One of the favourite hobbies of our powers that be is that they love nothing more than changing names and structures. Surfing didn't escape their attention, and so it came to bear that SA Surfing had to shape up or ship out. It meant a re-structure of our surfing demographics into a regional structure within a provincial structure, and so Eastern Province bit the dust, and outta the ashes rose Nelson Mandela Bay Surfriders, Buffalo City Surfriders and Cacadu (JBay/PA). 

What this meant is that the new NMBS needed a logo. So EP (now NMBS) committee members decided to hold a comp so peeps could enter their idea's for a new logo. Here are the submissions (in no particular order) received  by Mervyn from which the EP committee will now choose a new logo.

Simon le Gras

Pippa Smith

Lauren Wotherspoon

Paul Hendricks

Millerslocal

The NMMU Madibaz took the team trophy honours at the SA Varisty Champs held at Vic Bay this weekend. Team captain Scott Lenton talks us through the win:

"The annual South African Intervarsity (USSA) surfing champs took place from the 24th-26th of June at Victoria Bay. The three day competition had mostly good waves, with the first day being on the slightly smaller side.
The men's team were all able to get through the earlier rounds with the women following the trend. For finals day the competitors were greeted with solid and consistent 4-6ft surf.

Jean du Plessis (defending his title) did well to place second (2nd) behind a past world champ Shaun Joubert (2013 ISA World Gold Medal). Dane van Greunen did well to place in the top 8, with Scott Lenton and Merrick Fairall placing equal 9th. This contributed significantly towards the points as the men won their division.

In the women's division Roxy Giles (defending champ) did well to place 4th in the final with Inge Mclaren doing well to make the semi finals. The women managed to finish second which is a massive improvement from last year.

In the overall team points NMMU managed to take the overall points trophy which is the most prestigious award at the competition. NMMU would like to thank their sponsors Billabong and Bos Ice Tea which were instrumental in clothing and hydrating the team."

You can never keep a good man down is how the old adage goes. And it proved correct this weekend, with Bruce Campbell (aka the Cougar) coming back from injury to take out the inaugural Something Good Surf Classic.

The surf conditions might have been on the small side, but there was nothing small about the moves getting laid down. Really good day on the beach and in the water, followed up a phat after party jol at Something Good. 
Rumour has it that on one wave that Mervyn got he was awarded more points for his claim than the wave itself....

Congratulations to the winners of the different divisions (shortboards and long boards) :Bruce Campbell, Mervyn Goddard, Kia Fenton, Triston Lev, Shane Simpson, Mush Hide, Michelle von Kempon, Triston Torr and Courtney Fletcher.  

Shot to Mervyn, Mickey, Shirley and their crew for all the effort putting it together, and for all the sponsors for giving such rad prizes. Here's hoping this comp beckons a permanent fixture in the PE surf calendar. Some good bucks were raised for the NMBS Masters team to help them get to SA Champs at Richards Bay in August.

The surfboard raffle didn't get drawn as one of the ou's had forgotten to bring his raffle book back, so that will be done this week. So everyone's still in with a chance to win a kiff new board for only R10, yeuw!

Check out the results and some shots below. Surf shots of the comp by Luc can be found here:
http://www.millerslocal.co.za/comp-news/shots-from-the-something-good-surf-classic

Lekker day down at Pipe for the Something Good Surf Classic. Surf was on the small side, but didn;t stop the guys busting some big moves.
All images Luc Hosten

By Coetzee Gouws from Full Stop Communications.


The Billabong Madibaz men’s surfing team are preparing to defend their title at the University Sport South Africa tournament hosted by the NMMU George campus at Victoria Bay from June 24 to 26.

Team captain Scott Lenton said his surfers were in highly competitive form and expected nothing less than total domination in the national student competition.

“This year we also want to clinch the women’s team and overall team divisions,” said Lenton.

The Madibaz are determined to wrest the overall crown from the University of Cape Town, who walked away with the laurels for a second consecutive year in 2014.

“We have a great camaraderie as a group. Everyone is of the same general mindset and we gel well,” said Lenton.

The 24-year-old said that both the men’s and women’s teams showed great depth going into the tournament.

“The men’s side remains fairly unchanged since last year with the exception of one or two additions, but the women’s side has added some exciting and valuable surfers to their ranks to make them exceptionally strong this season,” he said.

He pointed to seasoned surfers Jean du Plessis, who won the men’s division last year, and women’s competition winner Roxy Giles as ones to watch.

Lenton said the team would be surfing as much as possible in preparation for the tournament to maintain ocean awareness and keep their reflexes sharp.

