Archive for the ‘Surfing’ Category

They might be hosting the 100% Pure Winter Games in 2011 but there are other attractions (PureNewZealand) to keep those winter sportsmen on a high throughout their visit to New Zealand…

6,000 kms of coastline and easily accessible beaches, points, reefs and bar breaks – that’s impressive for two such  small islands! Wherever you are in the country there is bound to be a good break nearby and because New Zealand is such a long island, you can easily scoot across from one side to the other trying out the left and right hand breakers.  All you have to do is stay tuned in to the local weather station and you’ll be able to tell which coast has the right swell.

The main source of swell for both North and South Island is from the low pressure systems of the roaring forties but New Zealand is fortunate to pick up swell from just about anywhere. Waves can be generated from the south, the west from the Tasman Sea, north from cyclone systems and east from depressions.

It’s a surfers paradise (networxnz) and with that much coastline the waves and beaches are seldom crowded.

And the variety of surf breaks is simply awesome – from clean barrels rolling onto pure white sand beaches on the east coast, to gnarly freight train sets pounding rugged west coast beaches. Check out the ‘supertubes’ with one kilometre long joy rides at Ahipara and the consistently perfect peelers at the hottest surf spot ever, Raglan – a superb left hand point that seems to go on forever and can be found on North Island half way down the west coast. Experience giant steamrollers and Malibu-style wave sets at Murderer’s Bay in Dunedin, as well as velvet-smooth tunnels at Gisborne. If you don’t want to do much driving head for Taranaki Peninsular. Here you’ll find loads of great waves and you can find the ideal wind conditions just by driving around the coast road – Surf Highway 45.

The North Island is  a little warmer than South Island, both in and out of the water, and in the summer you might get away with just your boardshorts.

The South Island, on the other hand, is cold and can get bitter in the winter, but the quality empty surf more than makes up for the temperature. Christchurch and Dunedin on the east coast attracts most of the surfers so if you steer clear of these you’ll pretty much have the rest of the island to yourself!  Top spots on the South Island are the variety of breaks around Dunedin and the powerful reefs and points of Kaikoura.

If you’re already a keen surfer then you’ll love what New Zealand has to offer. If you’ve thought about learning to surf, but never found the time, a New Zealand holiday is your perfect opportunity.

And on top of that, it’s a beautiful country (PureNewZealand) and besides the surfing there’s tonnes of other extreme adventures for you to try out…

From the 16th – 19th September the little town of San Teodoro, 27 km from Olbia on the east coast of Sardinia, comes alive with a watersport event to crown the end of summer.

La Cinta beach is the venue for this festival celebrating windsurfing, kitesurfing and stand-up paddle surfing. This will be the fifth time the event has been held here and as before athletes from around the world have been invited to show off their extreme tricks and talents.

Perfect wind conditions and wide, safe areas make this the ideal venue for the year’s closing event which begins on Thursday 16^th September and ends on Sunday. It’s the party that everyone’s been waiting for – a celebration of our favourite water sports and an invitation to return next year…

This is a long video from 2006 (MarkWhite82), the inaugural year, but evocative of what’s it all about.

There’s more to this event than racing. It also showcases new technology that is due to be released for the 2011 season with test areas to try out the equipment – horribly tempting!

And that’s not all. There will be plenty of other activities including beach tennis tournaments and a big Half Pipe where renowned  athletes will show off  their best tricks on BMX’s and rollerblades. There will be a concert on the Friday night … with a surprise… and of course non-stop beach parties and great clubs in San Teodoro itself.

The watersports racing events are not only for the worlds’ best. Kite and windsurf enthusiasts who want to test their skills against contemporaries will also have the chance to take part in competitions. There will be freestyle, in & out, match race, Freestyle Grinch Super Session for windsurfers and, most importantly and as always, the famous Long Distance Race. This is a 20 mile race which will pit you against each other and yourself – it’s a long hard endurance run.

BMW are sponsors this year and if you’re into extreme water sports you are almost bound to be into classy fast cars. Not only will you be able to admire the latest arrivals in the BMW X1 series and Z4 spider, but you’ll be able to test drive them too – with an approved BMW co-pilot of course!

Need any more incentive?

… only one of the greatest big wave surfers ever… or is he? The video is impressive…

… but the forums suggest it’s all a scam although I don’t think the Red Bull peaks have anything to do with it: Red Bull have their own big wave events so why shouldn’t some of these guys be wearing their caps?

Professional rivalry, scepticism, the green-eyed monster – or true? I’d love to know… feedback gratefully accepted!

… so who is he?  I cannot find anything on him. Some say Peruvian, others Mexican… can anyone tell me? I am asking for information on the surfer, not the deceased pitcher for the Giants!

Pico Alto is a well-known big wave spot in Punta Hermosa, Peru, 43 kms from Lima airport. Perhaps not the biggest big wave, but certainly one of the longest – if not THE longest.

It’s an epic wave, about a mile from shore whose bottom bares a similarity to Maverick’s and Jaws, as the swells come from super deep water and are tripped up on a shelf, creating a super thick peak with heaps of power which makes it suitable for pros and kamikaze surfers.

