Here's a quick look at 2012 - the good, the bad and the ugly. There were waves, there were wipeouts, we had flat spells that would make you go jump off a bridge, but then it also went off it's pip at times, there was rain - kak loads of rain, ou's did crazy things, peeps broke bones. Just another year of surfing in the Eastern Cape. Check it out!!

St Francis is getting ready to rock!! Billy's Beach is the biggest beach party this side of the Krom river, and is set to bring you a jol like no other. Top class DJ's spinning the funkiest Deep House and Minimal Tech straight out of Cape Town and Durban, beer tents packed with plenty of beer & Red Bull, wakeboard demo's by SA's top riders including SA Champ Shaun Faccio, plenty of pool toys, paddle boards, volleyball...you name it, they got it! The ultimate beach party for sure!!

The party starts tomorrow 27th Dec and runs to 2 Jan. It's on every day from midday at 12h00 and closes at 22h00 each evening. New Years days opens at 05h00 - just in time to catch the ou's looking to chill after a hectic NY's eve. Entry fee's vary between R50 and R80 depending on what DJ's are playing.

Kiff place to come and spend the day partying on the beach, slukking some cold one's whilst hot DJ's spin some the latest tracks, with plenty of entertainment on offer. Pull in!!

We'll let you know where it is tomorrow! Cos we like a good secret!! What we can tell you is it's in St Francis....somewhere!! Look out for the signs!

Here's some shots of the venue so long.....

(You can check out Billy's Beach FB page to keep up to date with who's playing every day)

I saw an ou riding a multi-stringer board at Hummies a while ago - and decided to find out a bit more about it. Turns out it was shaped by legend East London shaper Lampies of Lampeez Shapes. So I dropped Lampies a mail to find out more about the design....

"I often hear surfers say, why fix what's not broken or what else could possible be done. I and many other surfboard shapers disagree with that. For starters, the present way that mainstream boards are manufactured using a polyurethane blanks and polyester resin is over 60 years old. Surfing and surfboards designs have come a long way since then. So has technology and alternative materials. 

Enter extroded polysterene (XPS foam) and epoxy resin, carbon composite stringers. Xps foam does not absorb water, maintains its flex properties for a longer time and is more durable, plus off-cuts can be recycled. Epoxy resin is stronger then polyester, end of story. The multi-carbon fiber or composite stringers (around a dosen plus per board) is stronger, more consistent and lighter then wood. Think of the stringer as your chassy in a car. A well designed chassy improves the handeling, so does the multi stringers. It connects the top and bottom deck, fins, rails all together as a unit that both absorbs energy and stores it. 

We have seen the super slow mo's of how a board flexes and twist when surfed and that is a big part of board designs that's been overlooked. Think how tennis got faster and more powerful when rackets shifted from wood to composites.

Don't get me wrong, the way boards have and are made has its good points. It is a cheaper, quicker way to manufacture and does justify a means-to-an-end. I, for one, think we can and should do better.

In return the XPS foam, epoxy and multi stringers allows us to break away from current shapes. By going shorter and thinner, surfboards take off on a different level. In a nutshell, basically its about shifting the boundaries on how boards are designed and made."

Shot Lampies! Check out the slideshow below to see how the multi-stringer takes shape.

PS - the Diet Plonka is a design by ex-EL ripper and now Hossengor resident and shaper - Kevin Olsen.

Girl power ruled at Seals today, with the Billabong Girls Get out There team taking the beach by storm. Absolute beaut of a day - hardly any wind and some fun lil waves - perfect conditions for a day on the beach. The surf lessons were fully booked - which was pretty impressive considering the water was fresh from the Antarctic. A mild 14C - and no prob for the chicks - they were out there with Shannon and his crew just loving it.

The Revlon nail bar was an absolute hit - with girls queuing up throughout the day. The creative corner was awash with lil 'un's just dominating the paints and crayons. Plenty of free giveaways had the crowds gathering, as did the sumo wrestling bouts. Free Vitamin Water kept everyone hydrated - which was a good thing cos it was a sizzling summers day. And hey - who doesn't love free stuff anyway??!

The GGOT tour hits JBay tomorrow and Hobie Beach in PE on Wednesday - don't miss it!!

I caught up with Billabongs Ladies Marketing manager Vangie Boettger to find out more about the Girls Get Out There event that's touring the East Cape beaches this week. Coming to a beach near you - be on it girls!!

