The week that was...

© Luc Hosten

Another winters week goes by with not much swell to shout about. So far it's been mostly a winter of the Wildside, with you having to drive round the corner in order to get wet.

© Ashley De Pontes

And if you make the trip you could get richly rewarded with some shacks and solo sessions. Just gotto know where to go. And there are certainly those in the know...

© Ashley De Pontes

You could of course go stuff the bay, and head north of the equator, Like ex-PE local Amba Holmes. Who has upgraded from crumbly Pipe to groomed Nias walls. Looks like a good trade!

Or if you do put your faith in the bay, sometimes it is rewarded. Every dog has it's day, and so does Pipe. Which had a couple during the week.

Andre Clarke © Petronel Posthumus

What Pipe might lack in wave quality it makes up for in camaraderie. Always someone to hang about and shoot sh*t with in the car park - and of course you get to chat to legendary Car Park John as well.

© Petronel Posthumus

PE isn't always flat though. Sometimes the weather and wave gods align and then it goes ballistic. And for those day you have to be prepared! Cos on it's day the bay can dish out waves that rival the best of them. Clubhouse is one of those mystical spots that can deliver. 

Like the massive swell on the 19 January this year. Gustav Lokotsch, one of the few PE surfers who actively seek out the really, really big stuff was rewarded with the wave of his life that day. A perfect monster that ran from Clubhouse all the way past Avo's rock and into the bay at Avalanche. You can read his amazing account here
​http://www.millerslocal.co.za/blog/chasing-the-dragon

So for those who saw Dennis Ellis's Facebook pic last week of two big wave sticks he has just shaped (image below), and wondering why anyone in PE would ever need those - just take a read of Gustav's story above.

There are big wave boards and lil wave boards - and in PE it's mostly the lil wave one's you need. Surf Centre's Gavin Rother added another stick to his quiver recently, and she got some glitter treatment to the deck - so if you see Gavin twinkling past you now you know why. She also has the RSPro hexatraction on the deck for the wax-less surf experience. You can grab some at Surf Centre. Check out my review of RSPro hexatraction here. Good stuff this is!
​http://www.millerslocal.co.za/blog/goodbye-wax-hello-hexatraction

Local logger Alfonso Peters went off to Biarittz in France last week to represent SA in the ISA World Longboard Champs. Unfortunately the surf was mostly like Pipe on a small, onshore, atrocious day, which made competing pretty damn hard and more like a lotto. Alfonso got himself a 17th possie.

Eish, the fish farm debacle continues. With the area off of Pipe still within one of the spots they want to zone for it. Now we all know that's a really doff idea, so if you'd like to add your name to the petition to object to it, please do so here:
Say no to the Fish Farm

We are blessed with a beautiful bay - let's try keep it that way!

@joshmudros

@ltjvrensburg