Tag: surfing

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Surfing: Future Legends Final Event Great Success: Goor Wins JBU Supertrial Wildcard

Surfing: Future Legends Final Event Great Success: Goor Wins JBU Supertrial Wildcard

Durban, Saturday 19 March – Promising conditions at the New Pier in Durban saw event organizers move the final Future Legends Coaching Series event across to New Pier from the Dairy Bowl. It was a great decision, as the waves improved throughout the day with the growing tide, and the invited surfers all put in their best efforts.
After a sobering Friday night presentation on Sponsorship by surf industry stalwart Gary Green, the surfers were all determined to vindicate their inclusion into the series to the South African Surfing Legends. With a many-tiered coaching system in place, the surfers were put through their paces throughout the day, with surf and heat coaching, video review and analysis, skateboard correction and stretching and other physical conditioning techniques, all under the guidance of South African Surfing Legends Simon Nicholson, Paul Canning, Spider Murphy and Jason Ribbink to name a few.“This is not a surf contest,” said coach Bruce Jackson. “It’s a coaching day, using contest structures as a platform. We’re here to coach and motivate, educate and inform these surfers, and the best way to do this is to have them surf heats for us.”
In the U13 Boys division, a very stoked young Luke Thompson showed good form and marked improvement throughout the day, making it to the final in his division. Alex Townsend was also surfing tight, along with the stylish Mitch Du Preez. The division however, belonged to James Ribbink on the day as he took out the final at his home break.
“Over the three events all the surfers have shown improvement,” said head judge Jono Hutchison. “It’s clear that they have understood what is expected of them, worked towards their goals and have made steps forward, which is what this coaching series is all about.”
The U16 Girls division also showed great advancement, with the girls surfing to contest criteria and upping their games in heat conditions. Kayla Nogueira fought her way into the final, along with Olivia Izzard and Anna Jellema-Butler, but the polished Kirsty McGillivray took first honours.
In good New Pier conditions, the U16 Boys final was an exciting affair, with all four surfers catching a multitude of waves. Koby Oberholzer failed to clinch the better waves and struggled to find his rhythm, while Luke Slijpen and Calvin Goor both showed flashes of brilliance. This heat however, belonged to Angelo Faulkner, who was on every good set, and showing some committed surfing.

Final results event 3
U13 Boys
1. James Ribbink (DBN)
2. Mitch Du Preez (EL)
3. Alex Townsend (CT)
4. Luke Thompson (DBN)
U16 Girls
1. Kirsty McGillivray (JBay)
2. Anna Jellema-Butler (CT)
3. Olivia Izzard (DBN)
4. Kayla Nogueira (DBN)

Kirsty McGillivray © Craig Dove
U16 Boys
1. Angelo Faulkner (JBay)
2. Calvin Goor (Salt Rock)
3. Luke Slijpen (CT)
4. Koby Oberholzer (DBN)
“This is the first step in the South African Surfing Legends vision, and now we’re going to start the real work,” said SASL’s Barry Wolins. “The High Performance Surfing Academy is where we are going to start seeing results as our surfers start going through our professional coaching system and start developing mental and physical attributes that will elevate their surfing performances and get them onto the podiums.”
The series winners of the three divisions all received an invite to attend a course at the High Performance Surfing Academy. These series winners are:
U13 Boys
1. Mitch Du Preez (EL)
2. James Ribbink (DBN)
3. Nate Spaulding (DBN)
4. Alex Townsend (CT)
U16 Girls
1. Kirsty McGillivray (JBay)
2. Anna Jellema Butler (CT)
3. Sne Makubu (DBN)
4. Olivia Izzard (DBN)
U16 Boys
1. Calvin Goor (Salt Rock)
2. Koby Oberholzer (DBN)
3. Angelo Faulkner (JBay)
4. Luke Slijpen (CT)
The U16 Boys winner Calvin Goor also received the wildcard slot into the JBU Supertrial presented by RVCA. This event is the most prestigious invite-only event, and it awards a wildcard into the JBay Open WSL event.

Calvin Goor © Flanagan

“I’m over the moon to win the wildcard into the JBU Supertrial,” said an elated Goor on hearing the news. “It is all I have dreamed of. To be able to paddle out at Supers with three other guys is going to be amazing. The Future Legends Coaching Series has been amazing for me as well. I used to know the judging criteria, but not fully understand it, and the Legends coaches have clearly explained it to me, and told me how to make it work during heat conditions, so I feel like I have a massive advantage now.”

