Jeffreys Bay is one of the most popular stops on our route up the coast. If you’re surfing and travelling up the east coast of South Africa like we’ve been doing for the past 10 years its a must and you may as well book a few extra days because just when you think you’ve had it good, it gets better! It’s one of the reasons why we love Jeffreys Bay and keep coming back. Home to worlds best right hand point break the excitement of the recent WSL World Tour event at Supertubes was still lingering in the air when we arrived. We stayed at the Island Vibe Beach Backpackers infamously known for its party culture and late nights of beer pong and socialising. Having visited so many times over the years being a member of Ticket to Ride kind of makes you part of the furniture there and we’re always so well looked after by Charmaine, Ntsiko and all of their staff who are always so happy when we arrive and so sad to see us leave which is a testament to all the fun we have and contribute.
As I said before just when you think you’ve had it good, it gets better! Our first few days in Jeffreys Bay we spent getting accustomed to our surroundings, exploring the town and getting familiar with all the local surf spots. We’d had a few days of great weather, awesome waves and plenty fun at our backpackers when our local sources let us know that a swell was on its way that was lining up to produce the goods at the worlds best right hand point break around the corner. News of this swell had done the rounds because on the morning it arrived it had already attracted some of the best surfers from around the country and a few international guys. We couldn’t believe what we were witnessing out at Supertubes, it was near perfection and some amazing surfing was on display. Supertubes was delivering, long fast rides on 6-8ft faces, big open walls and wide open barrels coming through on tap as if a machine was pumping them out. After watching for an hour or so it was clear there were some big names in the water, we witnessed Derek hynd sliding around the big open walls on his finless channeled boards, Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker catching the biggest bombs he could and riding them as far as he could down the point, Shaun Holmes using all of the wave with veteran-like precision showing that he’s still got it and Matt Bromley hunting barrels and giving the line-up free showers with his big carves down the line, it wasn’t long before trip leader Jarred Veldhuis was in the line-up as he couldn’t bare to watch it any longer and his froth levels hit the roof. We were watching a surfing masterclass at one of the worlds best waves and news was that the king himself Kelly Slater was around for the swell! To say we were spoilt would be an understatement, we later heard of locals stating that its the best its been for 2 years. The waves continued like that for 2 more days, another reason why we love Jeffreys Bay!
Making headlines recently for his innovation in board design, Derek Hynd was making waves with his revolutionary surfboard designs and we spent an afternoon out with the man he works closely with in design and manufacturing of these boards, local and legend Mikey Meyer. Mikey gave us a tour of his workshop and taught us all about the critical elements in surfboard design giving examples of the process. Max also got to work closely in the design and manufacturing of his very own single fin board with Mikey.
Jeffreys Bay is a very tightly knit community and take a lot of pride in the preservation of their town and communities, like any town in South Africa it is home to vast cultural and economical differences and at every stop on our way up the coast we try and take time off to learn more about the communities we visit and wherever possible give back as a means of saying thank you for hosting and sharing with us all the wonder of where they live. We spent an afternoon with the Supertubes Foundation who are an NGO that do great work in and around the area, from dune rehabilitation to community upgrades they do the best with what they have to encourage sustainable living and maintaining the beauty of Jeffreys Bay. We worked at a recycling initiative in a nearby township. Kids from the area are encouraged to collect recycling weekly and hand it in in exchange for ‘moola’, a currency the foundation use which is only usable in their shop which has everything from staple food products to stationary, school books and clothing. It teaches kids the value in recycling and sustainable living will instilling a sense of pride in earning and pride in a cleaner community. We assisted in sifting through plastics and helping the kids in the actual store calculate what they could afford with the moola they had earned that week.
As we head further up the east coast the areas get more and more rural and the open spaces and natural African landscapes become more and more noticeable and apparent. Only a short drive from Jeffreys Bay and we found ourselves at Seaview Lion Park where most of the guys got to see a Lion for the first time in their lives, from a safe distance while they were in their enclosures of course. Unfortunately there were no Lion cubs this time around but on the drive in we did get to see a few Water Buck and Giraffe, other predators on display included Tigers in a shared enclosure with Lions, It is remarkable how big these cats are. Also nearby is the river and waterfall we usually visit whilst in Jeffreys bay, the water was freezing but the guys braved the cold and enjoyed the 16m rock jump and zip-line.
Our surfing in Jeffreys Bay was incredible, our first week saw us having a minimum of two sessions a day as the waves were firing, combined with the inspiration of watching great surfing out at Supertubes meant only good things for us. A stones throw away form our backpackers was our ‘home’ break, Kitchen Windows, which produced waves non stop and the guys really reaped reward for their hours in the water under the guidance of head coach Jarred Veldhuis and local coach Etienne. Things just seemed to come together for everyone during our stay and the whole crew was stoked and motivated and couldn’t wait for their next sessions as they felt constant improvements.
The surfing was so much fun and the amount of improvement shown by the guys was exceptional. We spent the day out in Cape St.Francis and the conditions were much trickier than anything the guys had encountered before, a sizey, fast, steep and barreling wave at Seal Point beach awaited them. I expected a lot of fear and apprehension, everybody copped a few beating and went through the washing machine but determined and confident they stuck it out and scored the rides of their lives. Nobody impressed more than Pelham who after having only surfed for 4 weeks caught wave after wave in heavy conditions, after taking a few on the head in the shore break he made it back out and almost immediately turned and went on a bomb, brimming with confidence he set himself up for a barrel!! He travelled inside the tube but unfortunately didn’t come out, a truly remarkable feat given the amount of time he’s been surfing, that moment and more feature in the clip below of our time in Jeffreys Bay.
I have to mention that the best surfing from guys like George and Hugh are unfortunately not on film as I was in the water at the time and not behind the lens, hopefully next time I can get a clip that shows their real ability.
Great waves, wildlife, weather and hosts make Jeffreys Bay worth visiting whenever possible.
I cant wait to be back here in the near future on our September 13 week adventure, you guys should join me, seriously!
haha till next time
Luke