Sixty40 Bodyboarding Magazine #12 - The Voyager Issue

October/November/December 2010 R39 incl VAT (South Africa only) The Voyager Issue

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AVG PHOTO

Jarret Johnson The HOEk

ISSN 1994-294X

bodyboarding//travel//photography//lifestyle www.sixty40.co.za

6040 moment Donovan Bassett at the Hoek by Eugene Van Der Elst

The Voyager Issue Bodyboarders’ are a special breed at the best of times, and I think the word voyager is quite an apt way to describe us. We have an endless need to be in tune with the next swell and weather pattern and it affects our lives in every way. With that in mind we dedicated this issue to the voyager in all of us. We follow Rian Cope and Dylan Bradshaw as they ride bicycles across the Indonesian archipelago, James Moolenschot visiting Secret Sumatra as well as the very boundaries of ridable waves being pushed in our own backyard. Bodyboarders are voyagers, charged by the need to be in sync with the next swell. We couple this with a look into the photographic archives of Riehaan Bakkes for a bit of a blast from the past as well as Andre Botha’s love of El Fronton in the Canaries.

Enjoy. Ian (ed)

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BELOW: Oros @ Cave Rock by Richimages

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Miscellaneous

Surf HQ Podcast Episode 1 Cave Rock •

Sixty40 Bodyboarding

making the magic happen

Managing Editor & Publisher Ian Kruger ian@sixty40.co.za

The hardcore Boarding Headquarters on Durban's Beachfront Surf HQ brings you the first of a series of podcasts featuring the following team riders:

Associate Editor Damon Crawford damon@sixty40.co.za Art Director / Designer Samuel Sampi Kamffer (one2love) sampi@sixty40.co.za Online Editor / Senior Contributor Gareth White gareth@sixty40.co.za Sixty40 Founder / Web Developer Kelly Footit kelly@sixty40.co.za Video Editor Dustin Weber dustin@sixty40.co.za Sales & Advertising Ian Kruger ian@sixty40.co.za

NOMAD - New Website • The Nomad website has been given a complete overhaul to allow constant updates on the Nomad FSD and latest in our range of products. The new site allows you to follow the Nomad FSD team riders, Matt Lackey, Chris James, Alex Halsey and Sacha Specker closer than ever before. Get an insight into their adventures around the globe with fresh news, video clips and photos. www.nomad.com.au www.facebook.com/nomadbodyboards ×

Gotcha Team Riders: Jake Rosenburg, Ratt Ostler, Pete Oberholzer, Stephan du Preez & Charles Pass.

HB Team Riders: Pete Oberholzer, Charles Pass & Stephan du Preez. Turbo Team Rider: Ratt Ostler View it at: http://bit.ly/surfhqpod1 Produced by: Dustin Weber/Sixty40 Productions

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2010 Sixty40 Readers Poll Visit www.sixty40.co.za/readerspoll to get your votes in for the 2010 Sixty40 Readers Poll. The categories up for grabs are: Top Male | Top Female | Top DK | Top Big Wave | Top Grommet | Old School Legend | Most Under-rated | Top Photographer | Top Videographer | Service to the Sport × Get voting for your favourite bodyboarders!

Sam Strachan invert @ Black Rock shot by Matt Hipsley

Proofreaders Morgan Phillips Tiffany Potgieter Francois van Rooyen Distribution Countrywide Stockists All good surf stores, CNA’s, PNA’s and exclusive Books See: www.sixty40.co.za/stockists Contact Tel +27 (0) 82 594 3082 Fax +27 (0) 21 939 2246 Po Box 15107, Panorama, 7506 Cape Town, South Africa To submit images send to images@sixty40.co.za Published by Panacea Publishing Printed by Signet Printing, Cape Town © Copyright subsists in all work published in this magazine. Any reproduction or adaptation, in whole or part without written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited and is an act of copyright infringement which may in certain circumstances constitute a criminal offence.

one2love.co.za

TURBO V competition • Sam Strachan wins the Turbo V Competition and a spot on the TURBO International Team. The young Australian Sam Strachan is the Turbo V rider and Spongercity broke the news quoting the TURBO website: “It is hard to believe Sam Strachan is only 16 years of age. There has been plenty of talk coming out Cronulla (one of bodyboarding’s toughest proving grounds) about Sam Strachan for what seems like years, and at the age of 15 Sam already had a Hawaiian season under his belt. More recently Sam beat a field of the best aspiring stars in the sport to win his place in the Shark Island Challenge. Sam has a level head on his shoulders and the talent to do anything in the sport. Turbo Surf Designs is proud to announce Sam as the 5th member of the Turbo 5 Professional team. He will be working closely with Turbo Development Manager, Andrew Lester and travelling with the Turbo professional team to take his career to the next level. Congratulations Sam and welcome to the team”.

Log on here to the Turbo website to see the action from the competitors: http://www.turbosurfdesigns.com.au/turboV.php

6 SIXTY40 BODYBOARDING MAGAZINE ISSUE 12

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8 advertorial

Miscellaneous

Neck and BACK Recently our sport was shocked by two serious neck and back injuries. Michael Novy, the Australian hell-man, took a heavy blow from an equally heavy wave apparently. He fractured 3 vertebrae and tweeted the following “It's official everyone, i've broken my back. 3 fractured vertebrae a bit of time outta the water”. Humble as ever about a very serious injury a month and a half later and Novy has been given the all clear from his physio and has begun to start surfing again. Speaking to Unite Clothing Novy described his first few days back in the water: “The first day was funny, I was so uncoordinated and weak, it took me at least eight times to complete a forward spin and even staying on my board felt weird. This morning I felt pretty good though. I’m still keeping to the basics, spins and rolls in under 3 foot waves but definitely improving at a rapid rate now. I’m just looking to be in shape for Europe next month so not going to push it until then.”

Check out Novy’s feed on twitter.com/michaelnovy for the latest on his recovery.

Then, as most of you know, Western Province’s ripper Wesley Potts fractured a vertebra in his neck at this year’s Plett Wedge Classic. Paramedic and Cape bodyboarder, Jamie Higgins, was on hand at the scene and had the following to say about the nature of Wes' injuries: "Wesley suffered a fracture of his C6 vertebra as well as compressions in some of his Thoracic vertebrae while surfing the Wedge on Friday the 9th of July. He hit the sand bank head first and immediately heard 2 cracks in his neck. He got to the beach and knew something was wrong and medical assistance was called for. He will be out the water for four months and in a neck brace for a month and a half. He was told by doctors that had it not been for the precautionary measures taken on the beach by medics that he may have been paralyzed or potentially dead.

Lyndal Jucker, Jamie Higgins, Ryan Jucker and the NSRI station of Plettenberg Bay all played a integral role in the care and management of Wesley during his accident."

We are also happy to report that Wes is making a very speedy recovery himself and is probably about to get wet as you read this. Doctors gave Wes the all clear to return to Cape Town from the comfort of his Port Elizabeth home a mere three weeks after the incident had occurred. What really saved Potts is that his fracture had not shifted the bone and that it could fuse back together faster, thus allowing a more stable recovery.

With the nature of our progressional sport we are bound to encounter injuries. With this in mind Sixty40 Bodyboarding would like to make you aware of some procedures to follow if you ever have to deal with a situation where lives may be at risk due to injury: What to do: If there is suspected spinal injury (is there neck or back pain??) don’t move the patient, you could cause more harm. Have them lie flat in a safe place (above the high water mark).Call Netcare on 082 911 or an ambulance service; Call the METRO ambulance service on 10177 and if necessary contact your nearest NSRI post. Report to them the nature of the incident - they will take it × from there and ask you all the necessary questions. www.sixty40.co.za 7

Miscellaneous

Rossi • This coming summer Rossi Board Company announced its reinvention and collaboration with DMC-life and its Australian based partner Andre Albert.

“Andre used to work with me a few years back and we have been throwing ideas like this ever since,” said Marc (Rossi) Rossouw. “things at Rossi had been stagnating for a little while and its needed to be refreshed, hence the decision to move on our ideas and reinvent the company, “ continued Marc.

As part of the reinvention, Rossi Board Company has made its largest materials order to date.