This wave (andersonreisfilmes) never closes out and the bigger the wave the longer the ride… its direction is both right and left and has flat rocks with sand underneath although, as the wave is so far out, there is an unlikely chance that you can hurt yourself. It’s hollow, fast and powerful and starts working at 3 – 3.5 metres and holds up well to 5m and over. There are dangerous rips and undertows but the bonus is there are never any crowds – in fact it is always pretty well empty. Perfect!

The challenge on this wave is that because it is so far out it is difficult to get in position and to hold it which is one of the reasons why tow-in surfing was recently introduced. It is big, powerful and frightening so if you are not sure of your ability and fitness try out the wealth of other waves nearby before attempting this beast.

Billabong, who always have their finger on the ball, have realised the potential of this wave and have included it in their Big Wave World Tour competition (sommossa83):

You don’t have to tow-in to Pico Alto, you can also paddle out there. All you have to do is find the beach break ‘Playa Norte’ in Punta Hermosa and paddle out to the really obvious break (a 700 m paddle) – or go in at Senoritas for a paddle of about the same  length.

Whilst I’m in Peru I must mention that La Herradura is not to be sneezed at either:

She’s a classic wave right in the city of Lima making access a doddle – only a 20 – 30 m paddle in to the take-off zone. On a good day this left-break wave can reach 5m and is split into 3 sections, the one closest to the coast being the most tubular and the most difficult. It’s another wave for experienced surfers only, hollow, fast and long. It needs a solid swell and starts working at 1.5 – 2 m and holds up well to 3m +. It’s downside is, I suppose, its position and certainly its popularity – it goes from crowded to jammed at weekends. Hardly surprising as, despite its close access to the city, it is a beautiful spot.

And not just Herradura, there are plenty of other impressive waves in the Lima region: there’s Santa Rosa (pro surfers: pointbreak, powerful left, rocky bottom, 2 – 3.5 m), Penescal (pro surfers: pointbreak, poweful right with a tubular section, rocky bottom, 2 – 4 m), Punta Roca (intermediate, pointbreak, peaks left and right, 2 – 4 m), Puerto Viego (a wave for everyone: clean and perfect left ride that barrels all along the perfect sand bar. Beautiful surroundings and a great place to catch your first tubes)… to name but a few.

Peru’s coastline has so many quality surf spots within a few kilometres of each other that I could dedicate a week to this subject alone! I suggest that if surfing is your passion and you have not yet visited South America, then book your ticket now…

SABA have had their first competition at the legendary Bones and she came up trumps for them. These big waves can be exceedingly elusive – but not this time… perfect waves greeted the West Coast Classic.

Recently we have concentrated on surfing and where to surf in South Africa. Bones never came under discussion but the recently completed SABA bodyboarding event brought it to our attention.

Bodyboarding is not a new sport. In fact as early as the 1700’s people have been out there making the most of what the sea had to offer Regency surfers…

“But a diversion the most common is upon the Water, where there is a very great Sea, and surf breaking on the Shore. The Men sometimes 20 or 30 go without the Swell of the Surf, & lay themselves flat upon an oval piece of plank about their size and breadth, they keep their legs close on top of it, & their arms are us’d to guide the plank, they wait the time for the greatest Swell that sets on Shore, & altogether push forward with their Arms to keep on its top, it sends them in with a most astonishing Velocity, & the great art is to guide the plank so as always to keep it in a proper direction on the top of the Swell, & as it alters its direction. If the Swell drives him close to the rocks before he is overtaken by its break, he is much praised.” - – James King, Journal, March 1779

Thank you to Wikipedia for that wonderful quote.

Bodyboarding differs from surfing in the length and material of the board – it is much shorter and made of foam. Each type of foam gives the bodyboard a different amount of flex and control for the rider. Most modern boards are equipped with channels that increase surface area in the critical parts of the board which, in turn, allow it to have greater wave hold and control. The use of these channels also means that the tail of the board is free to move.

Crescent tails provide the greatest amount of hold (keeping a rider on the board) in steep waves but make it difficult to slide the tail deliberately. Crescent tails are generally preferred by drop-knee riders because the shape interferes less. A bat tail is better suited for prone riders because it is easier to slide the tail. The bat tail also makes the bottom of the board slightly longer in the middle, helping to keep the rider’s legs out of the water, reducing drag.

The top of the board, the ‘deck’, is made from a softer foam to give grip and cushioning to the rider. Bodyboarders frequently wax their boards to increase the coefficient of friction on contact surface areas.

The shape of the board affects how it works. If the wide point of the board is near the nose, the board is best suited to prone riding as the riders weight is further up on the board. Boards with rails that are more parallel or ones with a wide middle and a narrow nose are ideal for drop-knee and stand-up riding as the rider’s center of gravity is further back.

Bodyboarding is not constricted to well behaved waves on nice sunny beaches.

Phylis Dameron was the first person — male or female — to ride big Waimea, North Shore Hawaii in the late 1970s. Carol Philips was the first woman to ride big Pipe in the 1980s and to compete against the men at Pipeline, North Shore Hawaii.

