Hi All and welcome back to the Transkei.
I’m happy to report that our exploration of the Transkei has yielded results as the group have been getting some of the best waves on the trip so far, not to mention they’ve seen some of the most amazing beaches in the country.
Monday and Tuesday were unfortunately not very good for surfing. The wind howled from the east and with it came the rains, which meant that we were left to our own devices in order to keep busy while we waited for the weather to clear. The guys took to games of 30 seconds and the likes while some of the more eager ones opted to do a hike in the rain to the top of the Coffee Bay Cliffs to get a good lookout over the sea.
Luckily though, the weather didn’t last too long and by yesterday the westerly was blowing again and the sea looked epic. Dave came out in the morning to meet us on the beach and gave the guys a lesson in paddling and turning. Dave’s experience from his days as a pro/am champion is a tremendous resource to draw from when you’re looking to improve upon your surfing and nobody knows the Transkei better than him, so it was a real treat to get to have him give us a few tips.
We didn’t spend too much time on the beach though, as the guys were just frothing to get in. The waves were really fun!! The easterlies from the previous days had kicked up the swell and when the west finally came along, that entire, raw wind swell got groomed into neat, running lines on the beach.
We ended up surfing all morning. The conditions were really fun and the nice, powerful waves gave us all a real run for our money. In the afternoon, with conditions still looking good, Nikki and I decided to take the group exploring so we loaded all our boards into the trailer and headed out. There are just dozens and dozens of epic surf spots along this stretch of coast and we decided to take the guys to see 2 of them. Our first stop landed us in Umdumbe, which is infamous for it’s long point break and barrelling reef sections. The swell wasn’t quite right for the bay so we decided to mission on further. Our next stop was the amazingly beautiful Lwandile point. It’s virtually impossible to find these beaches unless you know where to go, but the rewards for looking are well worth all the effort. The wave looked so nice on the point that we decided to give it a go. We spent the rest of the afternoon surfing and just enjoying the beauty of the area. Some of the guys came back with stories of getting the best waves of the trip out there. It was an awesome way to spend the afternoon.
We surfed until sunset when it was time to head back to Coffee Bay and get in line for dinner, which was another classic braai. After such a long day it wasn’t surprising that the guys all turned in for an early night.
This morning we went out again in search of waves and this afternoon we’re set to go and visit the Hole in the Wall just down the coast
But more on that next time…
Till then,
Take care,
Bevan and Nikki.