We’re coming towards the end of day three here in J-Bay and, as you can see from the attached pictures, it’s been three days of surf. We are staying at Island Vibe, up on a small sandy bluff overlooking the breaks of Phantoms and Kitchen Windows. Both are long easy waves and within spitting distance of the hostel making it easy to clock up lots of water time.

Lessons started with Etienne on Monday with a clean swell and offshore winds. Etienne is the current SA Junior coach and will be leading his team at the World Games in Ecuador in May. It’s great for the guys to be able to work with one of the top coaches in the world on some long peeling waves and already there has been lots of improvement. We are also starting to implement a bit of video coaching to really iron out the last of the bad habits so that we can move onto more progressive manoeuvres over the next few weeks.

J-Bay also marks the end of beach breaks for a while: All the waves here break over a rocky bottom, making the waves peel perfectly. It takes some getting used to and there is a fear factor to deal with. There was a bit of trepidation on the first day but with a couple of sessions under their belts, the group are now starting to look far more comfortable.

On arrival we went through the briefings and told the group that the record for time in the water in one day is 9 hours, set by Steinar last February. Monday saw George and a few of the others log 7 1/2 hours of water time and today, with a little more swell and perfect glassy conditions, the record could be under threat. The girls are stepping up too, Nico and I headed down the beach last night for a girl’s evening session. Slipping away down the beach meant we had a peak to ourselves, nobody else about and plenty of space to mess around in. As evening drew in the wind dropped and we were left with really fun glassy waves. We surfed for an hour and a half before heading back in for a big supper, a couple of beers, a game or two of pool and bed.

Tomorrow we look set for more of the same before we start with a bit of charity work on Thursday and Friday. We may well head off to Addo elephant park for a day’s safari before the next blog on Friday so be sure to check back for news and pics from that.

Otherwise we are all well. Charlie had a brief run in with the reef and Ed’s board but is all patched up and will be ready to surf again in due course. But with waves, sun and warm water we are happy as can be.

Thanks for reading,

Tim and Nico.

It’s been onshore for a couple of days now but all the crew are assembled on the viewing decks overlooking kitchen’s waiting for the wind to switch as forecast and then we will be right back into the surf. It’s boiling hot with a warm berg wind meaning when we hit the water, it will most likely be in baggies.

Since Tuesday’s blog we have had a solid blow from the East meaning we’ve been spending time out of the water and enjoying some of the other distractions here in J-Bay. Wednesday dawned cloudy, windy and wet. It felt like a real autumn day down in Cornwall with horizontal rain lashing wind swept peaks all the way out to the horizon. We made a decision to eat quickly and head up to Addo Elephant park which sits 50km inland from Port Elizebeth, about a 2 hr drive from us here. It took a while to actually spot any wildlife, the first elephant arriving after just over an hour of driving in the massive reserve, but patience paid off when we rounded the corner and were met by a large train of elephants slowly making their way to who knows where. They came within touching distance of the van and, with windows and slide doors open, we got a very close view of them. It was pretty amazing to say the least and a reward for a long day’s safari.

Thursday started early for half the group. Tia, Clare, Jenny, Viki, Laura and Kate came with Nico and I to the local crèche to spend a morning with the kids. When we’re in J-Bay we always head over with some Milli meal (semolina) and help prepare and serve it to the kids. We arrived shortly after eight and met Julia and the 50 or so children. The Milli was already on the go so we joined in with some morning songs as well as a couple of games before serving and washing up.

With the sun out but the wind pumping we headed off to a little local secret spot. Not too far away and tucked into a sheltered cove is a waterfall. We stocked up on some food and went over for a picnic and a bit of rock jumping. The top jump is about 30 or 40ft and takes some nerve. George, Ed, Tia and Laura all launched themselves off whilst the rest of the group decided the small jump was the more attractive option. There was a bit of time for some swim training, Laura is starting to make some good progress with her technique and the general level of fitness is starting to come up, and then it was back to Island Vibe for dinner, a few drinks and table football.

Today the other half headed over to the crèche and were greeted by 50 screaming and excited kids. They didn’t know what had hit them and soon Charlie disappeared under a bundle of 5 year olds. It was a lot of fun as again, we joined in with morning songs and added a few of our own. “if you’re happy and you know it” and “heads, shoulders, knees and toes” were pulled out from dusty memories and we all tried to remember our pre-school days. As we served the Milli we could see the wind turning as forecast and, after two days out of the water, headed off eager to hit the water and ride some waves. The forecast looks set to remain favourable for the majority of the weekend and we will no doubt all be carrying weary muscles come Sunday. Next week we start work with the Supertubes Foundation, be sure to check back for more news on that.