Fresh colours and new types of cores are among the order expected to land next this summer. Andre has since relocated to the Gold Coast, Australia, and has been keeping his fingers on the pulse of Australian bodyboarding to feed any fresh concepts and ideas straight back to Rossi head quarters in S.A. “We believe we have the products and riders to run with the global bodyboard giant of Australia and this is exactly what we hope to do,” said Andre. Over and above the fresh materials and concepts, Rossi board co has rolled out more formalised and stringent business practices. Everything from easy and simple board ordering, order tracking and diligent delivery time frames. “We simplified everything! You want a board, you order a board, you get a board, you go surf!” laughs Marc. Marc admits that process sometimes got in the way as things got

stale but confidently says that that is a thing of the past. Processes like “SMS update” have also been doing the rounds at the rumour mill.

Marc went on to explain that the collaboration with DMC just made sense. Since leaving South Africa Andre had been developing a line of products including leashes and wetsuits.

“The wetsuits really excite me but I wanted to make sure they are 100% perfect before I get them sent back to the boys in S.A,” said Andre. “I set out to get seriously good quality suits made from the best materials instead of just slapping a logo on a generic piece of sh#t,” he continued. Andre explains that it was this process of chasing the perfect cut and top materials that has taken some time.

“We’re almost there,” he concluded. You can expect to start seeing the products in S.A from around mid summer but samples will being here very soon.

Excited to work together again and on a broader range of initiatives, both Marc and Andre are passionate about reinventing South Africa’s premier board shaping company and bringing S.A’s bodyboard industry and riders in to the spotlight on the world stage.

Who will be be our 2010 SA Champions?

Every year South Africa’s best bodyboarders make the annual migration to contest the South African Bodyboarding Championships, representing their province as they battle for the coveted Interprovincial Fishman Trophy and the individual SA Champ titles.

This year the Champs are heading to North Beach, Durban from 26th September to 1st October which in the early 90’s North Beach was the home and proving ground for bodyboarding in South Africa.

Over the years bodyboarding has evolved and today you will find the Durban crew heading out of town to find more testing waves suitable for bodyboarding but when North Beach is big and firing it is one of the best beach breaks in the world and arguably the world’s greatest amphitheatre of surf.

We wanted to document and share a bit of SA Champs history and Pat Harris, to whom we owe special thanks, has helped us dig out and

Keep posted as there will be an official launch of the new Rossi board company’s new website with a new range of custom board colours and stock board range.

For information about hand shaped custom boards contact Marc ”Rossi” Rossouw on rossi× marc@webmail.co.za

Follow Your Boetie Sixty40 has teamed up with Mark “Boetie” McCarthy to run his rider blog through the Sixty40 website where we can now follow him on his world tour campaign. For the release of his blog we contacted Boetie with a few questions: 6040: What is going on here, what is "Boetie" all about?

MM: Well "Boetie" started when I first went to Hawaii in 2006. I was sitting next to Rob Gray on a flight from Houston to Honolulu and this friendly air host came up to me and asked if we were brothers ... so Rob stood up and said "Yes, he is my boetie!" and it has stuck with me in the bodyboarding community ever since.

8 SIXTY40 BODYBOARDING MAGAZINE ISSUE 12

6040: We all know you love travelling and experiencing to the fullest the places you visit, so is this your inspiration for blogging?

MM: Well it's not the main reason but part of it.

I just feel that I have lots to share. I have been on the tour for 3.5 years now and have seen some crazy sh#t and it's this kind of sh#t that I want to express on my blog. I would like to open up my life and experiences to the world.

You can read the full interview plus view the first of a series of podcasts from Boetie at: sixty40.co.za/blog/followyourboetie ×

dust off the SABA archives to compile this list of past SA Champions - these are the guys and girls who have etched their name into South Africa’s bodyboarding history. We pay tribute to them - some well known names, some not so well known but all champions and holders of this coveted title, one which will once again be fiercely fought for at this year’s championship ...

Interprovincial Team Champion

1987-1990 Natal 1991 Western Province 1992-2001 Natal 2002 Southern Kwa-Zulu Natal 2003-2009 Central Kwa-Zulu Natal

Pro Division

1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993

Kevin Dry Mike van Huyssteen Mike van Huyssteen Alistair Taylor Grant Scheffer Alistair Taylor Nic Abrahams

Joker Podcast: The Reinvention of Damian King In this profile the double world champ explains why he's moving his daughter's birthday, now making finals at will and an administration role's not for him.

A year ago Damian King's stocks had plummeted like the rest of the world's wealth. A late-career form slump combined with a dearth of footage from his base in Port Macquarie could've spelt the end of the King's reign. It's taken a year for the Earth to right itself and once again he is the leading Australian on the World Tour, making finals at will and with a new Joker podcast proving that timeless style will never grow old. In this profile he discusses the reasons behind the reinvention. www.turbosurfdesigns.com.au/#podcast-joker

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Miscellaneous 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Alistair Taylor Alistair Taylor Corne Snyders Dean Seppings Paul Sartorius Philip Rodrigues Johan de Goede Johan de Goede Philip Rodrigues Craig Maree Marc Jucker Daniel Worsley Alistair Taylor David Lee Mark McCarthy Sacha Specker

Dropknee Division

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Craig Maree Craig Maree Craig Maree Sacha Specker Vaughn Harris Vaughn Harris Derek Footit Sacha Specker Sacha Specker Sacha Specker

Juniors Division

1987 Tony Goss 1988 Jacques van Heerden

1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Alistair Taylor Anton Johnson Brett Simpson Neal Stephenson Neal Stephenson Pharic Crawford Steve Benson Ian Metcalf Vaughn Harris Donovan Lawson Darren Halse Wesley Etheridge Craig Geddes Craig Geddes Grant Lee Grant Lee Jared Houston Michael Ostler Michael Ostler David Lilienfeld Marc Webster

Boys Division

1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996

Alistair Taylor Alistair Taylor Dean Payne Nic Blignault Jason Boddy Tristan Stunden Paul Gibbs Ryan McSkimming Russell Fish Andre Botha

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Jacques du Buisson Ian Kruger Ryan Enslin Henlu Stark Henlu Starke Grant Lee Jaryd Enslin Adam Morley Iain Campbell Iain Campbell Adam Waites Robbie Waites Stephen du Preez

Womens Division

1987 Sam Baillie 1988 Ita Rugge 1989 Ita Rugge 1990 Cathy McHale 1991 Ezanne Metelerkamp 1992 Trish Daniel 1993 Kari Morris 1994 Ezanne Metelerkamp 1995 Kari Morris 1996 Debra Patterson 1997 Olivia Donald 1998 Debra Patterson 1999 Olivia Donald 2000 Kamala Botha 2001 Danielle Danter 2002 Kamala Botha 2003 Pamela Bowren 2004 Robyn Sorrenson

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Lize-Mari Ras Inge Pieters Pamela Bowren Karla Costa-Taylor Suzie Vester

Mens Division

1993 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Riaan du Preez Sasha Taljaard Brode Vosloo Paul Basson Paul Basson Tim O'Shea Wayne Beekman Wayne du Preez Wayne Beekman Ralph Hoppe Ryan Jucker Wayne du Preez Wayne Beekman

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Ă—

Brett Moyce Mike van Huyssteen Marcel Habets Lee Slabber Justin Smith Brad Keets Steve Polinski Steve Polinski Mike van Huyssteen Wesley McQuillan Paul Basson Gustav Botha

Masters Division

1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997

Mark Farrrer Crispin Hemson James Wight Lawrence Atkinson James Wight James Wight Mike van Huyssteen Kevin Dry Mike van Huyssteen Mike van Huyssteen Marcel Habets

www.sixty40.co.za 9

Miscellaneous

Amaury Laverhne and his pet fish, image by Raphael FREDEFON

Amaury Laverhne is your new 2010 IBA World Champ From a small island in the Indian Ocean came the man, Amaury Laverhne, who would conquer the world. He set the world on fire in the Pipe Pro Final, the first event on the tour, with a mindblowing display of bodyboarding - the guy had Pipe wired and no-one could touch him. What followed was one of the most consistent campaigns in recent year that meant he was literally untouchable in the race for the title. A 3rd in Oz, 5th in Brazil and two seconds in Peru and Chile meant it was his to lose as the tour headed into the European leg. In the first event, the Sopelana BBK Pro in Spain, Amaury did fall, losing his first heat and ending 25th, however in the next event, the Sintra Portugal Pro, he redeemed himself to defeat the 2009 Rookie of the Year Guilermo Cobo from the Canary Islands to claim the win and along with it

the 2010 IBA World Title.