“We are aiming for nothing less than total victory across all divisions as well as team completion,” said the masters of architecture student.

Although this will be the first big tournament of the season, the NMMU club members have been conducting a successful learn-to-surf programme for students throughout the first semester.

“They really enjoy learning about the ocean and experiencing the fun of surfing, and the practice has definitely helped us prepare for the upcoming season,” said Lenton.

After the national competition, the NMMU surfers will compete in the annual Eastern Cape inter-varsity tournament against Rhodes University, Walter Sisulu University and the University of Fort Hare.

Owen Wright (AUS) has won the Fiji Pro in historic fashion today, claiming his second Perfect 20 of the event in the Final bout against compatriot Julian Wilson (AUS) held in pumping eight-to-ten foot (2.5 - 3 metre) barrels.
 
Stop No. 5 of 11 on the 2015 Samsung Galaxy WSL Championship Tour (CT), the Fiji Pro, has been treated to an abundance of swell and incredible performances by the world’s best surfers, culminating today with Wright’s unparalleled mastery of Cloudbreak.
 
“I can’t believe it, to finish with a couple of 10’s is a dream come true,” said Wright. “I’ve been doing a lot of work behind the scenes and watching the top guys closely and it’s definitely paid off. Gabriel Medina has been a huge inspiration for me, especially watching him at this event last year and what he’s done.” 
 
Wright was the form surfer of the event after a series of incredible performances and huge scores, including a flawless Round 5 heat where he posted his first perfect heat total (only the then-seventh in sport’s history). The Australian made history today by delivering another Perfect 20 in the Final, the sport’s eighth ever perfect heat total, as the first surfer to achieve this incredible feat twice in one event.
 
“I’ve done two trips to Tahiti already this year and I think that’s where some of the barrel riding has come from,” continued Wright. “I have to pay a big tribute to my boards - I’ve never felt better doing turns out there and I love the turns as much as I love the barrels.”

Wright’s win at the Fiji Pro is his second CT victory, after a previous win at the Quiksilver Pro New York in 2011. Wright came into to the event ranked sixth in the world and the result sees him jump up to third on the Jeep Leaderboard. A combination of deep barrel rides and carving rail-work helped the goofyfooter reach the Final after defeating Jeremy Flores (FRA) in the Semifinals and Joel Parkinson (AUS) in the Quarters earlier today. 
 
“Yesterday was a dream come true and today is even better,” Wright said. “To finish with two 10’s is really special. I was watching the ocean before the Final and I knew it would turn on. I knew I just had to be in that rhythm and the waves came and I took them. I’m stoked to be back up on the podium and wouldn’t be here without all the support back home.”
 
Wright dominated the Final from start to finish, opening early with a 9.60 and quickly putting Wilson in a combination. With less than five minutes remaining Wright delivered an epic ride, opening with a huge turn and big barrel, and was rewarded with a Perfect 10. Another long, critical tube ride moments afterwards earned him another Perfect 10, his fourth of the competition and his second Perfect heat total, to seal his victory.

Today was the second Final appearance of 2015 for Julian Wilson (AUS) after meeting Filipe Toledo (BRA) in the season opener on the Gold Coast. The result is his best ever in Fiji after a previous Quarterfinal against Kelly Slater (USA) in 2012 and will see him move from 8th to 5th place on the ratings. Wilson previously dispatched Taj Burrow (AUS) and Italo Ferreira (BRA) today on his way to the Final.
 
“It was a great event and a great result,” said Wilson. “I’m super happy with the result for sure. I couldn’t even hear the scores out there but I knew I was in a tough spot. To get two 20’s in one event is incredible, it was Owen’s turn and I’m so happy for him. He’s got some wind beneath his wings again and congratulations to him. I did everything in my power and I just couldn’t do it, Owen was just so on. I just want to put a good year together and get some consistent results. I’ll just focus on each event and second place is a good result. Hopefully the ocean comes my way next time.”
 
Today’s Semifinal berth for Jeremy Flores (FRA) marks a great result for the new world no. 10, coming off the back of his worst season on the CT in 2014. This is the Frenchman’s best ever showing in Fiji and his first Semifinal appearance since 2012, when he faced Kelly Slater (USA) at Bells Beach. Flores faced eventual winner Owen Wright (AUS) in a thrilling back-and-forth Semifinal battle.
 
“Every time I was paddling out this contest it was pulsing so I’m happy with that,” Flores said. “I’m a bit bummed not to make the Final but you can’t be too disappointed when you get to surf in pumping waves with just one other guy out. It’s really positive for me. I’m feeling really good at the moment and Jeffreys Bay is one of those really good waves and I love it there. I’ve never had a great result there so this year I’m hoping to do something this year.”