The Girls Get Out There events look super rad. First up, there’s free surf lessons on offer – can you tell us a bit more about those?

We have 4 lessons a day with around 10 girls a lesson through 5 beaches along the Garden Route, so thats 200 new surfer girls in just 1 week. Girls can head down to the beach at around 9am in the morning where Shannon Anislie and our Billabong Girl Team riders will be giving lessons every 2 hours.

Then there’s the Art Workshops….what’s that all about?

We will have a creative corner at all 5 venues, whereby girls can there creative juices flowing, beading, sandart, painting and much more.

I heard there was going to be yoga classes going down as well. How are those going to work – are they set at specific times, or will they just run throughout the day?

It’s a combination of pilates and yoga, running every 2 hours. Our instructor, Amy Oakes from Ocean Flow Pilates, will be heading this up, showing the girls some key core strengthening exercises and stretches to prepare them for the surf sessions.

And what about the rumour that there’ll be a nail bar!? Hard to beat a chilled day on the beach and you can also get your nails done at the same time! Girl Heaven!!

Spot on!! Revlon will be on the tour with us. They will have a nail bar set up at each beach and Chi Chi, Revlons very talented manicurest, along with her team will be beautifying girls nails each and every day.

Who all is part of the Girls Get Out There team that’ll be doing the trip with you?

 I have a team of 18 in total.

3 Billabong Girls Team Riders (Tarryn Chudleigh / Emma Smith and younger sister Gina Smith) all SA Champs. Shannon Ainslie and his surf coaches from Surf Life Surf School. Amy Oakes from Ocean Flow Pilates. Tasha Mentasti - current SA Womens Masters Champ and MC for the roadshow. Jean Du Toit and his team from Inner View, the amazing team from Son Surf and Lenny Perils and his hard working crew. 

So where can the girls catch up with the GGOT team?

15th Dec - Beacon Isla Beach, Plettenberg Bay

16th Dec - Santos Beach, Mossel Bay

17th Dec - Seal Point, Cape St Francis

18th Dec - Dolphin Beach, JBay

19th Dec - Hobie Beach, PE

Yrrrr, ou's are gonna be losing their marbles soon if this flat spell lasts any longer. This has been a pretty horrendous run of zero swell and onshores. I decided to go crunch some numbers to see just how bad "bad" actually is.

And the outcome? Bad. Very bad!!

I checked out the weather stats for October and November, and they make rather kak reading. Basically each month had only 6 surfable days (we're talking the bay here - so not wildside or seals etc). By "surfable" I mean when you have the combination of a SW wind and a swell of over 2m, with a swell period of over 11 seconds. Now that is actually hardly decent surf in anyone's books, but that's how low I had to set the benchmark in order to come up with some workable stats!!

October saw only 2 days that had swell periods of over 14 seconds - which is generally the sort of period you're looking for in order to get surf with some punch.  Of the 8 days that had both the offshore and a bit of swell coinciding - 4 had such hectic wind that it was hardly worth the effort.

November didn't get any better - 6 surfable days of which 4 the wind was pomping. Only 2 days with a decent swell period, and one of those was onshore! Looking back at the Photo Galleries for 2011 and 2010 on the site - there were 14 up for Oct/Nov last year, and 16 for Oct/Nov 2010. This year? Seven. Eish.

So yah, a sad story all in all. 60 days and only 12 surfable by "ideal" standards. If you're into onshore bowls then you were probably managed to rack up more than 12 days surfing, altho given the lack of swell it would've had to be small onshore bowls!

Summer surf in the bay can really test your patience....so if you're wanting to get wet regularly you're going to have to fill up the petrol tank and head outside the bay. Plenty of nooks and crannies out there if you're prepared to go looking. Just watch out for the pearlies and the great whites! 

Summer see's the juveniles pull in to the exposed beaches to chow, so keep your eye's peeled! You aren't on the menu, but it doesn't hurt to keep a lookout. 

Oh, and just to REALLY make your day - looks like this run of east wind is set to continue. Just a quick swing to south on Saturday and Monday, but otherwise east, east, east. Ask Santa for a West!!!!

I saw some shots of this rad lil resin sculpture of a surfer you made recently. What’s the story behind that?

I’m a graphic designer and did sculpture as a subject back in 1995. I have always loved the process and the tactile result. As much as I love painting and photography its still only 2 dimensional. As surfer I wanted to capture that exact pose that a surfer experiences and the have the ability to have a 3D view of this. There is really no arty farty hidden meaning behind my 3 pieces. Just love surfing.