"My first European event was Sintra 6 years ago and I slept on the beach in a tent. Now I am standing on the podium as the champion, it unbelievable" said Amaury. “Just amazing, so many people are waiting for me at home, its gonna be massive!!”, continued the new champ when we asked how has the news been received back home.

And for his best moment on tour: “My winning at Pipe was such a sick moment ... to be world champ its crazy too but its maybe because I don’t realise it yet ... so yes definitely Pipe.”

Visit www.amaurybodyboarding.com for more info and photos on the new champ. ×

Niklaas Martin @ The Wedge shot by Sacha Specker

IBA World Tour Rankings after Sintra Portugal Pro

SABA Circuit Winners 2010 • The South African Bodyboarding tour this year was a great success and although SA Champs does not count towards tour placing it looks as if that event is going to be one that you just don’t want to miss.

Firstly, the tour picked up a new event “The West Coast Classic” which was such a success that it should run again in 2011.

The 2010 tour also included the Cape Classic, Wedge Classic and another stalwart of the tour, the Margate event. We are hoping to add at least one more event to the calendar next year, but that will only be confirmed after SA’s.

Darren Halse dominated the Pro division and DK division, winning the Margate event in Pro and featuring in the final four at all of the other events. Close on his heels in the Pro division were IBA tour contender Mark McCarthy and Ian Kruger. Nicki Gericke takes home the Women’s Tour

title and Janneke de Kock grabs second place.

4 Ruan de Bruin WP EP 5 Jean-Pierre Hoffman

PRO DIVISION 1 Darren Halse SKZN 2 Mark McCarthy NKZN 3 Ian Kruger WP 4 Terence Pieters SKZN 5 Storm Prestwich SKZN

JUNIOR DIVISION (15 - 17) 1 Storm Prestwich SKZN 2 Andrew Raath WP EP 3 Niklaas Martin 4 Stephen du Preez CKZN 5 Roger Pardoe WP

WOMENS DIVISION 1 Nicki Gericke EP 2 Janneke de Kock WP 3 Lyndall Jucker EP 4 Natasha van Niekerk SKZN 5 Suzie Vester WP

BOYS DIVISION (-14) 1 Niklaas Martin 2 Tristan Roberts 3 Wesley Coetzee 4 Coetzee Wesley 5 Mickey Gomes

DROPKNEE DIVISION 1 Darren Halse SKZN 2 Aden Kleve WP 3 Iain Campbell CKZN 4 Matthew Webster BOL 5 Joshua Kleve WP

MASTERS (28+) 1 Morgan Phillips SKZN 2 Ross Painter WP 3 Dean Conway CKZN 4 Sean Tickner WP 5 Gerrit Hitge

MENS (18+) 1 Eugene Meyer BOL 2 Michael Meyer BOL 3 Joshua Kleve WP

GRAND MASTERS 1 Marcel Habets 2 Len Bradford 3 Riaan Nutt

10 SIXTY40 BODYBOARDING MAGAZINE ISSUE 12

EP BOL SKZN SKZN SKZN

BOL BOL SKZN

Mens 1 Amaury Laverhne RE FR 2 Pierre Louis Costes 3 Guilherme Tamega BRZ 4 Jeff Hubbard HAW 5 Diego Cabrera CNI 6 Jared Houston RSA 7 Ben Player AUS 8 Dave Winchester AUS HAW 9 Dave Hubbard 10 Damian King AUS 19 Mark McCarthy RSA Womens 1 Isabella Sousa 2 Eunate Aguirre 3 Maylla Venturin 4 Luzmarie Grandperez 5 Karla Costa-Taylor 6 Catarina Sousa 6 Natasha Sagardia 6 Nicole Calheiros 9 Lumar Guittard 10 Lorraine Lima

BRZ SPN BRZ PRCO BRS PORT PRCO BRZ VNZ BRZ

Dropknee 1 Cesar Bauer PRU 2 Dave Hubbard HAW 3 Kim Feast AUS 4 Ardiel Jiminez CNI 5 Micah McMullin HAW 6 Ryan Hardy AUS 7 Pancho Galdos PRU 8 Dave Winchester AUS 8 Javier Araujo PRU 8 Grant Malony AUS

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Jake Rosenburg @ Cave Rock by Richimages

WWW.F AC TO

Southern KZN 7.C RY

O.ZA

SU RF

& ATE SK

Sport Unlimited Tel: 021 914 7945 Tygervalley Centre, Shop 600, Tygervalley Cape Town ross@sportunlimited.co.za www.sportunlimited.co.za

Factory7 Shelly Beach Cell: 083 694 7885 Tel/Fax: 039 315 1814 Shop 9, Shelly Boulevard (By Shelly Spar) Shelly Beach, 4265 shellybeach@factory7.co.za www.factory7.co.za/shellybeach

boland

Southern Cape

online WWW.F AC TO

Sport Unlimited Tel: 021 794 3240 Constantia Village, Shop 29, Constantia Cape Town ross@sportunlimited.co.za www.sportunlimited.co.za

7.C RY

O.ZA

SU RF

& ATE SK

Land en See Tel: 028 312 2889 Main Road, Hermanus, 7200 landensee@lantic.net

The Surf Shop Tel/Fax: 044 533 3253 (Shelley) Lookout Centre Main Street Plettenberg Bay, 6600 thesurfshop@telkomsa.net

FACTORY7.CO.ZA Online Surf & Skate Shop Tollfree: 0800 FSEVEN Tel: 039 315 6698 Cell: 083 488 3916 Fax: 086 680 2141 help@factory7.co.za www.factory7.co.za

To advertise in the sixty40 Surf Shop Directory ...or elsewhere in the magazine, contact - ian@sixty40.co.za

Advertising in the Sixty40 Surf Shop Directory is only available to SURF SHOPS (includes online shops.)

Sport Unlimited Tel. 021 851 1477 Somerset Mall, Shop 6, Somerset West ross@sportunlimited.co.za www.sportunlimited.co.za

Specifications - please include: Name, Address, Tel, Email, Web address, Region: Northern KZN, Durban, Southern KZN, Eastern Cape, Southern Cape, Boland, Cape Town, West Coast, Online. Include a Logo or photo - (CMYK - 300dpi - eps, pdf, ai, jpeg, tiff, psd, cdr) OR Advert - 54mm x 54.187mm (no bleed, CMYK - 300dpi - eps, pdf, ai, jpeg, tiff, psd, cdr)

www.sixty40.co.za 11

Surf Shop directory

Cape Town

FEATURED SUMATRA AUTHOR JAMES MoolenschOT

12

Sumatra

Everyone has a special bond with their local spot, the place where they grew up learning to ride the pit or bust out those first few moves. And then everyone also has their dreams; the ones that drag us out of our comfort zone and into the big wide world‌ I dreamt of surfing this wave in Sumatra for 4 years before I finally got to tick it off my list and even though I didn’t score the wave as perfect as it gets, I had the experience of a lifetime. It happened really suddenly as I found myself traveling in Australia and needed to leave the country to renew my visa. I looked at Indonesia as an affordable and exciting option when I discovered a late space became available at a surf camp in Sumatra. Everything fell into place and within a matter of weeks I was standing on a palm fringed beach in the middle of nowhere, with a Bintang in hand and the local A-frame peak peeling off in front of me.

Day 2 was the biggest day of the trip and further down the road we stood in front of the spot I had dreamed of for all those years, watching waves smear themselves along the reef, each one trying its best to etch its own mark into the coral shelf. There was no time to ease into the conditions or learn about the wave on an easy day.

There was just a small window to seize an opportunity to live out this dream.

As I dived into the warm blue water wearing just boardies and a rashie, I felt totally exposed without the usual layer of neoprene to blunt the punishment of any beat downs. Whilst brushing my concerns aside I was swept out through the churning keyhole channel along with a few other boogers from the camp. Thanks to the camp surf guide I knew the wave was known to have a tight barrel off the peak which then opens up into a huge end bowl, the key being to scoop early on the peak and get shacked through the end bowl. Without that knowledge I would have been royally smashed on this wave where I barely managed to tuck under the first section. Skirting along a ridiculously fine line between pleasure and pain, I managed to push through one of the biggest and deepest barrels of my life. www.secretsumatra.com Photo sequence: Francis Vidic

www.sixty40.co.za 13

FEATURED Desert Dreaming AUTHOR Damon Crawford

Dre contemplates > photo Damon Crawford

Desert Dreaming

Sometimes you get to see history happen. Normally this is in the form of reading it, hearing it or seeing it on a TV maybe. Rarely do you get to live it and watch it live.