Thanks for reading,

Tim and Nico

I can’t remember the last time my body ached so much from surfing. We’ve had quite a weekend here in J-Bay. The forecasts called for waves so we knew there were a few coming but when they did arrive they arrived bigger, cleaner and, mysteriously for a weekend swell, we had them almost all to ourselves.

The swell came in on Friday afternoon so we headed over to Super’s, after a free surf at Kitchens. to see if the point was doing its thing. The swell was a little wrong but still some good barrels were churning through so we spent a little while watching one of the world’s best waves in almost all it’s glory. Though the swell was wrong for Super’s, the swell direction was perfect for Phantom’s, another right hand point break that sits right in front of us here at Island Vibe. George, Ed, Nico and Myself paddled out at around 6pm and the waves were epic, rides of up to 200m on the set waves with only the four of us and local shaper Mike Meyer around to snap them up. Mike is shaping boards for George and Will at the moment so it was good to surf with him and introduce a local surfing legend to the group. Paddling in at sunset the secret was soon out and plans were hatched for an early start.

5am alarms, sunrise surf-checks and soon damp wetsuits and sleepy eyes were pushed aside as the waves were again pumping. By 6am we were almost all in and surfing Phantoms, riding all the way through to 9 for a quick break for food before hitting it again up until lunch. Lunch lasted till 3 by which time we were ready to go again, surfing through to sunset by which time a celebratory beer was in order. Being Valentines Day the bar was gearing up for a party. With broken bodies Nico and I retired early not expecting anyone to last past 10 but there’s no discounting the energy of youth and the party went on till the early hours with many a story for breakfast the following morning. Not for these pages though....

Sunday morning saw a storm roll through with heavy morning rains but glassy waves. Those that could had a few waves before the wind came around forcing us to leave the beach temporarily and head over to Sea View Lion Park. Sea View is a small private game lodge and also has a lion rearing centre. We took a drive around the park, spotting Zebra, Buck and Wilderbeast before driving over to the lion and tiger enclosures to get a closer look at some of nature’s most beautiful animals. The park houses several fully grown male lions and tigers that are kept in large outdoor pens. The fences, though they don’t look it, are secure and it adds an extra adrenalin kick as you walk around the perimeter with an adult lion or tiger no more than a few inches away from you. From the pens you head over to the rearing area where you are allowed in with the cubs. There were 4 different litters ranging from 4 weeks to 14 months, the older they are the more mischievous they become as Ed and Katie found out after winding them up a little too much.

Monday way supposed to be a Beach Clean day with the Supertubes Foundation but, confounding the forecasters, the swell hung around for the morning and again we woke to good waves. Etienne was back from an SA Junior training camp so lessons started again. With the video camera trained on them the groups headed out to Phantom’s again were long rides were the order of the day. Following a good morning’s surf Etienne commented on the improvement over the weekend and was impressed to hear the hours the group had put in. They fully deserved his praise after several long days in the waves!

Monday afternoon was spent at the Supertubes Park helping out the Supertubes Foundation, a conservation group financed and run by the areas local surfers. We spent a couple of hours helping clear the plant rescue area of weeds and other foreign objects so that the rare and endangered plants they rescue from development sites have room to grow. In the heat it was hard work but the atmosphere was great as we messed around and we had a lot of fun. Arriving back at Island Vibe the wind had dropped so again, a few of the group hit the water before a well deserved supper.

Tomorrow sees the onshore come and offers a welcome break to allow muscles to recover and bodies to heal. We will be helping out again in Supertubes park and taking a bit of time out to relax.

The week ahead looks busy as we fit in the rest of the lessons, a trip to Cape St Francis to visit and surf the spots discovered in seminal 60’s surf flick ‘the endless summer’, and a couple more charity projects.

The next blog will appear on Friday so check back to see how we get on,

Thanks for reading
Tim and Nico.

Hello from our new location up on the hillside overlooking Chintsa Bay. It’s great to be in a new spot after two weeks in J-Bay; new people, new surroundings and a totally different feel. As you leave J-Bay you head into the Kai Valley with large rolling green hills, small rural communities dotted here and there and lush green vegetation as far as the eye can see. We arrived late last night, had a drink or two at the bar and then retired after a long day on the road. The guys are all staying together in a house set amongst dense trees, they woke this morning to find a troop of monkeys playing in the garden just out front. There is certainly a more African feel to Chinsta.