Mike Stewart is considered the father of modern bodyboarding and holds an unprecedented 10 world titles. The current World Tour champion is Hawaiian Jeff Hubbard.

But back to SABA.

Contestants were hoping for at least a clean swell with offshore winds. What they got was beyond their expectations. Super smooth 3-4ft lines peeled down the spongy reef at Bones. The waves were some of the best seen for a SABA event and seeing that it was the first event of its kind on the west coast, organisers couldn’t have asked for better. With a looming 5m swell predicted on Monday and Sundays conditions looking abit onshore, organisers used the days’ conditions to run as much of the contest as possible.

Unfortunately the day of the finals dawned with very contestable waves but the decision was made to go ahead and complete the final 7 heats.

Mark McCarthy backed up his previous days riding with another impressive display of combination manoeuvres to be crowned the REEF/ KUMBA IRON ORE West Coast Classic Pro champion and Josh Kleve, newcomer to the Mens division also won his first SABA title in a close battle between fellow Capetonian David Lillienfeld. Storm Prestwich again showed his class in difficult wave conditions and surfed his way into 1st place in the highly competitive Juniors division.

Modern bodyboarding, while still paying attention to style, focuses mainly on aerial manoeuvers in heavier and bigger waves, in which the waves become launching platforms for these manoeuvres. They also place a heavy emphasis on riding within the barrel of a wave as well as completing multiple tricks on the wave face in a single ride, including inverts, aerial spins (forward and reverse), reverse spins on the face, spins in the barrel, ARS’s and backflips.

And if you’re still not sure whether bodyboarding fits into our extreme sports catagory, check out this video from sbodyboardw.

At a party last night I was told all about Sunset – the best of the best big waves in South Africa. I’ve written before about Dungeons:

… a beaut if ever there was one – as they’d say in South Africa, but now it’s time to turn our eyes briefly to Sunset, and then we’ll come back and check out Red Bull’s Big Wave competition in this beautiful country.

Big wave surfers are known as mullets and mullets have been around since time immemorial. They’re nothing new, but there are not many of them – hard core big wave surfers.

Which brings me back to Sunset. If you didn’t know better you’d doubt that this mythical wave existed. There are times when the sea is peaceful, but sometimes, and mainly in the Summer when the south-east blows, it produces an unbelievable world-class wave – a wave only for fearless big wave mullets.

Sunset Reef is the most famous wave on this jagged Cape Peninsula coastline from Kommetjie to Cape Point including around the Point to Muizenburg and False Bay which also have excellent waves to offer surfers. The shape of the peninsula means that regardless of wind direction there is always a beach somewhere close by with an on-shore wind. Long Beach Kommetjie, Outer Kom, Washing Machine, Dunes and The Hoek are all close by and Diaz Beach, Kalk Bay and Llandudno are there if Kommetjie is not working.

Sunset itself is a world class wave with a sometime break. It is hollow, fast and powerful with a righthand direction. The bottom has flat rocks and sand. The wave starts working at over 3.5m and holds well up to 5m. On a good day the wave is 50m long. You will need to hire a boat from longbeach to get there, but you can be sure that there will be very few other surfers enjoying it – this is a wave for extreme kamikaze mullets only. Beware the sharks though!

The following video (XLTV) shows some of Cape Town’s gems, including Sunset:

Sunset was discovered fairly early on in South Africa, but Dungeons was only pioneered in 1985. The Paarman brothers had made a name for themselves as the first  South African family of big wave surfers and one day in the early 80’s Pierre noticed a solid swell running which created  a clean phantom wave standing up and throwing its toys underneath the Sentinel cliffs. So piqued was his interest in this wave that he and Peter Button lugged up the back of the Sentinel hill to watch it. One fine day in 1985 they decided to ride it. From the hill it looked 10 foot and clean. They walked down the hill, scrambled over the rocks and paddled across the deep water channel, oblivious to whatever beasts were lurking underneath them. They got out back and it was more like 20 foot, without a drop of water out of place. The wave stood up like a fortress and had a wall like the one in China – huge, long and sweeping into the distance. On his little twin fin hybrid, Pierre was perilously undergunned. The next time he bought the right equipment.

Pierre and Peter rated the wave better than the Sunset bowl, because of the longer ride and the huge arcing wall it produced. They surfed it as often as they were willing to make the arduous mission. And with that, Dungeons was pioneered and recorded forever in the chronicle of big wave lore.

Red Bull Big Wave Africa (zigzagsurf) is now in its 8th year. The event is held at “Dungeons”, just east of The Sentinel, a peak in Hout Bay, Cape Town. This year sees a radical new format introduced to give the event the utmost chance of running. The biggest format change is the waiting period. Instead of the usual 21 days, a relatively small window for any big-wave spot to stand to attention, the waiting period has been extended to nearly four months. Day one of this period is Monday May eighth, and the window closes on August the thirteenth. All in all, 97 days of possible contestable waves. There are 18 invited surfers and 20 alternates, all with rock-solid big-wave surfing credentials. The field is wide-open.