For the last few days in Coffee Bay the swell got really big. So big, in fact, that it was largely unsurfable for the group and quite wild out there. Fortunately we had surfed plenty in the first few days there and surfing isn't the only thing one can do in coffee bay!
One of my favourite things to do is to go to hole in the wall when the swell is big or onshore. Hole in the wall is so named as there there is a huge wall of rock standing on its own with a big hole in it. If you take a step further back you can see that it was once one solid wall but over time much of it has been washed away. When I say time, I mean a long long time. Currently you have water coming through the hole from the sea behind as well as from the sides, and it is the same place as a river comes out. With this big swell you sometimes get a little wave breaking in front of the hole and up the river mouth. It is rare but we took our chances and went there surfboard in hand looking for a wave. We were greeted by what looked like nice waves but were more difficult to surf than expected! The waves crushing through the hole were quite intimidating so we kept a bit of a distance and tried to catch the swells. It was a lot of fun and nice to get in the water. Check out the pics to see more.
Dave Malherbe, the owner of Coffee Shack, is a well-know surfer and coach in South African surfing. He is a multiple SA champion as well as coach of the national team. It is always a pleasure to surf with him and to watch him surf. He has the waves at Coffee Bay mastered and is always friendly and helpful in the water too. He gave a dry (on-land) coaching session with the group to help improve their paddling, turning and to answer any question the group had. It is always good to get fresh perspectives on things and the group certainly put more work into their paddling after the session with him.
On up to Durban where warmer water awaited, the flow rider and going on safari. Check back soon to see more or subscribe to the rss feed.
Over and out,
Chris