Whenever I find myself meeting new people that have plans to travel and surf in South Africa the two most common questions I’m always finding myself answering are “Do you have Lion’s in your garden?” and”Is Jeffreys Bay’s surf as good as people say?”
I tend to joke about with my answer for the first question and say yes and even inform them that we use the lions as form’s of transport to get to school. When I’m faced with the answer to my second question I’m a bit more serious and I can’t help to find myself getting extremely passionate about it.”Hell yes” is always my answer. Like everywhere in the world the surf can’t always be perfect but one thing I can tell you about Jeffreys is when it’s good trust me, it’s REALLY good.
Jeffreys Bay
The guys currently on the South Africa trip got to experience this first hand with some super prime sessions at our local spot called Kitchen Windows and some of the guys even got to surf the famous Super Tubes. Super Tubes is a very localised surf spot and the locals completely own this break. It’s a beautiful right-hand break that loves to show off with it’s sweet barreling rights and long rides. It’s a steep take off but if you get it right you’re bound to have some of the best waves you’ve ever had. Here it’s all about waiting your turn and respecting the locals because one thing is for sure and that is that you don’t want to find yourself on the wrong side of any of the locals. The boy’s that got surf Super Tubes were so very lucky on the day they surfed as the conditions were just perfect for them and for the first time ever in my experience there was nobody else out. Timing is everything at this spot and your best bet is to watch how the locals do it and follow their lead. Luckily for the boys head coach, Jay was right by their side the whole way showing them how it’s done.
If the guys weren’t surfing they were bound to be sitting on the benches watching the rest of the guys in the water surfing. Our surf lessons were run by Etienne and everyone got a fair turn to spend some time with him in the water learning more and more about surfing and the ocean. We stayed at a back packers called Island Vibe which overlooked the beach and the local spot we surfed called Kitchen Windows. Surf reports were done by the benches and there wasn’t a time of the day where someone was out in the water surfing. Island Vibe is a vibe on its own, our evenings were met with dinners around the big tables and lots of black labels. Beer pong became a very serious sport while we were in J-bay and my best advice if you ever find yourself there playing beer pong is, you’re best to read the rules before you play. We were lucky enough to spend Valentines Day in J-bay which was an absolute blast for everyone. We all dressed up as greek gods and goddesses and the outfits were 100% the highlight of the night.
At every stop, we always try to get involved in local community projects that give back to the community. We do this to say thank you for welcoming us into the community for our time at that spot as well as a thank you for letting us surf their waves. Personally, for me, The Super Tubes Foundation holds one of the most amazing ways to give back to the community. Every Monday the children of the local area bring bags and bags and bags of recycling like plastic, glass and tins and they hand it in where it’s weighed and sorted into it’s recycling class. As a reward, the children are given “moola” which is a fake currency that they can spend in the little shop that has supplies that people in the local community can’t afford or are needing. The children then use their “moola” to purchase supplies like rice and soap and even books or pencils. We got involved here helping the children carrying the bags to the weighing area and choosing what they need as well as separating the recycling into its right group. The reason for this project is to clean up the streets and make J-bay a cleaner place as well as help the locals that can’t afford certain supplies.
On the day’s we didn’t surf in Jbay we headed over to the other side called St Francis Bay which was featured in a film called “Endless Summer 2” and in it’s younger days was known as the best right-hand break in the world. We did our last lessons with Ettiene in St Francis and the guys got some good waves and to experience a different break. Jeffrey’s Bay is a place of dreams and I don’t think there was a person on this trip (That wasn’t injured) that didn’t enjoy this leg of this trip and the waves. With some of the best waves in Africa, how could you not?
Thanks again Jeffreys Bay you beautiful, beautiful place.