2015 marks 18 years amongst the world’s best for Taj Burrow (AUS) and his result at the Fiji Pro today is his best of the season and the first Semifinal appearance since Bells Beach last year. An all-Australian match-up against eventual runner-up Wilson saw Burrow leave the competition in third place, equalling his top result at the Fiji Pro, and moves him up three places on the rankings to 6th.
 
“Was unfortunate not to find a rhythm out there today,” Burrow said. “I can’t be unhappy with a Semifinals finish though. We had pumping surf here and I was stoked to get on a bit of a roll before we head into a really fun leg of events.”
 
2012 World Champion Joel Parkinson (AUS), who posted the first perfect 10 of the competition yesterday in Round 4, went down to Wright in the Quarterfinals. The fifth place finish sees him move up to 15th place on the Jeep Leaderboard and equals his best result in Fiji. Today also marks his top result of 2015 after his worst start to a season in his 15 years on tour.
 
Kai Otton (AUS) caused several upsets at the Fiji Pro this year after eliminating three-time WSL Champion Mick Fanning (AUS) from the competition in Round 5 and reigning WSL Champion and defending event winner Gabriel Medina (BRA) in Round 3. Otton was forced to exit the competition after a heavy wipeout in his match-up against Flores but takes home his first Quarterfinal finish since the Pipe Masters last year.
 
“I got scorpioned harder than I’ve ever been scorpioned before in my life,” said Otton. “My knees went into the reef and I flipped over. Initially I was pretty worried and my legs felt tingly but it subsided by the time I got to the boat. We’ll see what the report says tonight on the injury but I’m feeling pretty good right now so I reckon I’ll be at the next event.”
 
The two Brazilian rookies, Italo Ferreira (BRA) and Wiggolly Dantas (BRA), were both eliminated in the Quarterfinals today at the hands of Wilson and Burrow respectively. The pair have each had a great run of form through the competition with Ferreira eliminating four-time Fiji Pro winner and 11-time World Champion Kelly Slater in Round 5, while Dantas won through each round of competition before facing Burrow today.

The next stop on the 2015 Samsung Galaxy WSL Championship Tour will be the J-Bay Open from July 8 - 19, 2015.
 
Highlights from the Fiji Pro will be available via WorldSurfLeague.com.
 
Fiji Pro Final Results:
1: Owen Wright (AUS) 20.00
2: Julian Wilson (AUS) 7.84
 
Fiji Pro Semifinal Results:
SF 1: Julian Wilson (AUS) 11.50 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 8.66
SF 2: Owen Wright (AUS) 16.93 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 16.57
 
Fiji Pro Quarterfinal Results:
QF 1: Julian Wilson (AUS) 17.36 def. Italo Ferreira (BRA) 17.00
QF 2: Taj Burrow (AUS) 13.37 def. Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 7.40
QF 3: Owen Wright (AUS) 16.60 def. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 12.84
QF 4: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 16.83 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 12.90
 
2015 WSL Jeep Leaderboard Top 5 (after Fiji Pro):
Adriano de Souza (BRA) 28,000 pts
Filipe Toledo (BRA) 27,450 pts
Owen Wright (AUS) 26,250 pts
Mick Fanning (AUS) 24,950 pts
Julian Wilson (AUS) 23,450 pts

A surf compo like no other! Welcome to the Something Good Classic.

It's all about having some fun, with the winner being Surfing. The comp will be held at the best suitable PE wave on the day, whether it's Pipe, Avos, Millers, etc. It's to raise much needed funds to get the NMBS (as in EP) Masters team to the SA Champs in Richards Bay. First 60 entrants get a free t shirt.

Divisions will be as follows: Junior, Open and Ballies, ballies(male or female). Enter as a novice or seasoned campaigner, everyone's welcome - it's all about a fun day down at the beach and in the water. There will be a handicap system in place, so you won't get smoked by the rippers, and you'll get to surf at least twice.

All surf riders will be accommodated - there are shortboard/longboard/bodyboard and SUP categories. (note that there will be no divisions for the bodyboard & SUP categories). There's be guys and chicks divisions for the short & longboarders.

Most of the prizes will be lucky draws, so you just need to be in to win it. You don't have to win the comp to stand a good chance of scoring a kiff prize. There is already more than R10 000 of great goodies to give away. 

There'll be Surf coaches on the beach for the groms, as well as photographers taking snaps of your snaps! 
If you've never surfed a compo before, this one's definitely for you! No pressure, just all about having a jol.