It was big. We all knew it. There was no beating around the bush, because, well frankly there weren’t any bushes to beat around. This is the desert we are talking about. I suppose another blatant clue was the fact that we had heard it smoothing ledges all night. First while we waited as the crayfish potjie bubbled away and then when we keeshed in our tents in the below freezing temperatures the night digs to deal out. The question literally drooling out of our mouths concerned whether this was going to be too big. Was it going to be life and death?

I suppose a good thing about winter in the western half of South Africa is that it means a lie in. There is no real need to get up early because the sun is only really starting to stretch its finger-like rays over the horizon around 8am with the first

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bits of light coming about 7.30am. The beautiful bird sounds start chiming and it is like a small breakfast-radio show as the fire gets stoked and splutters some smoke. The problem however is that the cold is not as considerate. No, not the cold. The cold pulls you from your sleeping bag like a hyena would a small child.

Tearing you up and instantly freezing any exposed piece of your body. So the fire naturally becomes the centre of attention as does whoever is getting coffee first.

Let me warm you up to where we are now. The day before was epic, 4 – 6 foot reeling pits all day long. Definitely the swell of the winter or at least number 2 for consistency and drawn-out-ness. It just did not want to go away. We all watched Greg Fraser get one of the DK barrels of his life, and probably ours too, and everybody else had enough barrel time that some even got bored and did other stuff. Not that the desert has many readily available entertainment activities so these included things like winding up the dynamo thing on our solar powered lamp. Some really heavy padding went down the day before that too but not

ABOVE - Dre STARTING FAR LEFT Mark Mccarthy tends the Crayfish potjie.

Crayfish are a dime a dozen on the West Coast The crew; idle banter now, serious in the water > Mark Mccarthy, Greg Fraser, Johno Mellish, Dre, Beyeres and in the car Cobus Bosman.

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with quite the success that was hoped for. This was a mellow but focussed crew and everything had built up this morning. This was really the morning that Dre Botha had flown from Durban for and that the rest of us had wanted to make happen. We wanted the waves to deliver and show the 2 time World Champ that his homeland has its fair share of heavy world-class slabs too. I was hoping Rory Lancellas was going to join us but I really had no clue whether he would make it because I last had cellphone signal days before. This is the kind of morning when a smallish crowd is actually more beneficial than an irritation. Ag, it is also just a place that has its own way of regulating the line-up. So after some morning ramblings and said coffee ritual we cleared the spot where we had been camping and slogged the distance to the wave. Then history happened. History is hard to describe because it happens so infrequently. Well real history I mean. You know.. the stuff that really leaves an impression on both yours and the lives of others.

It is difficult to transcribe and it is often quite difficult to relate to others the euphoria you experienced. Yet anyone with whom you experienced the history

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with knows exactly what you mean when you just look at them. This is what happened this day. Memories got forged. Time stood still for those that were there. There were very big barrels. Some of the scariest ones I have ever seen quite frankly. This is where that thin line ‘they’ always talk about gets flirted with constantly. If I liken that thin line to Dre’s leash, well it snapped four times. Once he took off on one, got pitted for a bit, and then ducked through and out the back while he had no leash. Rory did join us sometime in the mid morning. Of all the places in the world a bakkie could appear from out of the distance, the desert spewed and tried to swallow one of the most hardened travellers I know so that he wouldn’t be able to experience history with us. Ironically he had only gotten stuck a mere 500m from where we were watching nature vs bodyboarder in 3D. As I said earlier it is a little hard to write about actual history. It is not really a topic that I fancy all that much so luckily we were able to capture some of the time that sort of stopped for you.

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FEATURED Desert Dreaming AUTHOR Damon Crawford

ABOVE: Beyers takes the plunge

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www.sixty40.co.za 17

FEATURED Eat. Sleep. Surf.

AUTHOR Dylan Brayshaw

To read the full journal, see more photos and purchase the DVD visit www.eatsleepsurf.com.au

Eat.Sleep.Surf.

After a few quiet drinks one night, Rian Cope and Dylan Brayshaw decided to cycle and surf their way across one of the most terrorism inflicted, natural disaster prone, surf rich, culturally awakening countries in the world – Indonesia!

The Story We were like any other bodyboarders. We wanted to take our surfing to the next level and do an overseas surf trip. Indonesia was high on the list as a destination, not only for the quality and abundance of waves, but for the cultural experience as well.

After watching the TV series Long Way Round we both knew that these types of “get from A to B” trips would work perfectly for bodyboarding and capturing how we find the waves will be interesting and entertaining. After all the final destination isn’t important, it’s how you get there.

Rian and I first discussed riding motorbikes across Indonesia but what would the challenge of that be. We wanted a real challenge and riding our bicycles from the North Sumatran town of Banda Aceh through to Uluwatu on the island of Bali would be epic. What would inspire two young Australian boys to cycle across Indonesia? Insanity, madness, money or their undeniable desire for adventure and passion for the ocean?

Journal Excerpts Day #2 Lam No to Lhokkruet – What have we got ourselves in to?

After waking and feeling refreshed we nipped into town to fix Dylan’s tyre before stocking up on local phone credit and making way to the raft crossing. Four 4 wheel drives squeezed on using planks of wood to balance their vehicles onto the 3 lashed wooden boats. The small engine on the side allowed the skilled driver to use the currents to manoeuvre the boat to the other side safely. We were heading for the town of Lhokkruet about 50kms away. The big difference today was there was no road. You had to make your own way on the dirt track. They are currently in the middle of constructing the new road after the Tsunami – it will be brilliant when complete. Trying to learn from yesterday’s mistakes, we weren’t taking water, hats, or sunscreen for granted. My hands got so burnt it hurt to open and close the grip to brake the bike.

We met a local NGO (Non Government Organisation) officer named Aguse. He was able to point us in the right direction and helped translate to acquire that nights’ accommodation. We ended up staying in a small Muslim populated fishing village with an awesome beach break.

We slept on a filthy tiled floor behind the market place. After a great surf which seemed to help wash away the previous 48 hours we headed for bed in our mosquito ridden room. Now both Dylan and I still agree that it was the worst nights slept possible! The heat was tremendous. Dylan started having a severe reaction to the Malaria medication including numbness in both hands and a very irritable rash on his neck and chest.

It was a long, long night!

Day #3 Lhokkruet to Calang - Much needed sleep!

After only a few hours sleep we decided to hit the road at the crack of dawn. We were heading for the lively town of Calang. Calang was one of the worst hit by the Tsunami as it lost all infrastructure and population cut in half. The sun today was as hot as ever. With the humidity away for

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the day it clears the skies of haze and allows for the sunshine to come through – this as a result equals extreme heat. We only had to travel 30km today but we made about 7 stops in just 4 hours so as to escape to the shade of a parked truck, nearby tree or shop front.

After finding the one and only hotel in town we checked in and were lucky enough to get an A/C (air-conditioned) room. A fresh water bucket wash and rinse down was just what the doctor ordered. We spent most of the rest of the day in the room relaxing and recovering from our 150km journey the previous 3 days had seen us tackle. We had a big talk and got out some of the issues these first few days had created.

It was decided that although miserable, we wanted to surf and rest our weary legs. We would now catch a minivan to Meulaboh, some 2 hours away. From there we were to catch a ferry to the island of Simeulue where there is rumoured to be excellent surf and sea breezes. Thank you Lonely Planet guide.

TOP: (left) Dylan (Right) Posing for the cover shot on top of Mt Bromo BELOW: Padang Padang

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FEATURED Eat. Sleep. Surf.

AUTHOR Dylan Brayshaw

Lagundri Bay, She can bodyboard too

Day #16 Lake Toba to Balige After settling our final bill we had the difficult task of getting all of our gear on the hourly ferry. By the time we arrived back on the mainland it was already 10.30 am and was indeed a very late start to the day. The plan for the next few days was getting to Sibolga, the entry point to Palau Nias and the legendary break of Nias, but that is 200km away.

We soon pushed ahead and began another day of cycling. Having learnt from our previous mistakes we weren’t taking any chances and stocked up on snacks and water to keep us going. Straight into the hill climb, we were making our way around the eastern side of Lake Toba, an ancient volcanic lake 110km long, in the highlands of Sumatra.