Is this the first one you’ve done, and are there more on the way?

I have two more that are in production.  Hang 5 and a Bash off the lip. I still have 3 or 4 action poses that I would like to work on.

How do you actually make something like this out of resin? We think resin we think glassing a surfboard with runny gooey stuff. So how do you go about getting it to actually take a shape?

There are several ways to go about this. I start with sculptures wax and form the shape that I want. Wax is great as it really friendly to work with. Pop it in some hot water and it becomes soft and pliable. The finer details are done with anything from a tooth pick to dentist tools. Once I’m happy with the sculpture I make a rubber cast of two pieces around the form and strengthen with plaster of Paris. You pour resin into the cast and leave to set. Split the cast, remove and re-pour. If you have a good mould you can pop out several before the mould becomes unusable. Bronze powder is added to the resin this gives it a bronze like finish. Actual bronze pouring is very expensive and the process is that much more involved and time consuming. 

How long does it take to rustle one of this lil ou’s up?

The sculpting part can take as long as you want or need. I’ve been working on these little guys for 3 years now. The resin pouring part; if you had to work full time I would say 3 to 4 days.

Was this just a bit of a DIY project or is it something you’ll be doing commercially?

If someone was interested in a piece I’m happy to chat. I would only produce 15 pieces per pose in resin. And 5 in bronze.  Feel free to drop me a mail at simon@simonsays.co.za

Besides sculpture, are you into any other type of art like painting and stuff?

Love photography, more documentary style where the picture tells a story. Have not painted in years.

You’re a pretty creative ou, what with having your own design agency and all, have you ever put that creativity into designing your own board sprays?

I have with every custom board I’ve ordered. Some designs better than others!

Also spotted you were one of the Top 40 under 40 named by the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber – what’s the story behind that? And props for being the only surfer to make the grade!!

Thank you. Was nice to nominated and to be part of the process. Have met some really good passionate people that call PE their home.  My agency SimonSAYS adverting has been going for 11 years now. Have secured some really lekker clients in this time. Check our site at www.simonsays.co.za  for more one this.

Props to Sunset Surf for hosting a killer event over the weekend. The surf was miniscule, even by PE standards, but the event was still a great success and everyone had an absolute jol. Lekker weather, lekker vibes. Shot to all who participated.

You know the saying about sometimes you don't see the wood for the trees? Well, in this case the Reef designers didn't see the stockings and the thong in the suit!! One of our readers Jamie Bell picked up on the funky interior of the suit in the ad on the inside cover of his Bomb Mag, and posted it to FB. Loving nothing more than to stir the pot I shot off an email to the Reef peeps to see if they were up for an interview! Thanks to Grant Stringer, Director at Reef, for taking it on the chin!

ML: Before we get down to finding out about the nitty gritty of the suit –we’re just dying to ask what’s up with the rather porno look of the inside! There’s a full-on thong and fishnet stocking action going on there! You guys catering for the closet cross-dressers or what’s the story? J

Grant: Haha, well to be honest we never saw the fishnet stocking or the thong while designing the suit, but guess everyone looks at things differently.  The Diamond pattern or fishnet in your case, was actually designed for water flow.

Ok, so now we’re pulled your leg about what it looks like, how’s about telling us a bit about the technical aspects of the fishnet stocking interior – cos if it looks good I’m guessing it works pretty good too!

It’s called the Diamond Pile Flex Jersey – it dries faster than other Jersey’s, Double Knit, 20% lighter, absorbs less water and has a internal flow system for faster drying and warmth.

When you are wearing the wetsuit the Diamond pattern holds a thin layer of water inside the wetsuit, this layer is then heated up by your body temperature and insulated by the neoprene. When you are drying the wetsuit the pattern helps the water flow out of the wetsuit, decreasing the drying time.

Says in the ad it dries 87% faster – so in real terms how long would it take to dry – assuming a “normal” day – not mid-winter or boiling hot summer.

Well this is always a rather tricky debate and can have many different outcomes. We have tested the drying time of the wetsuit in the direct sun (not recommended!), hung inside out and within 15 to 20 minutes the Diamond Pile Fabric was dry with exception of the cuffs about 5cm up the wetsuit, they were dry within 25 minutes on average.

What’s the deal with the neoprene you’re using in this suit – you call it “superlight”. Do you still get the warmth of the traditional 4:3 but just more flexibility?

