So after 6 weeks on the road in South Africa our little adventure had come to an end. It’s been a week on since we’ve parted ways and I still laugh every day as I reminisce of my time with this crew. Being just the 4 of us and being an all boy trip really set the platform for a fun time and all the banter, mischief and spontaneous missions really gave it all the qualities of road trip you’d normally take with some of your close mates only we’d all met for the first time on this trip and got on like a house on fire!
Coffee Bay Family Photo
Learning to Surf can be a daunting task and as I’ve said before, it’ll probably test you in many more ways than you expect but its all worth it in the end, when all your hard work pays off and you get the ride of your life. It’s a rare thing to experience and not one many people can say they have. These guys had their ups and their downs in the water as is part and parcel with surfing, but we’d prepared for everything and its only through experience and time in the water that you can learn and we had plenty! Good sessions, great sessions, bad sessions, scary sessions, fun sessions, we had a bit of it all and the boys all pulled through giving it their best and always walking away with a smile and having learnt something.
Im especially proud of the guys for overcoming their fears and doubts on a number of occasions, South Africa during its peak season can really throw some stuff and taking on the raw energy of the ocean can really test you mentally and physically and sometimes its just about putting yourself out there for the experience.
Ready for a tough paddle
On one particular day they took on a solid 4ft day at Kitchen Windows in JBay, there had been a lot of swell around that entire week and even though only one wave was caught and ridden in the session, the guys all had a few attempts and learnt a lot just by being in the line-up, watching other surfers, reading the waves, reacting all the time to the situations that arose, witnessing that water and feeling the energy. It may have felt like survival at stages but an experience they managed superbly under the guidance of their coach Etienne and one they’ll remember fondly forever.
Will on a medium sized one
Out of the water we really got to explore our surroundings and take advantage of everything South Africa has to offer, from volunteering with Waves for Change helping kids surf in Cape Town to interacting with a Cheetah in Kirkwood outside of Port Elisabeth we really took advantage of our freedom of movement and got to explore and share in some wonderful memories together.
South Africa has to be one of the most beautiful countries in the world and the picturesque east coast is probably host to some of the most beautiful and unique landscapes, Its quite surreal watching it change as you head further north, from the cold waters of Cape Town to the tropical waters of Durban.
It has once again been a pleasure to meet such fantastic people and to do all these great things, sharing myself and my country with them. It has been a trip of laughs with many highlights. Will losing a wager to his coach Jarred at a game of Ping Pong and having to surf the freezing Cape waters in just his boardies, Ed’s ridiculous attempt at a graceful bungy, the endless ‘Inbetweeners’ quotes as they pertain to every situation that arises and the South African accent impersonations were some of my favourite moments and hardest laughs.
Putting together this video of the guys talking about their trip was good fun, having to go through footage of everything was a great reminder of the fantastic time we had together. I hope you enjoy it too
On the 9th of September we start another trip in South Africa, this time a 10 week adventure which includes the ISA level 1 Surf Instructor course, 13 weeks total for those joining the 3 week add on to paradise (Mozambique). Anything you wanna know about these trips and what they offer or anything you wanna hear or see more of? feel free to leave a comment or contact us.
Till next time,
Luke 🙂