Although flattering, it soon became a bit of an annoyance. I jumped into i-pod mode and let the beats take me through.

Day #17

gave us an interview which was broadcast on their morning show. It was great to think we were spreading the word of our project which we would hope would help ensure some success from our final product – an adventure documentary!We made our way on the only road out of town and were heading for Turatung, the last stop before Sibolga, and surfing.

We climbed the winding mountain range before stopping for an early lunch. By 11.30am we were back on the road and about to encounter a very, very long downhill – Perfect.

Balige to Tarutung This morning was a struggle. Dylan slowly made his way to his bike before realizing he had a slow leak in his rear tire, resulting in a tire change after his bike was already packed. This

By the time we made our 20 km decent I could see that Dylan was in some discomfort and needed a bed. We found a hotel named ‘Bali Hotel’, on the outskirts of town. We booked in, took our gear up to the room, and Dylan

However Dylan once again was slowly lagging behind. Something was up – this was not like him at all. We found our accommodation for the night where Dylan decided to head for bed at the early hour of 5 pm.

With his strong fatigue and fever the signs pointed to an infection or the big M word – Malaria!

A quick noodle lunch and we were off again looking for the town of Balige where we would sleep for the night. As we entered the town, Dylan and I both agreed that after 16 days of travelling throughout this country, we were both tired of the “Hello Misters” and interested stares.

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only added to the frustration that he would encounter today. On a lighter note, we were contacted by ABC Coast radio back in Australia. They had heard of our adventure and

crashed. He was in bed by 2 pm. I encouraged him to have a shower and keep drinking, but even the thought of moving seemed to make him struggle. I quickly washed myself and read

Starting from the left opposite page: > Krui, Sumatra – 10min cycle to the surfbreak through a coconut farm > Hollow Trees, Katiet Village, Mentawai Islands > Repairing a flat tyre always welcomes onlookers > (Lagundri Bay) These are the kind of Brazilians we like to meet > Hollow Trees, Mentawai Islands

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FEATURED Eat. Sleep. Surf.

AUTHOR Dylan Brayshaw

our symptoms booklet which our Australian doctor had given us. With his strong fatigue and fever the signs pointed to an infection or the big M word – Malaria!

Dylan decided it would be best if I found a local doctor. As I made my way downstairs with translation book in hand, I soon discovered there was an entire hospital across the road. After locating the only English speaking doctor, he asked for Dylan to see him immediately. I ran back and collected Dylan. We made our way across and sat him on the rusted leather table. The doctor’s test included a thermometer, flashlight to the back of the throat and a series of questions. As we seemed to be the only westerners this hospital had ever seen, every nurse was in the room watching as Dylan was poked and prodded. We showed him our medical kit which included several antibiotics. He ruled malaria out of the question as his temperature was not high enough. Then out of the left field, he said “Swine Flu”. Oh no!

After speaking with Katie and our Australian doctor in the proceeding minutes we soon discovered that the Indonesian climate is unlikely to help Swine Flu manifest and the medical staff were in fact just nervous or scared. It was very unlikely. But in any case we needed to make sure as safety and health are always our number one priority. The doctor was required to report it to the authorities, which we still don’t quite know what it entailed. We walked home, collected some water and headed to bed. As Dylan struggled to sleep whilst getting the shivers, I ran to the pharmacy and bought a personal thermometer which I hoped to use to help monitor his condition. I waited outside and read up on many of the possible conditions his symptoms were showing. All of a sudden he popped his head out and stated, “Two more symptoms to add – vomiting and diarrhea”. Shit!After discussing several emergency escape options should his condition worsen over night, we settled in and got some sleep.

Day #18 Tarutung to Sibolga – Dylan sick I woke this morning to find Dylan was still in some discomfort and not well. I left the decision up to him with what he wanted to do. He thought it would be best that we get to Sibolga, a much larger town, and make base there. There was an airport and more facilities to help just in case Dylan should get any worse.

I loaded up the car and managed to cram everything in. We then made our way down the winding mountainous road. It’s unfortunate Dylan was unwell as it would have been a beautiful road to cycle. Nether-the-less I needed to get Dylan to Sibolga. After arriving in town we headed straight for the only hotel we knew of according to the Lonely Planet guide book. An expensive cost but worth it in order to get Dylan comfortable and rested. It included a Television which was a first for us, we hadn’t seen any television in almost 3 weeks – it was a strange feeling. We spent the rest of the day resting, eating and keeping up fluids. It was obvious that a good recovery was needed.

Day #19 Sibolga and Rest We spent most of today relaxing. Dylan was on the mend and it was important for him to keep fluids up and rest. We met an Australian yachtie named Glen who was travelling on his catamaran.

He’d seen Sri Lanka, Thailand and was now surfing Indonesia. We had in fact seen him 3 weeks earlier off the coast of Aceh. After having a beer and swapping stories, we worked out that he was doing the same route as us and would be following us over the same time period. If this works out we could be following each other for the next 2 months.

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ANTI CLOCKWISE FROM THIS IMAGE: > Lake Toba, one of the largest volcanic fresh-water lakes in the world > Dylan warming up on top of Mt Bromo, Temp: 12 Degrees > Rian enjoying the view whilst pushing across Mt Bromo

TOP, LEFT TO RIGHT: Aceh, day 2 on the road, kids even bodyboarded with planks of wood before this photo | Borobudur Temple is located almost exactly in the centre of Java | Their horses that got them out of the outer crator

TOP: Padang Padang, Bali, the morning we flew back to Aus BELOW: Sunrise on Mt Bromo looking East

Day #20 NIAS!!!

Dylan was on the road to recovery and we decided to push on with our adventure and make our way over to Nias, where we had organized a surf camp at Lagundri Bay, a world famous surf break known for its BIG, HEAVY and FAST right hand wave.

We organized our tickets for the fast ferry which took us a short 3 hours before meeting up with the surf camps driver who picked us up and drove us to the south of the island where we met with Timmy, the owner and operator of the Keyhole Surf Camp.

After some quick introductions we were straight up onto the balcony overlooking the wave which was only a few meters away. The swell had just arrived and it was pumping. This was the largest swell I had ever seen. We were in for an amazing few days.

Timmy Wau is without a doubt the coolest guy in Lagundri.

Ha. He runs and operates the Keyhole Surf Camp, the only surf camp in Lagundri. He has been surfing Lagundri since he was 12 years old in the 70’s. He has since travelled much of Indonesia expanding his knowledge of surf charters and catering to the western surfers. He has been through the Tsunami and Nias earthquake and still has plans for the future of expanding and building up Lagundri Bay, not only as a surfing destination, but a tourist destination. Check out his place for the best surfing holiday ever www.niaskeyholesurfcamp.com

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Chris James @ Luna Park by Matt Ryan

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Cam Price @ The hoek by Damon Crawford

Connor Eastment @ Blue Mayo by Cobus Bosman

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Greg Fraser @ West Coast by Sacha Specker

Jeff Hubbard @ Somewhere in Hawaii by Lee Kelly

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Julien Miremont @ Tahiti by Vincent Devert

New Discovery @ OZ by Tom Hughes

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The trick is the way in which you tweet the invert. You need push out the invert and then follow though with your body until your legs are fully extended above your head. Once your legs start passing your head you must tuck them in. To help your rotation of the spin try cross your legs." - Mark McCarthy @ Fronton

"I had seen Ben Player attempt the invert to reverse air in Chile and from then I always wanted to pull one off and start pulling them off consistently. The best thing to do is to try picture it in your head which is half the hard work done.

Below: Mark Mccarthy @ Fronton by Antonio Prado www.sixty40.co.za/blog/followyourboetie

THIS PAGE: Bradley Moys @ North Beach by Wayne Beekman

Mark Mccarthy @ Fronton by Antonio Prado

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AirSpin vs DK @ Zaigrettes Reunion - Dk > Yves de Lapelin, in the air > Amuery Lavern, image by Raphael FREDEFON

www.sixty40.co.za/blog/jared-houston

Jared Houston @ Silverstroom by Simon Heale

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FEATURED BAKKES AUTHOR Damon Crawford

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Bakkes takes us on a trip back in time and lets us view through his eyes a different perspective of our sport

[Bakkes]

After the contest the riders were all glad to be alive.

Some progressed through the experience and others retired.

I wish I could remember who these guys were but they were sitting on that pinnacle for hours enjoying many beers.

