Well there has been a lot going on since our last blog so I will do my best to fill you in on everything that we have been up to. The last week consisted mainly of the group doing their surf lifesaving award, surf coaching award and lots and lots of surfing. I think the group would agree that Ansteys was one of the best stops for waves on the trip so far. We had really good waves consistently and many of the group caught the best waves of their lives whilst there!
Anstey’s backpackers is owned by one of the most well-known surfing families in the country, the Palmboom’s. With Rudy Snr leading the charge he has dominated the Bluff and Durban waves for years and whenever the swell gets bigger and others start to pretend they have an injury so they can’t surf, this is when Rudy really shines. He is super fit, up at 5:30 every morning doing his yoga and checking the surf. On our final day in Anstey’s we had the privilige of surfing Cave Rock with him, and he must have surfed for at least seven hours on this day without showing any signs of even being tired! Following in his footsteps are his daughter and son, Heidi and Rudy Jnr. They have both competed and excelled in the Junior Series and rankings in South Africa. Rudy Jnr is currently competing on the World Qualifying tour so was over in California while we were their, and Heidi is surfing as much as she can at home, competing on the local tour and enjoying life while she decides whether to study or follow in her older brothers footsteps and try her hand at the world tour.
The lifesaving and surf coaching courses went really well. With all the training and fitness we have been doing on the trip EVERYONE passed their timed swim with ease for the lifesaving and went through the course successfully, learning about how to treat different types on injuries and strokes, heart attacks as well as how to do CPR. Everyone passed this part of the exam too and they have a small amount of practical left to gain the full qualification. The surf coaching course is aimed at coaches who will be coaching beginner surfers. It teaches them about health and safety at the beach, as well as legal requirements necessary to do lessons as well as the practical side of how to teach effectively and all the roles that a surf coach has to ensure a learner gets an effective and good lesson. They still need to do some more assessments to finish off the course.
Everyone really enjoyed Ansteys backpackers. The group had their own house with TV, kitchen etc and were pretty ‘pimped out’! The vibe was really good too and with a short 60m walk to the beach it was all too easy. We had varying conditions at Anstey’s from small 1-2 foot at the beginning to solid 2-4 meter waves on the last, perfect, day. I’d say the majority of the group caught their biggest and best waves ever and all I’ve heard since is that they want to go back to Anstey’s! A few of us were also lucky enough to surf arguably South Africa's best reef break, Cave Rock. It was perfectly clean and the waves were absolutely cooking!
But we have moved on up to The Secret Spot in Ballito, our last stop on the trip. It has been really fun so far up here, but I will let you know more in the next blog!
On a side note I hope all you cricket lovers have been enjoying watching the Cricket Word Cup. And with the Six Nations as well as the Super 15 Rugby and all the football their has been plenty to keep us entertained in the evenings!
Coming up are the Safari, Wavehouse standing wave and lots of surfing amongst others, so check back in soon.
Take care and hope you enjoyed,
Chris