SURFING: The rest of my trip to a small coastal town near Cape Town, South Africa - Where was I?
Hello everybody on Hive and especially the SurfHive community! It's Jasper the surfing-musician Dad from Cape Town in South Africa! Last time I posted I told the story about how I have made a New Year's Resolution to surf a new wave (for me) every month of 2023, and that I managed to find a nice new wave, just before February ended, on a week-long getaway to a coastal town about 2 hours drive from Cape Town! So the New Years Resolution Challenge still stands!! Here's that post:
https://ecency.com/hive-141964/@jasperdick/surfing-discovering-february-s-brand
In that post you will see that I had the minor accident of coming up for air right underneath my surfboard, and a fin hit into my lip hard enough to draw blood and I even needed a stitch at the local clinic! Well, the doctor said I would be allowed to surf again from Wednesday 1 March, and I would only be driving back to Cape Town on the Sunday after that... so here are a couple of pics from the rest of the trip... who knows South Africa well enough to guess where I was?:
The new wave from the previous post was in a very sheltered bay on a big stormy swell that messed up most other spots... by the time I was allowed to surf again, the more normal spot in town was working... here comes a left for me...
Surfing that left towards the convenient rip-current along the rocks to help me paddle out again...
A day when the rights were working better, and a local kid takes off...
And with his youthful abandon, he has a rather stylish fly-away to avoid the close-out...
My turn for a right...
As you can see I waited my turn (as the local kids are paddling back from their waves)...
Now let's try some shots to help anybody who's been to this town to recognize it... here's the main tidal pool close to a fancy Hotel...
My friend Kai struggling with the water temperature, which was about 14 degrees Celsius, which is pretty cold for this part of South Africa in the summer!
This big red flower is called an "April Fool" and only blooms around March-April in this part of the country...
The local bodyboarder kids enjoying a reforming wedge in a small bay, despite the open ocean being a complete mess. This little bay is a favourite for people who enjoy bodysurfing as well!
There definitely seems to be scope for me to try new waves when I return to this town. Here is somebody tackling a spot I had only guessed would be surfable once in a blue moon, just as we were packing up to leave...
This naughty Cape Robin kept breaking into the house! On this occasion he got so lost I had to catch him and show him an open window (after a quick picture)!
So all in all, a good time was had - I managed to fit in a few surfs in between some work deadlines and then surfed twice on the Saturday! A lot of the surfing was hard work and made me realize how unfit I have become! I also stuck to the main beach with a couple of local friends, and will therefore have to be on the lookout for the "New Wave of March 2023", to keep my New Year's Resolution challenge going... so expect another post from me sometime this month!
So, where was I? Somewhere very beautiful, with folded mountains and famous for whale watching! There is also a valley with plenty of great vineyards and wine-tasting to visit nearby, as well as a fantastic variety of bird-watching... Anyone know this town?
THE END
Oh, wow, that bird is very cute. It was getting into the house?
He probably heard you playing haha
Thanks for taking us again to surf ;)
My dad always goes on about how birding books don't give enough information on bird's nature. Always tell you habitat, food, song, etc...
For example, this particular Robin is very brave. You get a kind of tree snake (boomslang) in South Africa that likes to steal small eggs. Sometimes you hear a commotion and look and see a whole gang of various kinds of small birds trying to make a fuss around the snake, but my dad says only this Robin is brave enough to fly in and peck at the snake's eyes to actually be successful in chasing it away. Why don't they talk about incredible bravery as a trait in the bird books? Hahaha!
It doesn't take a lot of sleuthing to find it actually - I used Google lens on one of your photos! With a little more work I could find you. Spooky huh?
Bummer about the cut to your chin! Doesn't take long to lose paddle fitness hey? Glad you are back in teh water. Love the photos - Ishould take the go pro out just for the helluva it and get some images of the curls and curves and lines of sea and sky.
Was half way to beach today and got called iinto work. Gutted.
Google Lens sounds super creepy! Yes, it made me realise that since my little Madison has been born I have been doing short surfs at the kind of waves where you don't have to paddle and duckdive endlessly...
Ah, I dodged that today ... Haha. A cool Autumn morning and a six foot swell and a best mate who wanted me to paddle out into the fray with her. Luckily I was called into work before I had to be smashed on the head by a large and wobbly swell and gathering winds.
But you mostly longboard or SUP? How do you duck-dive or get past broken waves?
My last surf in this town was on my 7'6 mini-malibu, and I actually got my best wave of the week on it (pity my camera battery had run out by then - I forgot the charger cables in Cape Town)... but I certainly can't duck-dive the thing! Apparently you're supposed to roll but I usually lose hold of the thing anyway!
Longboard I Eskimo roll. SUP you just gotta push through or bail... Or lay and Eskimo roll whilst holding onto paddle. To be honest it's easier to paddle fast and wide on SUP! I hate surfing over 3 ft unless it's super well lined up and I can sit on shoulder!!!
Another way to get through on a longboard is to sit up on it and let the wave hit your body. It depends on how fast and strong they are. Or kinda dig your shoulder into the water and the board goes through at an angle. I much prefer Eskimo roll tho, more effective and easier than you think!!!
I suggest looking at YouTube. There's a few techniques, depending on how big it is.
Yes, even my 7'0 semi-gun is difficult to duck-dive if you don't cut the board into the wave more diagonally. I usually only use the mini-mal when waves are small and I can normally just bash through... but I suppose that's the time to practice the roll rather than waiting for these rare occasions when I'm using the board but the waves are a decent size!!! Hahaha!
It's kinda fun. I didn't think it'd work as well as it did. My Mal is 9.1 so.... The SUP is smaller but I don't usually worry about it asi just time the paddle well.
Don't know this town but definitely wanna meet it! South Africa looks so beautiful and has such great waves! 🤙
Well as a crazy bodyboarder who has a death wish, you might enjoy some really nice waves for bodyboarding in the towns about 30 min drive one either side of this one instead?
South Africa has something for everybody, from one of the best spots for learning to surf (Muizenberg - which would be too soft for a bodyboard to have much fun), to perfect points like Jeffrey's Bay, to massive waves like Dungeons (which is why Grant Twiggy Baker became a Big Wave World Champ)... to some of the waves that led to South Africa having recent bodyboarding World Champions like Iain Campbell, Jared Houston and Tristan Roberts. Tristan Roberts is actually from this area about 2 hours from Cape Town.
Let me find you some footage of the kind of waves you would enjoy...
30 minutes West of this town:
30 minutes East of this town:
There's loads of your kind of wave in Cape Town as well of course, and up the West Coast, etc...
dope waves brother!! that righthand slab looks so fun! This seaweed though looks scary AF! 😂😂😂
Kelp (seaweed) is mostly in the cold water parts of South Africa. If you don't like it... You can try the warmer side?
I'm wondering if I should make another "New Year's Resolution" to bodyboard more often and improve at it!?
I mean, It wouldn't keep me from gettin in the water, but it looks kinda weird anyway ahaha it'd be amazing to see you going for it on a bodyboard man, definitely!