The week that was...

© Robbie Irlam

Summers here. Lekker beach days, some fun lil waves, days getting longer which means more surf time. What's not to love about summer!?

© John McCarthy

Get used to seeing some strange boards in the line-ups - seems like the hydrofoils are starting to get popular. Not sure what it feels like to get ridden over by one of those - hopefully someone else volunteers as the guinea pig to find out!

Jonathan McGillivray © @nixmenton

Even the penguins got in on the summer vibe  - with a bunch of them getting released by SAMREC/SANCCOB over the weekend. They always have a bit of a bewildered look when they get tipped out the boxes and realise they getting kicked outta the B&B and back into the real world. Wonder if given the choice they might actually rather stay!?

© SAMREC/SANCCOB

Big-ass full moon on Sunday. With the accompanying extreme tides. If you were in JBay you could just ride right up on the beach and not worry about the reef at all. Some decent surf out there - although the bay didn't deliver too much. 

© Luc Hosten

Always lekker seeing aerial shots of our bay. Sure - we ain't Cape Town, but we proud of our lil possie nonetheless. We have some rad beaches, and what's even better (other than when the skelms break into your cabbie) is that parking is easy to find, is right at the beach and free. Try getting that lucky in Cape Town!

© Woodrow Wilson

Ex-PE surfer Tony le Roux was stoked with his birthday pressie from his daughter - a blown-up shot of a great pic of the PE long board revival back in 1985. Sure beats a pair of white socks and a handkerchief - which used to be standard pressies for dad back in the day.

Pipe longboard compo, circa 1985/6. In the car park at Pipe - check the flats in the background, still there. Starting with the ou on the left that's half cut off: Micheal Mee (now in NZ), Nick Taylor (PE), Turtle Morris (UK), Nick Pike (EL), Dave Collins (PE), Brad Wanwig (PE), Tony Le Roux (Aus), Steve McKechnie (US), Justin Erasmus (PE), Brian Knolls (deceased), Martin Heines (PE), Mike Castingnani (PE).

PE surfers are a talented bunch. Simon Le Gras makes some epic lil sculptures, how's this dude with his hang five? Reckon the WSL guys should get him to make the trophies for next years JBay Open.

© Simon le Gras

Shot to the NMBS committee for yet another year of tireless service making sure surfing in our province gets run the way it should. These guys do so much work behind the scenes to make it happen, so a big shout out to all involved.

© Petronel Posthumus

The Intervarsity Champs went down in some good surf on the wildside. UCT just pipped NMU for the win (only sneaking in by 8 points).

© Petronel Posthumus

Summer days normally mean hectic beach crowds, but you can still find your own patch of sand if you know where to go. St Francis looking quiet before the hordes of Gautengers arrive. Expect Seals to be rather busy for the next while.

© Chris Scott

Hobie Beach had a few pearler days. Always cool to see all the brolleys out. Although not sure how peeps manage to lie on the sand all day and bake. Sit on a board all day and wait for waves, sure thing. Sit on a beach all day, hmm, can't say I can manage that.

Wednesday at Hobie © Susan Howard

GoPro's give the coolest angles. You can take a wee lil wave and make it look gnarly. Marcus Ducker is shooting some kiff water shots on both the wild side and in the bay. Generally you have to shoot about 100 pics and maybe 1 works out well. But when it does, it's worth all the effort!

© Marcus Ducker

Yip - can never get enough of aerial shots of PE....

© Mike Holmes

Trust surfers to always find something new. Turns out that you don;t need a whole six pack of Red Bull to get you frothing for the session - all that's required is a bottle of Barbie Water and you good to go - and apparently it also make your hair lekker blonde as well. Double whammy bonus.

© Jean du Toit

Love this shot from Armand Pou. Imagine hopping into a time machine going back a 100 years to when there were actually ships on the slipway - and then of course at the same time spying a kiff lil peeper breaking off the pillars - and being the only one out there - cos hey - no-one knew about surfing back then!

@armand_93

That's it for the week that was - ending off with a great show from Peter Schwartz of the full moon presiding over my front yard. Even looked like a little wave running down the reef. 

© Peter Schwartz

Been getting a coupla fun slides north of the equator. Nothing to moan about when the waters 28C, and you know the chances of another surfer turning up are absolutely zero!