{"id":802,"date":"2013-03-06T15:33:09","date_gmt":"2013-03-06T15:33:09","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-10-17T19:20:53","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T19:20:53","slug":"happy-times-surfing-swimming-and-playing-with-lion-cubs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tickettoridegroup.com\/blog\/happy-times-surfing-swimming-and-playing-with-lion-cubs\/","title":{"rendered":"Happy times surfing, swimming and playing with lion cubs"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"klee<\/div>\n
\"watching<\/div>\n
\"baby<\/div>\n
\"ben<\/div>\n
\"george<\/div>\n
\"george<\/div>\n
\"girls<\/div>\n
\"group<\/div>\n
\"group<\/div>\n
\"klee<\/div>\n
\"lauren<\/div>\n
\"lion<\/div>\n
\"nikita<\/div>\n
\"ronan<\/div>\n
\"tom<\/div>\n
\"TOMGIrls<\/div>\n
\"tomsarah<\/div>\n
\"watching<\/div>\n
\n
Wednesday 27th<\/sup> February
\nIn Chintsa we stay at Buccaneers which is situated a short walk from the beach. Being our first full day we surfed first thing in the morning; it was clean and perfect conditions for the groups first surf. I was very impressed how the group used everything they had been taught on the trip so far to surf a new break.
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\nThursday we woke up at 6 am and went out right in front of Buccaneers again, it was clean and around 2ft. Lauren, Sarah, George, Matt and Ryan were all enjoying the waves. We do quite a lot of swimming in East London as there is a good public swimming pool, called Joan Harrison pool. We use the 50-meter pool, which pushes the groups’ fitness level and gets them ready for the lifesaving course in Durban where they have to swim 400m in nine minutes. We came home after the swim and settled in for a chilled evening.
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\nToday is Friday and it’s a special day on the trip, being Charlie and Will's birthday. We went to Nahoon beach, which is in East London central. The surf was really fun and around 2-3 ft. Ben, Ronan and Will were getting some long rides. Ben caught one of the biggest sets of the day and didn't stop talking about it for hours. In East London they have a surfing museum that we took the crew to check out. It gives a lot of history on surfing in East London and its surfing stars. Nikita has her place in it and it was cool for the crew to see their trip leader written in history. We came home to celebrate the boys’ birthdays at the swimming pool and with some fruit punch. It was a great day for the boys, followed by an awesome and fun night.
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\nSaturday the group had a lie in after a good night of fun. We went out at Chintsa beach and had our first taste of bigger waves. All the boys made it out even after a solid 20min paddle out. I was very stoked to see Danielle, Sarah and Lucy out there with the boys pushing their confidence in the water. We then went to Joan Harrison pool, where we swam around 900 meters and headed home for the evening. Matt and a few others went for a surf. Matt’s surfing has improved so much over the last few weeks; from someone that had barely stood on a board before the trip, to someone who's now setting the pace for everyone.
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\nSunday was our last day in Chintsa before we headed off on our next adventure. We started it off with an early surf, the waves were clean and a good size. Tom, Alex and  Lydia were enjoying the conditions and had a great surf. We then headed off to Joan Harrison pool to do a timed 400 m swim. Everyone did well and have been training hard to get their times down below that 9 minute mark. In East London they have a Lion Park that has a range of adult lions and cubs, ranging from 6- 8 weeks and a 5 month old one. So we made it our last thing to do, go and play with a lion cub. Lauren, Sarah, Danielle and Lucy just wanted to take one of the cubs on the trip with us, which is not advised of course! They were so cute and playful. It was cool that you got the chance to stroke a lion with no fear. The boys enjoyed it and the other animals they have at The Lion Park; the cheetah, crocodile, meerkats and an impala that you can sit right next to. We then returned home to thinking the waves were blown out but it was so good. Everyone got out there and shredded it up. Everyone has really enjoyed our stay in Chintsa and its waves that we had on offer.
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\nSo it's Monday morning, everyone's packed and ready for the drive to Coffee Bay. A few guys went out for an early wave and some just slept in. We had breakfast and then packed the trailer and headed off. It was a chilled drive and went well. David Melherbie owns The Coffee Shake where we stay in Coffee Bay. It's situated on the beach and everyone was very stoked to arrive in such an untouched part of South Africa. We were greeted with warm smiles and a welcoming beer, which is always good after a days drive. So we here for around 8 days and its gonna be a great week in South Africa's untouched paradise.
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\nTill next week
\nKlee Strachan \n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n