The Mission - Winter Waves

Misty Cliffs near Cape Town is a well-known and much-loved spot amongst proficient wave riders, consistently providing generous mountains of water in Cape Town’s summer. However, when Covid-19 forced RRD International rider Carl Ferreira to stay at home during their winter, he discovered that it’s not so bad then either…

WORDS CARL FERREIRA | PHOTOS SAMUEL TOMÉ

It has been another cold and wet winter here in Cape Town for me. Last year I blew the meniscus in my knee at the end of the season and was unable to travel, and this year the Covid-19 restrictions made it almost impossible to go abroad. This forced a lot of the South African kiting community to stay at home for the winter, and discover which spots work at this time. In summer the wind predominantly blows from the south-east, which gives you endless coastlines to play on for days on end. However, in winter the wind switches and blows from the opposite direction, the north-west, giving us opportunities to ride new locations that aren’t possible in summer.

We made the most of the winter storms, which produced a gusty 40 knots and heavy 10-foot swells. I headed to Misty Cliffs with my trusty photographer and Scarborough local, Sam. He knows his way around the ocean here, and bravely swam all the way out to the crayfish factory at this spot to capture these shots. With the strong offshore wind, it was really difficult to stay on the face of the wave and not get blown off, but we made the best of it and we scored! The factory can produce some of the best waves south of Cape Town, and this day it really delivered. If you haven’t experienced a winter in Cape Town before, I can recommend it. It may be quite a bit colder and more intense weather-wise, but you’ll see a completely different side to what you know from our summer, and get to ride spots you haven’t before. After spending the winter here for the first time in years, there’s one thing I’ve realized: Cape Town winters aren’t so bad after all! ■