We left Coffee Bay after a fun and breathtaking 10 days. It was a great stop to get in touch with nature and relax before we headed to Durban and got into the real world again.
We had a good journey ahead which took a while but with the tunes on in the van and group chatting away about our funny experiences, fun nights at the bar, and great waves ridden we arrived in good time at Ansteys backpackers on the bluff, just 15 minutes outside Durban city centre. We were greeted by the helpful and friendly staff at the surfer family owned backpackers. The Palmbooms own it and they have surfing running through their veins. It is situated just 30 meters from the beach where the waves can get really big in winter and super fun. It’s a strong wave that has bread some world class surfers, the Palmbooms, Shane Warren, Ricky Basnett and many others. Ricky was on the World Championship tour for a few years and is known for his all round mind blowing surfing.
We unpacked and settled in. Our first day we just relaxed as the group was starting the lifesaving course the next day, we did go down for a surf and was the water warm! It was quite exciting to know we were going to be using boardshorts for the rest of our stay in South Africa.
It was day one of the lifesaving course, first up was the timed 400 meter swim, the group have been training since Cape Town for this. They have trained hard and it showed, they smashed it and for a Ticket to Ride first everyone got under 8 mins. The required time is under nine minutes. It was a great accomplishment and Nikita and myself were very proud. They then did spinal board in the pool, which can be very challenging, but with a little team work and patience is easy.
The next few days the group went through some theory work in the lifesaving club in Durban centre, Marine surf lifesaving club, where they also watched a movie on sharks. They got to get the feel of the city life on Durban beachfront and see the beach lifestyle that is so loved in this part of South Africa.
The group also did knee board rescue and torpedo rescue in the sea, they are both used in emergency cases if someone is swept out to sea or in need of help. The lifesaving course if one of the requirements to do the surf instructor course, which they will do later on in Durban. It gives them some skills to help people in need of first aid or just helping them out of a tricky situation in the sea.
The group was very excited when they got to go and order their custom made surfboards at Clayton surfboard factory. Getting a custom made board to your weight, height and surfing level is very important to help move your surfing forward, it is also always a thrill to get your first board with your name on it. The guys ordered their boards and chose designs they wanted. It’s going to be exciting to see some of these designs come out.
After a good week of hard work we took the group to the house of curry restaurant where some of the best curry in Durban is made, most of the group had bunny chows, they are a half or quarter of bread emptied out from the inside and filled with the curry you desire. That night we also went out to a club in Durban. The nightlife in Durban is great and always enjoyed. There are a vast variety of clubs and pubs to be seen. We had a fun night before getting ready for the weekend. We have had a fun and sunny stay so far, it’s been super hot and loads of sun cream has been needed. We are looking forward to our next few weeks in surf city Durban.
Surfs up
Klee Strachan