The week that was...

Scott Lenton © Armand Pou

The week started off with some beasterly easterlies, but all was forgiven once the wind settled and the easterly groundswell arrived. Durban had been getting clobbered by the solid tropical cyclone surf for a few days, and luckily it made it's way down the coast to the Oos Kaap with some juice still intact.

There's an old saying that all the month's ending in "-er" are windy. Well so far September and October have lived up to that for sure. Pumping west one day, to howling east the next with no real respite in between. Ashley Wheeler sent me this cool link to a graphic wind site that gives you a good idea how much you'll be having to hold onto your hat for the day.
www.ventusky.com/​

A few spots in the bay suck in the easterly swell like a bergie drawing the last bit of goodness out of his twak. Humewood was pretty good, but you had to be quick, as the banks are almost close to being straighthanders at the moment. They did extract some pay-to-play penalties, and Jason Brown had his stick turned into 2 shortboards.

© Jason Brown

Some other not-so-secret secret spots were also going off their pip. But you froze your pip off enjoying them. Water temps were frigid to icy up the coast, so the faster you could paddle to avoid the duck-dives the better. JBay also had some good days, you just had to dodge the zillion mini-groms in town for the SA Champs.

Second letter of the alphabet © Richard Arderne

Always double overhead if you only 4ft tall © Robbie Irlam

Even Cape Town got in on the action. Solid sets pounded the exposed reefs. Reckon this wave is only about 1ft.....Hawaiian size. Dunno why those guys decided to measure wave size from the back. Looks like enough energy in that to compress you into looking like a spatchcock chicken in no time.

© Anthony Fox

Durbs was firing on all cylinders. Like properly. Sipho Ngwane wins crazy-ou of the week award for charging through the barrel on his jetski. It was a tow-in attempt that went pear-shaped, but kudos to him for pulling in when things went awry. Didn't make it, but ballsy to have tried.

© Neil Hellere

© Neil Hellere

© Nic Aberdein

© Dawn Rouse

Congrats to our groms! Nelson Mandela Bay Surfriders won the team event in the Billabong SA Junior Champs held at Point. Two of our girls scooped individual SA titles as well, ​Kirsty McGillivray the u17's and Kai Woolf the u15's.

© Petronel Posthumus

Not what you wanna see as you're about to paddle out for a wave. OK, maybe better seeing it whilst still on dry land vs spotting it out in the line-up. Lennox Heads surfers had to give this local right of way last week.

© Mark Thomas

PE never disappointing. If things are quiet on the lekker sunrise/sunset front, well - it just throws out a pretty rainbow instead.

BWB © Heather Nel