The Future Legends Coaching Series has been a very unique concept in the realms of inspirational surf coaching in South Africa, and can only be deemed a resounding success.
The South African Surfing Legends’ High Performance Surfing Academy is set to become the benchmark for surf coaching in the country. Watch the media for further announcements.
—
South African Surfing Legends is supported by South African Rugby Legends, Richmark, Firewire, Red Bull, Avis, Maverick Printing, and Core Medical and Wellness Centre.

High Performance Surfing Academy on Instagram – @surfacademysa
SASL Website – southafricansurfinglegends.com
SASL Facebook page – on.fb.me/1oGsP5z
For more info on SASL please contact Pat Flanagan on pat@southafricansurfinglegends.com
Compiled and distributed by
Craig Jarvis
info@craigjarvis.co.za
High-resolution images are available for media outlets on request.

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Quiksilver Surf Series Heads To Port Alfred For Final Event Of 2015 Series

Quiksilver Surf Series Heads To Port Alfred For Final Event Of 2015 Series  

Diran Zakarian (Melkbosstrand, Cape Town) will be one of the favourites in the U20 junior boys and open men's division going into the final leg of the Quiksilver Get Free Series 2015 in Port Alfred. Photo by Luke Patterson.
Diran Zakarian (Melkbosstrand, Cape Town) will be one of the favourites in the U20 junior boys and open men’s division going into the final leg of the Quiksilver Get Free Series 2015 in Port Alfred.
Photo by Luke Patterson.

Port Alfred – The Quiksilver Get Free Surf Series will, at the end of August, head to the town of Port Alfred on the Sunshine Coast for the final event of this three-part series. On the 29th and 30th of August South Africa’s best open men and junior surfers will make their way to the pristine beaches of Port Alfred, just an hour and a half’s drive south of East London to compete for over R30 000 in prize money and the final Quiksilver Get Free titles.

 

All three events in the series are sanctioned by Surfing South Africa and carry 3A PST (Pro Surf Tour) ratings points with a total prize purse of R108 000 on the line. Divisions in the series and final event include open mens, U20 junior boys and U16 junior boys. Port Alfred’s East Beach is a highly regarded surf break, given favourable conditions and swell it could make for the perfect amphitheatre for a high performance showdown. “Port Alfred is definitely a top venue for an event of this nature, when the waves are on, they are on! I can’t wait to surf a heat there, the contest should be great,” said Shane Sykes, the winner of the U20 junior boys division at the second leg of the series which was held in Umhlanga Rocks, KZN.

 

In the open men’s division, favourites for the win include Umhlanga’s Beyrick de Vries who recently placed 9th in the US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach and is currently on top form, Capetonian Michael February who was runner up to de Vries in the second leg of the series as well as the duo of experienced veterans Daniel Redman and Brandon Jackson, both of Durban North. Jeffreys Bay locals Matt McGillivray and Dylan Lightfoot will be strong contenders in the U20 junior boys division but other previous junior winners Shane Sykes (Salt Rock) and Diran Zakarian (Melkbosstrand) will also be serious contenders in the point-like conditions. There will be stiff competition in the U16 boys division with the likes of Sebastian Williams (Durban), Adin Masencamp (Strand) and Faulkner brothers Joshe and Angelo (Jeffreys Bay) all on top form and hungry for the final win.

 

Quiksilver Marketing and Sales Manager Dane Patterson has been very happy with the 2015 series and anticipates that the final event in Port Alfred will deliver great surf conditions, “I think that the series we’ve put on this year has been very well received, good for the South African surfers and for our domestic surf tour, we’re hoping that it will encourage other brands to invest more in the sport and the local surf scene. Port Alfred can be a very good venue and make for a top event when the ocean delivers, so we’re hoping that mother nature comes to the party for the final event of the series.”

 

Supporting sponsors to the series include Zigzag Surfing Magazine, Techniblock sunscreen, Drift action camera’s, Skullcandy, Neff and Red Bull.

 

For more information, videos, photos and entry details go to www.quiksilver.co.za/getfree.

