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Top Surfers Ready for Icy Cape Waters As Quiksilver Takes One To Know One Surf Series Kicks Off

Complimentary image: Michael February (Kommetjie, Cape Town) will be a firm favourite at the opening Quiksilver Takes One To Know One event this weekend in Cape Town.  Photo Credit: Luke Patterson
Complimentary image: Michael February (Kommetjie, Cape Town) will be a firm favourite at the opening Quiksilver Takes One To Know One event this weekend in Cape Town.
Photo Credit: Luke Patterson

 

 Top Surfers Ready for Icy Cape Waters As Quiksilver Takes One To Know One Surf Series Kicks Off

Cape Town, South Africa – The inaugural Quiksilver Takes One To Know One Series will be launching the first event of a three-part series in Cape Town on March 15 and 16. This 3A Pro Surf Tour-rated Surfing South Africa sanctioned event caters for open mens and junior boys divisions and is set to take place in the Atlantic Seaboard area. With over 90 competitors already confirmed, the event is sure to produce some top notch high calibre surfing from South Africa’s best.

 

With a total of R30 000 in prize money on offer, valuable PST points and great product prizes, surfers from all over the country will be making the journey to the beautiful shores of the Western Cape to compete. Stalwarts Shane Thorne and Sean Holmes, both now residing in the Cape, have confirmed their entries and will be coming up against talented young stars Michael February (Kommetjie), Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga Rocks), Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffrey’s Bay), Steven Sawyer (Jeffrey’s Bay) and David van Zyl (Durban North) just to name a few.

 

“I am super excited for this series, mostly because it kicks off in my hometown, thanks to the break in the World Qualifying Series schedule I will be here at home to compete. With the right swell and conditions it could be a really exciting event, all the boys will be home for it so there should be some crazy heats,” said Michael February. The Durban trio of Ricky Basnett, Brandon Jackson and Daniel Redman will all be exchanging their boardshorts for some thick rubber wetsuits as they aim to stake their claim on the R8 000 first place prize.

 

The U20 Pro Junior division will see a big challenge from Capetonians Max Armstrong and Diran Zakarian, however, the competitive ability of Jeffrey’s Bay duo Dylan Lightfoot and Steven Sawyer as well as Salt Rock’s Shane Sykes will make it very difficult for them despite the cold and challenging conditions. A total of R10 000 in prize money is up for grabs in the Pro Junior division plus some great product prizes from sponsors Techniblock Sunscreen, Zigzag Magazine, Red Bull, Drift Camera’s and Skullcandy Headphones.

 

The event will run as a roaming venue with Witsands and Long Beach being favourable locations.

 

“We will have to make a call on the day before the event and even a final call on the morning of the event as to where the event will be staged, it is all swell and wind dependent, it’s in mother nature’s hands but we’re looking for the best possible conditions,” said Quiksilver marketing and sales manager Dane Patterson. Competition gets underway at 8:00am on Saturday morning with finals and the awards ceremony around 16:00pm on Sunday afternoon. The next event in the series will be held in Umdloti on the Kwa-Zulu Natal north coast on the 31st May and 1 June with the final event set to take place in Victoria Bay in September.

 

Entry forms are available online at www.surfingsouthafrica.co.za and more information, photos and videos on the series can be found at the official event website: www.quiksilver.co.za/totko.

 

Sponsors of the series include Techniblock Sunscreen, Zigzag Magazine, Red Bull, Drift Camera’s and Skullcandy.

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What it’s all about…marlin fishing off Bazaruto

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What it’s all about…marlin fishing off Bazaruto

This fantastic shot by Captain Duarte Rato has been featured before…but it captures the stoke of deep sea marlin fishing so well, we decided to run it again.

If you right click > Save image as…you can set it as your desktop, if you have the discipline not to stare at it all day!

Duarte spends the summer season catching and releasing black and blue marlin by the dozen, in the waters off Bazaruto Island, Southern Mozambique. His details are advertised on thesardine.co.za (sidebars)…you are now one click away from this amazing fishing experience…

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Yamaha opens doors in Inhambane

Yamaha opens doors in Inhambane

Paul Cook, with a few decades in the outboard and boat industry, and a few more up in Mozambique, has been awarded the Yamaha agency for the Inhambane area. The premises is situated at the junction between Tofo and Barra.

Paul’s experience ranges through ship engineer, technical director, outboard technician and marine  and salvage consultant. An avid fisherman, Paul has many years experience in setting boats up for particular styles of fishing and commercial and recreational applications.

Mecanica Marinha carry the every day necessity products like oils and lubricants, plugs, impellors, propellors and the like, and have a quick turnaround time on parts ordered in. Record time for Mozambique!

yamaha_inhambane

 

Mecanica Marinha-Yamaha Inhambane

Josina Machel, Inhambane, Mozambique

Tel: (+258) 86 758 4569; (+258) 86 103 6971

Email: mecanicamarinha@gmail.com

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February´s Marlin bite at Bazaruto

February´s Marlin bite at Bazaruto. by Duarte A. Moreira Rato

 

Because we usually fish down south from February we tend to finish the Marlin Season off Bazaruto in mid January. It had been 8 years since I last fished into February but because we were full all the way from late August we did come back at the beginning of February for two groups and I was very curious to see how the fishing would turn up!

We fished a total of 7 days, first with John and Mel Mutton from the UK and then with Lothar and Veronika Sobek from Germany. Both, really pleasant couples who were a great pleasure to fish with.

At the end we managed to raise nine Marlin, with 8 strikes, 6 hookup´s and 5 releases and a bunch of game fish including yellowfin tuna, dorado, wahoo and of course a couple Zambeze and hammerhead sharks!!!

Not bad considering it is supposed to be out of season at Bazaruto ah, ah, ah!!!

Guess we will extend the season once again next year!

Duarte A. Moreira Rato
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Wild Dorado off Port Shepstone

Wild Dorado off Port Shepstone

The south westerley buster blasted through during our ride out of the Umzimkulu River mouth – into the chocolate brown plume that spits out of the river, this time of year.
It’s on the seam between this brown water, and the clear deep blue of the Mozambique current, that the dorado hunt. Up and down, ambushing baitfish as they swim in and out of the brown water.
And the dorado just love the westerley gale conditions that now prevailed. A good 25 knots plus kept us on our toes. It took a good hour of battling the wind and waves, before the first rod screamed off with a dorado jumping on the end of the line. It chowed the mackeral fished on the  surface.
Shane struggled with the fish which was hooked in the back, and a tense 20 minutes later, it was i.d.b. Then Mark got his fish, on a daisy chain (pink), followed by young Luk, fishing with a silver number 4 MYDO Baitswimmer. Shane stuck the GoPro in the water for the fish’s final moments…
After the third fish, we were beat, Mark and I had hooks in the foot and leg respectively, and we were banged and bruised all over…home time!

Not only are dorado super fun to catch, they are also the tastiest fish to braai, fry or grill. And at 6kg’s, these fish are barely a year old. They grow really quick and reach sexual maturity in 6 months!

Their numbers have definitely dropped overall, they used to come in the hundreds, but each year in summer, we are treated to their acrobatic displays down here on the KZN South Coast. They are great to tag, being hardy and resistant.

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