The Diamond Pro is made with Superlight Neoprene rubber which makes the wetsuit lighter and more flexible, which makes the suit more comfortable and allows for a more snug fit.  This in turn will make the wetsuit warmer, as it decreases the water flow inside the wetsuit while surfing.

How does the neoprene you’re using stack up against that new limestone-based Neoprene that’s on the market – that when wet weighs just about the same as when dry – versus the normal suits that when wet get a helluva lot heavier.

Yes all our Neoprene products are made with the “New” Limestone based Neoprene, but to be honest it is not that new, we have been using the Limestone based Neoprene for a few years already.

Is the neoprene locally manufactured, or is it imported?

All our Neoprene is imported from one of the world’s largest Neoprene and wetsuit manufacturers.

Tell us a bit about the seams…any stitching in there, or welded and liquid taped?

All the Seams are glued and Blindstitched with a Neoprene tape on the inside.  We do not use the Liquid tape seam as it gets brittle in the sun and cracks or flacks, it is a major problem to find a manufacture to fix the wetsuit if it gets torn or cut.

How easy is the neck entry – with some suits you have to be a yoga guru to get into the damn things……and then have a Degree in either Patience or Pure Luck to get the chest zip functioning. I’ve tried on a coupla of different chest-zip suits and have yet to buy one cos just struggle to get the damn zip closed!!

Yes your chest zip entry is a lot more difficult to get in and out of, however when it is on the comfort and flexibility is well worth the struggle.   However if a person has really broad shoulders I would not recommend the Chest zip entry.

I guess the big question is ….. how much? What’s the recommended retail price for this suit, and what range of suits would it be competing against in terms of the other surf brands. Is this something to rival Billabong, Xcel, Ripcurl or ONeill’s top suits?

The Reef Pro Diamond competes with all the top end international brand’s, however our wetsuit only sells for R2800 incl. vat

We totally support Local is Lekker – so how much of a REEF wetsuit is local – are all the materials imported and then just manufacture occurs in SA, or are some local materials used as well? And are the suits designed locally?

To be honest over the years we have started purchasing more products directly from overseas, this is due to the size of the South African market vs the viability of manufacturing products in SA at the high cost of Technology.  Our manufacturer is also our Neoprene supplier who manufacturers majority of the international brands that you see in the water.

If we want to keep up to date with modern technology, we have to look overseas as it is not viable to produce our top end wetsuits here in South Africa.

All our wetsuits are however designed and tested here in South Africa, and produced according to our specifications. 

Shot Grant; so there we have it ou’s…. despite our warped minds picking up on the fishnet stocking and thong combo, it looks like this suit is the real deal. I for one will vouch for the absolute awesomeness of limestone rubber – I have a Matuse suit from the US made with this, and it’s nuts. Ridiculously light and sucks hardly any water – so your suit is the same weight wet as dry. Guess I’m gonna have to try one of these suits out next winter…


Chat to John at Surf Centre if you'd like to get your hands on a Reef Diamond 4:3 .

Local ripper Faye Zoetmulder recently escaped the lengthy flat spell at home with a trip to Fiji. We caught up with Faye to find out about her visit to the tropical paradise.....

"Myself and Ari went over with his mom, Cheron Kraak to explore the islands of Fiji. We had 2 nights in Perth on the way there just to make it that much more anticipating to get to the Tropical Islands. We finally arrived after way too much flying, causing havoc in airports and playing numerous games of shithead. 

On arrival myself and Ari could barely even check out our beautiful house before we were unpacking board bags. That was that, one hour into arriving we were on our boat to surf Cloudbreak in 2 foot onshore. We were the only people out and as average as Cloudbreak could get we were nonetheless in our element. From that day on we surfed like it was going out of fashion. 

My standout days were Cloudbreak at 5-6ft, sunny and not a breath of wind and the other, a day at Restaurants, my now favourite wave in the world. My leg was holding up fine but obviously I took it a bit easy on the gnarlier days. Cloudbreak is a pretty difficult wave to surf and the one day it was 6-8ft and throwing, I was cruising on the smaller sets but it was awesome to be out there and get some encouragement from the local chargers.

Other than surfing, we had a lot of good food, walks around the islands and exploring new resort sites, snorkeling and fishing. It was a fun filled holiday, pretty much non stop doing as many activities as possible but all the same it was so relaxing and a brilliant way to get back into my surfing career. I couldn't be more grateful :)