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Jay Steenkamp in the barrel at St. Mikes

Jay Steenkamp in the barrel at St. Mikes (August 2014)

“Repost from August 2014: As we move into the south coast winter conditions we have all been waiting for here is some motivation to get onto the press ups and sit ups routines. Jay Steenkamp proving that it does actually barrell at Saints, sometimes…looking forward to Jay’s GoPro antics again this year…”

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Now this is how you take a selfie pal! (c) Jay Steenkamp

GoPro cameras have certainly changed the way we view surfing. Jay Steenkamp has mastered the tricky take-off to holding the camera behind out behind him as he negotiates some solid pits at Saints this winter.

A sand dredging tuberide view from the inside...
A sand dredging tuberide view from the inside…(c) Jay Steenkamp

And then while sitting around in the line up, if you have a GoPro, you can film the gamefish hammering baitfish around your legs…like this profile shot of what seems to be a Greater Barracuda…yeah, the ones with TEETH! Toes up Jay!

What could it be?
What could it be? (c) Jay Steenkamp

Thanks for the photos Jay, keep ’em coming!

Jay is also our sardine spotter in the air as he works for the Natal Sharks Board…who fly a plane up and down the coast in the sardine season, reporting on the action. Unfortunately, there is still nothing to report, it looks to be another bleak run for our sorely missed sardines.

You can keep up to date with the marine life and activity by visiting our Sightings section…an interactive map with markers reflecting the positions of marine animals, like whales, sardines and dolphins.

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Too hot to surf…

Too hot to surf…

…or do anything else for that matter, between 11 and 3 or so each day lately, here in Tofo, Southern Mozambique. With the thermometer climbing to over 40 degrees more often than not, even surfing is nigh impossible. It’s not so much the sunburn – rashies, hats and cremes take care of that challenge – but rather the sheer levels of exposure your body must go through to get out there and surf. Many beach accesses see you traipsing through that dark black sand that literally melts in the sun, finding it’s way between your toes and everywhere else it can. Fishing is no easier – it seems the only safe place around here is underwater!

DSCN9514
Too hot to surf…find a shady spot and sit tight! Even when Tofinho just keeps pumping them out.

 

Scuba diving is safer than snorkelling as the sun can really teach you a lesson as you drift around completely exposed with a layer of water to fool you that you are not being burnt at all!

Tofo Scuba has recently adopted new owners Brodie and Danny, who have revitalised the fantastic venue – right on the beach, a kilometre or so north of Tofo town. As dive operators Tofo Scuba has been around for a very long time – their team is highly regarded as real professional, and friendly to boot.

Aside from the scuba activities, the daily ocean safari’s search the crystal clean and warm water here for whale sharks, manta rays, turtles, dolphins, porpoises, whales and maybe even the odd shark if you get really lucky.

The restaurant operated by Tofo Scuba starts early and closes early…which suits us all fine since Tofo generally only get’s going each day after 9. It is called 23 degrees and the kitchen fires up at 7am! A really tasty breakfast and a good coffee sets you up for the day.

tofoscuba

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Amped on the South Coast

Amped on the South Coast

Amped on the South Coast: The Sardine Newspaper is the culmination of many projects over the years, and went under successively different names. At a stage we called ourselves SurfTV.co.za, a fantastically successful name, but was stopped in it’s tracks, due to copyright issues with SurfTV.com.

Guy Bishop, one of our first cameramen when we were operating mainly in the Western Cape, joined us on this experiental road trip, with the Nicholson brothers, Simon and Peter. Starting in Cape Town, we toured up the East Coast to Durban as a team. Both Nicholsons are absolute rippers, and ambitious enough to go up against the ‘Zag, with their publication named Amped. It was a good effort but petered out fast in the face of such stiff opposition and the worldwide economic downturn.

Guy shot this rad behind the scenes video and put together the great edit, on that trip.

Watching it brought back many memories – faces including Q.J., Simon and Peter, Davey Weare, Gary Maisch, Andrew Banks, Carl Roux, and of course Roosta and Badger – the main SurfTV riders back then. We were on a program visiting schools throughout the country telling them that they can chuck school and go surfing. Simon and Peter made quite an impressive duo back then – flying high as sponsored surfers – and I think we got many kids out of school and onto the beach, with that effort. It was a wierd old time, Jordy hadn’t even decided to be Jordy back then, and he wasn’t even invited on the trip?!

Great video, thanks Guy Bishop!

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