The week that was....

Another lekker week in the bay. Bogger all surf yet again, but perfect weather to be building sand castles, catching rays and generally chilling out. Some slides to be found if you looked around.

As usual, the more you drove, the better the chances of scoring something slightly bigger than knee-high to an ant.

Image: Christopher Scott

Coupla ex-PE ou's ng no trouble adjusting to the flatness of Dubai, as being from PE....well, you get used to that. No probs for Wes Weihahn and Andrew Dunn, the salt water fix solved by a bit of SUPíng.

If you really want some juice, grab the 36 hour plane ride over to the Rock. Hawaii been off it's noggin'the last few days. The real Pipeline looking a tad more surfable that the PE Pipe.

e open water swimming crew didn't mind the lack of surf - it made their annual Cape Recife to Noordhoek swim a whole bunch more pleasant. Gotto think the guys must have found a way to effectively filter out the Jaws theme-music  must surely be playing in the back of their minds going around that point!

Image: Dirk Erasmus

No good getting all bedonnerd with the lack of swell, sometimes you just have to give up doing the Tour de PE in search of a lump and rather just go grab a cold one instead....

Image: Ralph Hoppe

PE's shaping maestro Dennis Ellis has yet again hit pay-dirt with his new model, the Hopper MKII. Designed for Brett Hoppe, the sled is something that mad scientist Deno has brewed up in his Baakens Valley lab. It has volume, speed, is loose as a goose, yet can handle 8ft JBay without a blink. An all in one perfect-for-PE-yet-still-works-in-pumping-Jbay model. Go grab one.

ouldn't be summer without the usual assortment of critters with which to share the line-up. Some big-ass jellies about so keep a look-out.

​Not so good news on the critter front is that the red tide has popped up in JBay in a big way. Calm seas, calm conditions mean the lil phytoplanton mullets wake up from their slumber.

Image: Tracy Haupt

Gone for a surf check at Rinon and struck out. Drown your sorrows with a cuppa coffee and a muffin. Not as good as a surf, but beats going home empty handed.

Image: Chris Taljaard

Plan B after not being able to surfentails reading a surf mag. Go grab the latest copy of the Boardtalk from Surf Centre or Spar, cos Local is Lekker!

Heads up for the THE BOARDROOM/CAR PARK JOHN PRO-AM on the 17 Dec at Noordhoek. Kicks off at 08h00. It''s an off-the-wall comp, so you ride anything weird. Old boards, off the shelf items (beds,cupboards,ironing boards), something homemade. Tandem allowed.

Scores are given for what you ride - the weirder it is the more points you get. Also for attire - so bring out those man-kini's.

How it works is 5 peeps a team, and it's R100 per team entry fee. Or if you can't gooi together 5 ou's, no worries-  somme pitch up and you'll be put in a team. Kiff prizes to be won.
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Enter by phone, facebook (tune Mervyn) or on the beach. Lots of prizes.

Staying with some comp news...Accelerate Sport, World Surf League (WSL) and Surfing South Africa (SSA) are proud to announce the launch of the City Surf Series in 2017. This exciting series of internationally rated professional surfing events aims to bring a QS1000 level event to all major coastal Metro’s of South Africa. ​The Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City Surf Pro’s are tentatively scheduled for 7-9 April and 13-15 April respectively.

That's the wrap on yet another quite surf week in the Bay. Looks like you might need some fresh wax for end of the week though. Holding thumbs....

Image: Pierre de Villiers