They were loving the moment reminiscent of the day. They would mock and scream at every bomb that rolled in. They were stoked.

[Unidentified, Bayview, 2004]

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FEATURED BAKKES AUTHOR Damon Crawford

Hi Bakkes, welcome back to the family. This is like welcoming back a big brother.

It’s good to be back and a privilege to visit your mag again after so long.

Now I won’t call you and old face, but certainly one I looked up to when I was a grom. Where did your passion for photography all begin?

I have always been attracted to beautiful imagery and I always wanted to be at the helm of the creative process. When I started riding waves the experiences, moments, places and the people were so special to me that I wanted to capture it somehow.

Photography offered me that medium.

I was still at university when I got my first camera and straight afterwards became good friends with Douglas Cockwell. Dug is a brilliant photographer and his wealth of know-how and experience was crucial to my development as a photographer.

I will always be indebted to him.

After school my career led me to work with some of the best local and international photographers that got me deeper into it, more commercially and more technically. Passion is the right word. It’s a great feeling to do what I love best for a living.

And your passion for bodyboarding and the ocean?

I started waveriding as a bodyboarder. Later I switched to surfing because I skateboarded for so many years and it felt easier for me.

Nevertheless, to me, it was always about the ocean, the travels and the friend. My friends were mostly bodyboarders. We didn’t care much for the old debate. We always respect each other’s forms. It is like comparing watercolour and oil paintings. It’s simply different ways of drawing on an empty canvas.

The Hoek is a magnificent place. This unusual composition always pulls me in when I look at it. I was supposed to have gone home by then but I stuck around and snapped this beautiful display of light on the wave. Photography for me is the best at sunrise and sunset and is a sure formula for spectacular images.

[The Hoek, circa 2003] My good friend Morné Laubscher introduced me to this top secret spot close to Cape Agalhus. It is very consistent and a lot of fun to ride. We ended up surfing it so much that we ended up neglecting other spots. I would have been in the water that day but I had a new tattoo on my back and my orders were to stay ashore for it to heal. Glad I had my camera there.

[Morné Laubscher, Secret Spot, circa 2005] 38 SIXTY40 BODYBOARDING MAGAZINE ISSUE 12

You plied your trade in the early years into photography of our sport, though you did it the old school way, with film. The majority of photog’s these days have never really operated proper film cameras. How has the process evolved for you now?

I was thrilled to convert to digital and I appreciate all aspects of it now. Again I can draw the parallel with bodyboarding and surfing. It’s not bodyboarding or surfing, its bodyboarding and surfing. In the same way it is digital and analogue, not film or digital. They all come with different approaches, techniques and equipment to achieve the same goal, waveriding or photograph, but with clear differences in results.

Film photographs still look beautiful to me and I still use film. A photographer’s range of tools has simply increased with the addition of digital.

Does shooting with film influence your technique when you approach taking a photograph?

It certainly differs.

With film the goal usually is to achieve a single perfect exposure

I’ve been friends with Tjoekie for 33 years. I have always admired his athletic abilities and he was certainly one of my favourite bodyboarders. Caves was his playground and I know he was most comfortable surfing there. This summer pit shows that. Thick and heavy Caves, good conditions, warm water, sick barrels and Tjoekie taking a moment in his comfort zone.

[Johan de Goede, Caves, circa 2004]

and composition. It is a slow, well thought through process. The digital approach offers a lot more latitude where now I can record a spectrum of exposures and blend them together to create the desired effect or effectiveness. I can immediately see the effect of various setting adjustments and compensate for error. The principles stay exactly the same.

It’s only the recording device that has changed.

Did shooting bodyboarding ‘improve’ your photography in any ways?

Bodyboarding photography demands speed and accuracy and taught me to be a fast, responsive shooter. More than that it made me realise the importance of understanding your subject. It is crucial to know the sport, the specific rider, the wave and the location to get the best

results. For instance, you will struggle to get a good invert shot if you can’t predict it coming. The rider’s ability to pull it, the wave setup, the speed and the timing of the shot during the manoeuvre is all elements that come together. On top of that you must have a perfect exposure, sharp focus and good composition.

The digital age has lead to progress in software availability for picture enhancement, how does this apply to creativity?

Knowing the capability of editing software is crucial in my approach. I believe one’s photographic eye is strengthened when you know your editing capabilities because one sees the final edited results on location. There may be minor adjustments at the shooting level to assist the editing

of the final image.

Although that applies for specific techniques and it is important to remember that software cannot save a bad photo. The original shot determines the quality throughout the editing process.

You have always been at the top of your game, what do you think of the quality of the current SA photog’s out there like Spex, Cobus Bosman and Cracker?

Many of the photographers out there are really good. Digital photography has made it very competitive in numbers. Those who are serious about photography must keep pushing their creative boundaries and create images unlike anything seen before. It will always be the good photographs that stand out from the masses of digital photos.

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Ba le pe

FEATURED BAKKES AUTHOR Damon Crawford

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{ANTI CLOCKWISE} Ian Kruger popped in at Tjoekie’s family house one Sunday. Pringle Bay hasn’t worked like this in many years so it was amazing to see it again. The local residents planted grass in the dunes to avoid it from shifting onto their houses. Unfortunately for us the wind cannot blow sand into the ocean to form banks and that is how Pringles lost it’s wave. I don’t know why it worked on that day but Ian made full use of the opportunity. This photograph is a beauty for me because it is a full image. Every part of it is filled with information. The clouds in the background add detail in an otherwise flat blue sky; the rocks give it depth; the offshore spray blends the wave into the scene; and Ian is ripping it up and was captured at the perfect moment. A slit-second before or after and it would have been wrong.

[Ian Kruger, Pringle Bay, circa 2004]

Spencer Skipper would come around every so often and it was always good to see him. We’d spend a lot of time talking, driving up and down the coast, just relaxing. I remember meeting him for the first time. It was four in the morning and so dark I couldn’t even see his face. We packed the car and by ten we were in Plett. We were good friends ever since. This shot was taken at The Hoek as he set himself up for a serious barrel.

[Skipper, The Hoek, circa 2004]

Ah, my favourite photograph. Whenever I think about the definition of photography as “painting with light”, then this is what comes to mind. Bayview in its fullest glory as the sun shed first light. Slow shutter, beautiful colour, and a spectacular image on the morning of the first Bayview Big Wave Invitational.

I arrived the night before and myself, Tjoekie and Morné were worried that the swell would be too small to hold the contest. Massive swells were predicted but didn’t materialize until ten or eleven that night. We heard the ocean roar like a lion. It was scary. You could feel it in the ground. The waves (and the one in this photo) topped 16 feet. It was the heaviest thing I had seen. Contestants were washed around like ants, leashes snapped, people nearly drowned. The NSRI was eventually deployed to save the contestants that couldn’t make it back to shore.

The waves kept picking up. NSRI was ticked off but the riders were laughing. I will never forget that day.

[Bayview, 2004]

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FEATURED BAKKES AUTHOR Damon Crawford

You live out in Stellenbosch now, an incredible place for many reasons, but the landscape and seasons change the town so much that it has to be a strong root of inspiration for you?

It certainly is a good place for inspiration. My business caters specifically for wine estates in the area so I do a lot of landscapes, exteriors and interiors, architecture, portraiture, food and wine photography in and out of my studio.

It’s a lovely environment to work in. It’s also close to the ocean and the whole area offers a lot of scenic diversity.

How do you grow yourself as a photographer?

I constantly study the work of other artists. I often buy books and magazines to keep abreast of trends and techniques. As a photographer every image I see is filed in my head and used as reference later.

Every photographer is different and viewing as many photos as possible is, in my opinion, the best way to progress. Then research is paramount to growth. Theoretical text books, technology magazines and forums can really push one further.

Where else do you draw your inspiration from?

My family inspires me. I have a fantastic wife and three beautiful boys. They inspire me to work hard and make them proud through my work.

What makes an image last in your mind?

Images that last in my mind are the ones that moved me. Photographs move me in many ways. It can be the colours, the composition, the light or lighting, memories and emotions I can link with the images, or its content. Many times it will be those images I look at and think “Wow, I wish I shot that photo” or “that is the level I would like to be at in photography.”

Any advice you would like to offer?

I am a firm believer in intuition.

Listen to the little voice inside you because it is probably right and don’t ever look back at decisions made. Follow your heart and do what you love doing. If you can, make a living of it. If you are passionate it will show and you will succeed.

