Hi all
Welcome to the Transkei, South Africa’s untouched wonderland and the home of the 4 clans of the Xhosa people. Unfortunately there are not many words with which I could use to describe just how beautiful a part of the country this is. It is a place where you feel time stand still and, as many people have commented in the past, it is probably what Africa would have looked like 100 years ago.
But before I get into all that though, allow me to quickly sum up our time in J-Bay.
On Saturday we awoke to a rather dismal set of conditions. Being the weekend, it didn’t help matters that most of Kitchen’s local crew we’re out regardless. The wind was offshore and the sea looked nice and calm, but the swell just wasn’t there to compliment that set of conditions so we decided that it was probably a good call to give it a miss and get all our things sorted out for the long drive out to Coffee Bay instead.
It ended up being a rather pleasant and lazy day – quite a welcome change from the previous days of non-stop surfing. In the evening Emma cooked us up a few burgers for dinner, then it was time to say our goodbyes to all the friendly people at Island Vibe before turning in.
On Sunday we got up early and packed in the last few odds and ends before hitting the road. The dark and misty morning soon developed into a beautiful, sunny day, and with a clear road ahead we were well on our way to making some good time. The landscape starts to take on a very different look the further east you travel. The most striking contrast would have to be the remarkable lack of trees there are the closer to the Kei River you go. The proud mountain ranges of the Garden Route soon give way to rolling, grassy hills, which undulate towards the coast. The final stretch form the main road to Coffee Bay is slow and difficult with a number of potholes, animals and people to negotiate before coming over that last hill that gives you your first view of the bay. And what a welcome view that is!! We arrived at our hostel in the late afternoon and met up with Dave Malherbe who took us out on a short tour of the surf spots in the area. The wind was blowing hard onshore so the waves didn’t really look like much, but the guys got a real good idea of what to expect for the next few days. In the evening we all enjoyed a delicious Mutton Potjie before having our first night’s sleep in an African hut.
Yesterday morning the wind was still a little onshore, but not as strong as on Sunday. I took my routine walk over the hill to check out the surf and wasn’t too ecstatic with what I saw. The swell was still a little messy and quite small. I decided that we might as well give it a go, even if just for the exercise. I got everyone out into the line-up and showed them how this new spot worked. The guys got onto a few small waves just to feel it out a bit. Despite the conditions, the waves were surprisingly consistent and fun. The biggest surprise was still to come when an unexpected offshore came howling out of nowhere and cleaned up the sea. In no time we were surfing perfect, clean little runners on the Coffee Bay point. We took a break for lunch and met up again in the afternoon for some land exercises. Dave came to join us and chat to the guys a bit about paddling. Dave is a former World Champ from back in the Pro / Am days of surfing so his knowledge and experience is always a treat to be able to draw from. After his chat he took us out for another session on the point. By this time the wind had totally cleaned up the sea and the higher tide was causing the waves to peel even further along the point. It was an epic set of conditions and, for me, one of the best sessions I’ve seen the guys have. As a coach, you’re always watching to see if your students are picking up the tips that you throw at them, so for me to see how the guys positioned themselves in the line-up, paddled onto the waves and then worked their way back out to the channel was good to see. Some of the guys are even looking ready for some smaller boards!!
The session went on well into the evening with wave after wave just perfectly hugging the point. The conditions are looking really good for the next few days, with some really big stuff predicted for the middle of the week, so we’ll have to see how that pans out. For the meantime though, we’re about to head out to visit some of the amazing sites here in Coffee Bay, but more on that in the next entry
Till next time…
Take care,
Bevan