Leaving J-Bay was sad, we had a great time there and met some great people. As we left a solid swell was filling in making it even harder to leave behind the long rolling walls of Kitchens and the Point which have been our home for the last two weeks. Our final night was the scene of the Pirate Party, festivities rolled into the early hours of the next morning and Charlie was seen paddling round the line-up of the point still sporting a bit of eyeliner and some heavy make-up, courtesy of Skatie, from the night before. He drew several double takes from the locals.

Our final few days were a lot of fun with plenty of time spent in the water and a trip up the coast to Cape St. Francis where we were met with some steeper, more challenging surf. Etienne was full of praise for the group and is looking forward to seeing where the get to in their surfing by the trip’s end. With some mellower beach breaks and a few less rocks around we are looking forward to seeing everyone charging as hard as possible over the next few days.

We had a couple of days out of the water when we went back over to Supertubes park to help Alison and the crew there as well as an afternoon horse ride that will go down in the memories of us all, some for the stunning sunset over the dunes, others for the slightly wilder behaviour of their horses! But all in all J-Bay was a big success, some perfect waves, some great parties, some interesting new people and, I am sure, some new friends to keep in touch with.

The next few days are going to be busy as we look to squeeze as much as we can in before heading to Coffee Bay on Friday. There’s 4 beaches to visit, quad bike safaris, swim training and lots more, but hopefully the crew will also have enough time to relax and enjoy our stunning surroundings here. Skatie, Viki and Clare all went to a Yoga class this morning, Laura took a morning swim in the lagoon and the guys all paddled out for an early surf on the beach. There’s also a beauty salon and sauna meaning aching bodies can be pampered, I know some of the girls, and maybe one or two of the boys if the Pirate Party costumes are anything to go by, will be excited about the prospect of that.

Thanks for tuning in and be sure to check back towards the end of the week for an update on our time here in Chintsa.

Tim and Nico

We are mid way through our first day here in Coffee Bay. We left Chintsa early yesterday, before the real heat of the day kicked in rendering anything except sitting inside an air-conditioned cabin almost impossible. We are now in the tropics and it is hot, humid and sticky. But we’re not complaining as the water is warm and we can pack away the wetsuits for the rest of the trip.

Arriving at around 5pm we unpacked, screwed in the fins and headed straight to the beach where we all paddled out for a quick surf before supper. The waves were pretty small but we were all in together for the first time in a while and the atmosphere was great. As the sun set we walked back along the beach, past the wandering cows and horses, along the small dust track and into the bar area where some of the local girls were doing a traditional dance. Shortly after we had eaten the fire was then stoked up and a drumming circle kicked off; it’s great to be in the Transkei again, away from civilisation and into the sticks for a while.

Chintsa was a lot of fun. We had a few good sessions on the beach as well as some memorable morning sessions. The boys have been up every morning surfing as much as they can, it’s good to see Laura, Viki and Chris also getting in and joining them. Tia is also on the mend after a couple of knocks kept her out of the water, today saw her catch her first wave in roughly a week and the smile, I am sure, will last almost as long. Jen and Claire had a couple of good waves last night on the beach as well as a great session on the main peak at Chintsa on the pen-ultimate day. After a lot of hard effort it is starting to click! Skatie is now down to riding a 6,5 and is cruising like a true Waikiki beach girl and Kate’s confidence is coming along and we are all looking forward to what she can do on the point when she puts her head down and goes for it!

We have also been doing a lot of work on the fitness side of things. We put the guys into the East London Olympic pool for a couple of timed swims and some pyramids. The times have all come down impressively with everyone taking, on average, at least 40 seconds off their previous times. Morning yoga sessions in Chintsa were also popular with Vikki, Clare, Skatie and Kate heading along to a few. Following a timed swim in East London we all formed a circle on the grass to perform “the plank”. I am not sure if this is technically a yoga move but it involves supporting your body weight on your arms as you stretch out and form ‘a plank’. One by one we dropped out until only Laura and Viki were left, barely breaking sweat as the rest of us rolled on the floor in agony clutching at aching muscles.

For the next ten days we’re going to kick back and get a little lost in rural paradise. There really is no need to worry here, everything we need is in the local community and hassles of the outside world can be left at the turn off from the main road, nearly 2 hours inland. As well as the waves we’ll be doing a couple of coastal hikes, spending a night with the local families, eating supper in the local village and, road conditions allowing, seeking out some lesser known and more remote surf spots. Stay tuned for pictures of those and more news on our progress here next week.

Thanks for reading,
Tim and Nico