People pick up on that and doors will open everywhere.

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The waves that were ridden that day were absolutely awesome. Mark Jucker did a good job.

[Mark Jucker, Bayview Big Wave Invitational, 2004]

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FEATURED I ♥ Fronton AUTHOR Andre Botha

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The Shrine

This tale begins in South Africa. A plane ticket from Durban to Las Palmas was purchased. Having experienced Canary Islands before I knew very well what to expect. I would prepare my mind, body and soul.

Reflection, hard training and focus for my upcoming travels. A shrine was made. Many pieces of Drift wood, an indoor palm tree, a large African wooden mask, a painting, a large multi-coloured glass lamp and long beads. This was all blessed with sun light and moon night. I would pray to the shrine.

Respect to God for creating the ever elusive and exquisite Fronton. This shrine was for the worship of God and Fronton. I would jack steel in front of the shrine, I would sweat in front of the shrine. I would laugh into the front of the shrine; I would bleed in front of the shrine. Chanting – FRONTON – FRONTON – FRONTON. I hold both my hands together palms facing each other, fingers fully erect – hands caressing each other by touch. Bow my head down and up, down and up, down and up.

Breath in and out, in and out. I ask Fronton to reveal the beauty and the beast, the pleasure and the pain. I whisper for safety and beg for the gift of love. FRONTON. I ask you to deliver me from evil and lead me not into temptation. Fronton. The spirit must soar above what is humanly possible to keep from harm’s way.

The Arrival

I make my way towards baggage claim upon arrival in Las Palmas. I get there. I wait, I wait and I wait. As usual no board bag. That is to be expected. Same as last time. Same as every time, past, present and future. Regardless there are 2 stunning ladies to pick me up at the airport, Violeta and Margarita.

They rule. I had met Violeta the previous year. I see them smiling. A kiss on the cheek and a big hug. We get into the car and drive directly to Fronton. They tell me there are good waves there today. Looking out the window during the drive puts a ball in the gut, the anticipation. Relentless and raw Spanish ocean power displayed from the cliff we can see. Fronton is 6 feet and the right is pumping. I see a solid crew of locals and a few visiting pros scatter the line up.

Set after set the boys are getting pits that take years to obtain at Backdoor. I borrow a full suit, fins and a board that is way too small. I paddle out, catch 2 waves and I’m way too hot, my face feels red hot and ready to explode. Full suit – way too hot out there, well for me, my blood runs hot. I catch one more wave, the last wave of my 30 minute surf. Going dam slow on this small board I hit the lip and do something funky in the air that probably looked stupid. Sitting on the rocks at the bottom of the cliff. Just off the plane and watching, enjoying the display of wave riding in front of me. www.sixty40.co.za 45

FEATURED I ♥ Fronton AUTHOR Andre Botha

The Hippy Pad

I cannot help but feel somewhat nervous around Margarita, her beauty is intimidating. Long legs. It’s almost hard for me to keep my eyes off her. I catch her staring at me. Not really sure why, she must have been astonished by the moustache that I had been cultivating for 3 months. Regardless, this calms my nerves and we exchange a few words. Vio and Marga drop me off at the apartment that I am staying at. They inform me that their apartment is very close. They will show me how to get there. Seamus – Mushroom head, was staying at the same pad as me. He had told me that this was the hippy pad and it is rad. He knows what’s up so I wouldn’t doubt that it was anything less. It belongs to a very wise, lovely Spanish artist girl, named PA - I also knew her from the year before. She is cool. The place has 3 bedrooms with 2 roommates, that are never there. An awesome living room, a lot of space in the middle, littered with comfy couches, cool colour lights, lots of impressive art all over the walls, a few plants, books, exercise ball, and electric guitar with killer amp. ...Ahhhh paradise.

The Agony

A very kind local named Ali “Bruty” Barbosa picked Seamus and I up at 6 am. We headed to Fronton.

On the cliff looking at the 4-6 feet draining Fronton rights with no one out. A luxury rental van rolls up.

BP, Chad Jackson, Mitch Rawlins and Ryan Hardy jump out. We welcome each other and they suit up and are out there. Bruty says he is over going out there, he gives me his 41 inch board, his suit and fins. Out there. The board actually went well. The five of us exchange super fun draining left and right waves and have great conversation in the line-up. A jolly time was had by all, it’s always a memorable wave-riding experience between friends that aren’t seen or surfed with often. I presume we were having too much fun to notice the tide becoming dangerously low. I catch a right set wave, bottom turn and pull in, convinced that I was going to get a smoking good pit. Caught off-guard, the lip doesn’t throw out but instead lands directly on my head, one out of ten set waves do this on Fronton right. I get driven down hard and fast. My knee hits. It hits hard on volcanic rock that feels harder than concrete, it didn’t even feel as if there was any water covering the reef.

I come up and investigate the injury, white, white and whiter. I felt no pain and I was unaware of the extent of the injury. I must have been in shock, because this gash was not Mickey Mouse. I paddle in fast and climb up, all gimp up over the rocks. I look down and see no blood, just white stuff and fat and white flesh. Still it is hard to conclude how severe it was. I hop up all the steps to the top of the cliff.

Bruty is in the car. I get a cig and light up. He says we are going to the hospital. I smoke and look down.

Still no blood, strange.

So just before I get into the car a father and son come up to me and ask for an autograph. Ha-ha. I’m standing there with a serious injury having a cig and I sign the picture.

I slowly get into the passenger seat trying very hard not to bend my knee, but I have to in order to get into the seat. So I bend it and look down. The blood sprays out like a fountain as I bend my knee. There it 46 SIXTY40 BODYBOARDING MAGAZINE ISSUE 12

goes, from white no more. Red, red, bright crimson red. Now the blood is flowing like a river. There the pain fills in. Seamus and all the boys have come in from the water and look at the knee as if it were a specimen of utmost importance. Ryan Hardy gets his camera and takes a picture. Seamus gets into the car and we go to the nearest hospital. I walk in there my suit still on and my right leg covered in blood from the knee down. I hand the receptionist my travel insurance card from my wallet, fill in some paper work and proceed to the sterile doctor’s room, leaving behind an impressive puddle of blood on the floor. I lay down on the bed and put my head back on the pillow, two doctors walk in. One old and thin, one young and chubby. They both take a long look at the injury and the older man spits out Spanish dialect. I understand not a word. The old thin man leaves the room while chubby prepares several instruments and items. First he squirts a bunch of liquid onto the injury, he squirts and then wipes hard with a cloth type thing, squirt and wipe, squirt and wipe.

and notice that the sheets are covered in blood, I shake the naked girl that is lying next to me. I say to her: “You are bleeding, wake up.” She wakes up. “It’s not me, look at your knee.”

I look down. Oh my god! My knee looks like a nightmare.

I take a shower and clean it with soap. It’s wide open again and once again the bone is completely visible.

Panic. It looks even bigger than when it first happened. Panic. Worse. I just about have an anxiety

This gets rid of the blood and anything else like reef, seaweed, sand, whatever that may be in there. The wound is clean now, I hope. I see a massive hole directly in the middle of my knee. I see the bone clearly with thin white tendons running vertically along the knee cap. There is flesh and fat sticking out on the side. At this point I figure it’s a good idea to immediately cease looking and put my head back on the pillow. All this time Bruty and Seamus are in the doctors room. I see the young doctor walk over to me holding a big syringe. I look at the roof and feel a sharp pain in my knee, I can picture the needle going into the mutilated flesh. Next, the stitches.

I can feel each one penetrating the flesh and then being tied, not a pleasant feeling at all. I feel myself grinding teeth during this process. Just like that it’s done. The doctor hands me some pills and we are on our way.

So I’m back there in the hippy pad on my first day of the trip, with a seriously dud knee and swollen eye, feeling like shit and honestly feeling really weird.

You see, I had an allergic reaction to the pain pills, causing my eye to become red, swollen shut and just nasty looking. I lay on one of PA’s roommate’s ladies bed. I need privacy. I had to rest. Can’t sleep. No TV in the hippy pad. I start reading, boring. So I start drawing. I go to bed.

Okay. I could go on forever about the next 2 weeks.

So let me spare you the details. I sit in the hippy pad all day. My leg is up all day. I can’t bend my knee.

