Jeffreys Bay is one of the longest stays of our stops on the journey up the east coast of South Africa and its not hard to see why, the Town is built around surfing and epitomises the dream that is surfing. Basically, if you think Surfing and South Africa Jeffrey’s Bay has to be top of mind for most people, After all it is home to one of the best right hand point breaks in the world as well as a WSL World Tour Event held annually, this otherwise sleepy town is very quiet and relaxing with not too much else going on (not that you’d have time for any of it anyways given the amount of surfing you’ll be getting in).
As we progress up the coast and engulf ourselves in surf culture and lifestyle we learn something new almost everyday. After a month of surfing, starting on longboards, then mini-mal’s and eventually purchasing boards of their own the guys had had quite a bit of experience with different board shapes in different waves. A huge part of surfing is surfboard design and through the ages the types of board shapes have influenced the styles of surfing and separated the sport into categories for the different ways in which you can ride waves. We visited Mikey Meyer’s factory in Jbay to learn about all the aspects of surfboard design and the step by step process that goes into hand-crafting one and customising it to suit your own style or local waves. Mikey Meyer is a local legend and one of the best to learn from in the industry and its always a great privilege to visit and pick his brain during our stays.
The best part about surfing in Jeffreys Bay is that in such a relatively short stretch of coastline are some of the best waves in the country and there is literally something for everybody no matter your skill level. During our 13 day stay we scored a solid 10 days of quality consistent surf. This means we were clocking in 2-3 surfs a day! we couldn’t have asked for better and everybody took the opportunity to get as much time in the water and really push themselves and their surfing. We’ve been working hard in and out the water with regular fitness sessions in the pool and on the beach as well as getting world class coaching from our local coach Etienne who is well known in the South African surfing scene. with all the right elements combining so well for us I feel as if Jeffrey’s Bay was a huge success for us in every sense. We won in the bar and in the water, after all who doesn’t enjoy a good party after an epic days surfing whilst on holiday? a big thank you must be extended to Island Vibe beach backpackers for once again being incredible hosts.
On the odd day that we didn’t get any waves we dabbled in a bit of community work helping give back to the community and environment as a means of saying thanks for letting us take over during our stay. we ran our own beach clean up and spent an afternoon with the Supertubes Surfing Foundation doing some dune rehabilitation by clearing alien plant species.
We also made our way down to the nearby river to spend a relaxing afternoon doing a few rock jumps and zip-lining. A few of the guys braved the 16m rock jump, others settled on the 6m jump and zip-line.
As I said before we really got it good when it came to Surfing in Jeffreys Bay, we hardly had any time for much else, this has to be one of the fittest groups I’ve been a part of and it really showed during this stop. The commitment shown during swim training and beach fitness really showed in the water during free surfs and lessons and almost everybody scored some of the best waves of their lives, due reward for the efforts put in by all. We’re in good shape for the rest of our travels and in a great position to make the most out of the Wild Coast stops which have in the past demanded quite a bit of the guys in terms of waves. Im confident that we’ll excel in the water and keep on improving.
Here’s a compilation of everybody scoring great waves during our stay in Jeffreys Bay, we had it this good almost everyday. Perfect for progression!
http:/https://youtu.be/I06YgpB3SF8
Till next time
Shakka’s
Luke