downer was i would have to surf it by myself. The wave we have been surfing is this sick right hander 3-4 foot shollow sand bar with barrels and long long walls, some people in other parts of the world pay thousands of dollars to surf. Anyway i got the fire going and paddled out just a short surf after a while i came in and the coals were perfect to put the boerawors on the braai.

We all had a nice feed and then the boys started showing up after being relieved of all their Sunday duties. We paddled out for another session and it was great, to share them with some buddies, the conditions stayed epic all day and into early evening. A perfect day which was ended with vetkoek and mince for supper.

New board

Hello to all my readers, how can I not share with you the excitement of getting a new board. When I was in the U.K I was riding for a Welsh shaper named John Purtin, a brilliant shaper and a fantastic guy. JP was shaping me some of the best boards i had ever ridden only due to a good personal relationship with lots of feed back which enabled us to get the boards just perfect. One of my biggest concerns when moving back to South Africa was who was going to shape me my boards. I had been seeing some fantastic boards come out of Graham Smiths factory and thought would give them a try. I guess I am bit more old school where I like to use one shaper and work really closely with him. All my boards I use grip so this morning i put on a sick Ocean & Earth pad, the board is now ready to go, I am just itching to find some surf. If I score some waves later I will let you all know.

seek and thee shall find

Hi guys, got a call today from Anton Joubert, saying my board was ready to be picked up at George airport. So naturally I dropped everything to go grab the board, a brand new Graham Smith,G-force, on the way I picked Jason Van Vuuren up with the intention to surf on the way home. As usual when you least it expect that's when you score. The wind was strong NW, the tide low and pushing the forcast for the swell to pick up. We stoped to check some beach breaks out and this is what we found, three sick waves within a space of a couple hundred meters. There were two right handers and one left, the sand banks just made for epic surf. With only two of us it was a bit nerve recking but the waves were that good that we had to paddle out. We had a couple on the left in front of the car park as it was breaking closest in. Boy i wish i had a crew with me to enjoy these empty perfect waves. Happy day in Mossel bay.

Woke up this morning to another glorious day the Bay. Sun rise was at 7.20am this morning and the sky behind the mountain in the East looked like it was on fire. The wind was a light westerly and the tide was dropping a sweet 2.5m swell running, perfect conditions for the point. Paddled out with two good friends and half an hour later another good friend paddled to join in on the the fun. Imagine perfect 4 foot surf slight offshore barreling on the inside with only four of your best friends in the water hooting each other into waves and watching them get spat out of barrels on the inside section. Its what dream are made of.

Grom Session

I made a trip down to Cape Town for my very good friends wedding, the surf was huge and out of control but the weather absolutely fine, typical Cape Autumn weather. Whilst down in Cape Town I met up with Ethan Fletcher and his good friend and next door neighbour Jordan.I met them at their home in Kommetjie, the two boys bravely though they were going to surf 4-6 foot long beach so it was the coaches decision to move the lesson to Fishhoek where we found a perfect 2/3 foot wave to work with. These two kids are the future of South African surfing and both have the potential to be the best surfers in the world with the right guidance and support. I have worked with Ethan before and at the young age of 8 is showing mountains of potential, it is great meeting with him and watching him grow and mature within his surfing. I met and worked with Jordan for the very first time and am really looking forward to working with him in the future. This kid is also showing heaps of potential and was really focused and attentive in the lesson, its really rewarding seeing these kids with open minds just wanting to learn.

Family Fun Day

Waves S’cool’ of surfing family fun day was an absolute success. The weather was glorious with beautiful sunshine and a light cool breeze perfect Mossel Bay Autumn weather. Families from around the Southern Cape with their excited Kids started arriving early. We had about 100 people show up during the course of the day to enjoy the fantastic weather and waves.

The atmosphere was one of excitement, friendliness and happiness the beach was electric with all that was happening. Some of the kids we had to drag out of the water at the end of the day.
Diaz beach provided perfect waves for the day with a gentle wind and relatively small waves ideal for learning.
Everyone that took part were very grateful for the once in a life time opportunity to stand up and ride a wave. The exuberating feeling that one gets from riding a wave is unique and was enjoyed by people that put a wetsuit on and paddled out to take on the surf.

Everyone that did come to the Family fun day went home very happy and like me very tired and exhausted. After a day in the sun and having that much fun anyone would feel good. Surfing is the ideal way to get together as a family on the beach, to be active, and enjoy a healthy life style.

Due to the success of the Waves S’cool’ Family Fun Day Llewellyn Whittaker in conjunction with Waves surf shop intend to grow and improve the family fun day and will be running many more this year.

To those who did come and enjoy the fun we want to say thank you for the support and those who could not make it, we look forward to sharing the experience with you next time.

Waves S'cool' of surfing

Waves S'cool' of surfing has arrived! In conjunction with Michael Sheppard from Waves surf shop, Llewellyn Whittaker has joined forces to bring the first of its kind to the Southern Cape and to the country. A surf school/academy that can cater for every surfer from beginner to elite both young and old, boys and girls. The main focus of the surf school will be to give all aspiring professional surfers the opportunity to get the right training in order to become the best of the best. Any surfer that wants to improve his/her skills will want to be a part of this academy as it will and can only be beneficial to their career. The school is based in Mossel bay which is centrally located on the Garden route. The wide variety of surf will make for excellent training.