The gash is so deep to the core that all the muscle around my knee adjusted and did not allow bending of the knee. Stress, stress of infection, stress, stress of not knowing when I will be back in the water, stress, stress from boredom. The wound looks neat with the stitches in. Awesome women taking care of me, buying me food, beer, medication, canvas, painting, drinking beer, sitting with my knee up, painting all day, getting love, making love, feeling love. Finding pleasure within pain.

Stitches out The stitches get taken out, the wound appears to be in good health and closed pretty well. I go to sleep thinking that I will be back in the water in no time, excitement and relief fills. I wake up the next day

attack. I call my mom and explain everything to her.

She talks to my dad who is a doctor. Apparently the doctors had made a mistake putting stitches in and delayed the healing process. Oh shit, now I’m sitting in a foreign country with a massive hole in my knee.

Stress. What am I going to do now? There is no way I am going to be able to get back into the ocean for at least a couple more weeks. I had to achieve what I had set out to. Score massive Fronton, this was a personal mission for me. I had to wait this out. I ask the lovely lady helping me to please buy me some beers, I hand her money and off she goes. I drink the beers and the stress is gone.

The next 2 weeks

I spent the next couple of days in a state of constant worry, sitting with my leg up. Bored, Bored, Boredom. At one point the wound became red, swollen and my leg gland became sore. Stress. I immediately took a 10 day course of antibiotics, after 2 days the redness and pain went away. Thank God. I have had enough of this stupid knee. I wasn’t about to let this minor bump in the road bring me down!

I spent my days drinking beer, eating good food, listening to music and painting canvas. I completed 6

canvases in total during this period. Margarita and Violeta would visit me daily, they cook some great meals, lovely wine and dining. PA has some amazing friends. The hippy pad became littered with artists and musicians on a daily basis, they would cruise over randomly to do art and play music. A bunch of local bodyboarder friends also came to visit, Bruty, Genesis, Trotter and many more. PA is a great artist and we combined our talents on canvases that now belongs to the hippy pad. Once I could bend my knee more, I bandaged my knee up and began my re-emergence into public and out of the hippy pad.

properly at all, I needed more time... There was no more time. Tomorrow is the day.

There is an obligation that pops into mind, we as wave riders must pay our respects to Fronton. I tell Bruty that we must do a ritual on the Fronton cliff.

We need to give Fronton offerings. We call a bunch of close friends to join and meet us on the Fronton cliff. We go to the store and I buy the ritual materials, red capsicums, tomatoes, oranges, charcoal, lighter fluid and beer. We are all at the location, on the Cliff overlooking Fronton. An artist friend of mine named Rauole and I position the offerings of red capsicums, tomatoes and oranges in between stones on the cliff. The two of us find beautiful Spanish tiles scattered along the cliff in many broken pieces of all sizes. We collect them and use them to cover the red capsicums, tomatoes and oranges, as if to suggest that they are being protected by a house like formation. I collect wood and dried up shrubs, throw them down near all the offerings, throw down the charcoal on top of that and spray a bunch of lighter fluid over everything.

The ritual is ready to be begin. Everyone is standing in a half circle facing the offerings, looking onto the ocean and the waves breaking at Fronton. I stand in front of everyone and throw a match, the flames blaze into the air, red, orange, yellow and blue, a black cloud of smoke floats upwards. Everyone’s eyes follow the cloud of smoke. At that moment an 8 feet set rolls over the reef at Fronton, its turns inside out and explodes into a perfectly dangerous cave and then pukes its guts out.

The crowd of close friends erupt into applause!!

I open the beer, pour it out next to the fire. I put my hands together and bow down. I ask God for the gift of big perfect waves and protection for the wave riders at Fronton tomorrow. I take my precious blue, black and orange board and burn a small part of the rail in the fire. The ritual is over, it’s going to be all time tomorrow – that’s a fact.

I would hop down the street while keeping my knee straight. I spent my nights, dining with gorgeous women friends in all the local restaurants. A few of the lonely nights I would hop along to some of the local bars, searching for some excitement away from the all-day art sessions in the hippy pad. This is where I met an amazing Pikey from London, named James Frost. Frosty is a superbly talented skateboard photographer. We became great friends and ended up sharing a lot of good times together. Shooting photos, drinking beer, doing art, hanging out with girls, meeting gangsters and eating good food. All this time my knee was healing slowly. The big volcano looking hole in my knee was healing well, but by no means gone. I could almost bend my knee, but not all the way bend it. No stress, it’s a lot better.

The Ritual

Bruty walks into the hippy pad. He has a wide smile on his face. Almost unable to contain himself, he informs me that he has checked the forecast. Tomorrow was the day. Fronton was going to be massive and perfect, for a fact. We both knew it. The day had come. The day that I had be waiting for. The day that I had been preparing for. My knee wasn’t healed

The Ecstasy

It’s 5 am, Bruty picks me up from the hippy pad. We pick up the Pikey skateboard photographer Frosty.

The sky is dark blue and we are at the top of the Fronton Cliff. It looks 8 feet and perfect, no wind, glass. Oil. I’m out there, not waiting for the sun to come out, I’m out there now. I go into a frenzy of rushing, put my suit on, grab my precious board and fins, run down the stairs, not even thinking of my knee. Bruty follows as fast as he can. As we are paddling out, I see massive oily caves exploding in front of my face.

Thick, thick pits. Thick.

There isn’t really anything else that I can tell you about the next 2 hours, other than that it was intense, amazing and life changing. I can’t put what happened into words. It’s impossible. Okay here goes. When we first got out there, the tide was highest so as the sun crept up from behind the land, we dawn patrolled that wave and got some amazing rideable caves. As the sun hit the line-up, the wave stepped it up a notch and got a hell of a lot bigger, at least 10 feet, if not 12. The tide got lower. I saw things out there that I can’t even explain. I am just going to fast forward to my last wave at Fronton for

2009. I had been sitting deep and far out waiting for about 30 minutes for my set wave to come. I remember really wanting to go in, I’m not going to lie, I was very scared. I had to think of many things that made me angry, I shouted them out loud. Now I was pissed off and ready, gotta do what you gotta do.

It came. I stroked as hard as I could when I saw the mountain coming. I was committed and doing the windmill with both arms and kicking as if my life depended upon it. Once I got onto that beast, everything was all strange, I could do nothing but try go down the face sideways in slow motion. Fat chance of that happening, lip was underneath me.

Ha-ha. In order for me to ride that particular wave successfully, I would have had to be getting caught inside by it and then just turned around and gone.

That is almost impossible to do at Fronton, it’s not like Pipeline that caters to the late turn around scoop. That set wave, as most of the set waves, was unrideable. I was stuck on the lip and enjoying the best view of my life. The colours, the intensity, the fear. I felt lifeless. Fearless. Alive. Danger, Danger. I fall fall, let go of my board, fall fall. My body turns as if the wave is forcing it to do so. Now I am separate to the lip, I had broken through, I was in the massive cave of dark blue looking towards the curl as if I had done a 180 degree turn while falling. Never had this position on a wave before. Okay, so now I thought I am going to die. I hit the water, turned blank and went down.

Down, down, down, darkness. Floating down with what felt like my back was facing towards the earth, the reef, the bottom. I have never felt this before, I felt a force of energy push me up from underneath.

Like a great powerful wind blowing onto my back and forcing me up, up, up. It was the best feeling of my life. I came up, up, up. As my head penetrated the surface of the water I raise my arm, fist clenched in victory. I was alive!!!!!

All that came to mind was a Hemingway quote. I shouted it out loud. I shouted!!!

WE BURN THE FAT OFF OUR SOULS! I had earned my Self Respect – BACK! My board was gone, leash snapped. My knee was in pain. I did the 30 minute swim back to the bay, with a big smile on my face. I was manic. I look at my knee and the bone is showing nicely – I don’t care. There are bunch of my local friends at the top of the cliff cheering for the wave, the awesome gift that Fronton had given me. One local went into his car and got me a bottle of red wine that he just happened to have, he opened it for me and handed it to me, a sign of respect, I take a huge swig. Seamus asked me if I wanted him to find my precious board, I didn’t want it, I told him it was a gift from me to Fronton. He went to look for it anyways. 45 minutes of searching the rocks in front of Fronton, he came back with my board. I used that board in Hawaii during January this year. Best board of my life, thank you Seamus. Fronton gave me a love bite. Fronton gave me the gift of that wave. Fronton gave me my self respect back. Fronton is my one and only true love.

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