There will also be a family comp - so you can be a father son; dad daughter; bro and sis or husband wife combo. Pretty much any family mix you can think of. It'll be a once off tag-team heat, 2 waves each, for a 4 wave team score. Entry fee is R50/team and you can just enter on the beach on the day.

There is also an Anything that Floats heat. Your ability to ride your craft, door or Lippies long board with a deck chair on it will count.

If you're hydrophobic, no probs, bring your skateboard along for the Poker Run.

Prize giving will be at Something Good, the main sponsor. The draw for the winner of a Brand New Surfboard in the “Beer Shack” raffle will also take place at the prize-giving.

The day might be over, but the party's just getting started! Straight after prize-giving a R30 entry fee gets you into the After Party. The hillbilly rockers, The Cotton Fields, will get everyone into foot-stomping, table dancing mode, and then DJ Munro and DJ Skull Monkey will spin the discs till 2 am. Schweeeet!

Get your entry forms at Surf Centre or download one below and email it to Mervyn on [email protected]
Pay your entry fee into the account, deets on the form. Just put your name followed by SG as the reference.

The comp is to raise funds for the NMBS (as in EP) team to go to SA Masters in Richards Bay.

Solid four- to five-foot pumping surf made for epic conditions on Day Two of the RVCA Junior Challenge at Lower Point. While the waves offered high scoring potential, the increased size also made for physically demanding conditions with long paddles back up the point. 

Not to be outdone by the big boys who were competing in the JBU Supertrial presented by RVCA up the point at Supertubes (eventually won by Slade Prestwich), the youngsters seemed to up their game.
 
Kommetjie’s Ford van Jaarsveldt showed what needed to be done in the premier U20 Boys division. The stylish regular footer rode three waves only, carving his way to pocket 7s. “My strategy was to just sit and wait for the sets,” he said afterward. “If you are on the bigger waves they’re going to give you the bigger scores,” he said.

“I’m super stoked it’s picked up, these bigger waves really suit my style of surfing. Was also so much fun to be out there with just three other guys out. If the conditions were like this on any other day it would be so crowded,” he said. 

Ford, perhaps more favoured in his own division, was knocked out of U16 boys. Other favourites to lose out were Jake Elkington in the U16 Boys and Anoush Zakarian in the U20 Girls.

Arguably the best heat of the weekend was semi final one in the U16 Boys. Adin Masencamp, Joshe Faulkner, Sebastian Williams and Ryan Lightfoot traded wave-for-wave as the sun dipped and the ocean went smooth as glass. At the end of the epic encounter it was Adin Masencamp with both the highest single wave score (9.5) and highest heat score (18.25) who advanced to the finals with JBay local Joshe Faulkner who was surfing his fourth heat of the day.

They will meet Calvin Goor and Ethan Fletcher tomorrow. 

Other standouts on the day included Julian Zens in the U14 Boys, who convincingly beating local Ryan Lightfoot to advance into that division’s semi finals and Mossel Bay’s Nina Harmse, who posted a 9.0 in her U16 Girls quarter final. 

St Francis Bay’s Crystal Hulett also impressed, dropping two big scores within the first 10 minutes in her U20 Girls heat, having to run around after the second. “Getting that first wave is crucial,” she said afterward, having beaten Olivia Izzard into second, with Anna Jelema Butler in third and Jade Mets in fourth. “It’s always my strategy to get that first one. There were a lot of wide sets, but on the inside there were smaller, hollower waves running along the shelf which you could really hit and do some powerful turns on,” she said. “So I tried to vary between the outside sets, by watching Supers to know when they’d be coming down the point; while trying to maintain the inside.”

She later advanced to the final, along with Robyn van der Merwe; Nicole Pallet and Kai Woolf.

The forecast looks favourable for tomorrow when the winners will be crowned. Other action to look forward is a the Paddle Battle in association with Red Bull. This paddle battle is open to surfers 16 years and older, and there will be a Rayne Camera, Stance socks and other sponsor products in the prize package. As well as the Spraymate Paint Jam where the groms will be let loose with hundreds of cans of paint to go wild in an expression-session paint jam.

Co-sponsors include Stance, Firewire, Future Fins, Posca, Havaianas, Nixon, Rayne Cameras, Zigzag Magazine, Posca and Red Bull.
 --
The RVCA Junior Challenge is sanctioned by Surfing South Africa. Surfing South Africa is a member of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), and recognised by the Dept. of Sport and Recreation as the national controlling body for surfing.

Images below by Alan van Gysen

Pumping 10-to-12 foot (3 - 3.5 metre) waves were on offer at the primary venue of Cloudbreak today as the world’s best surfers whittled the competitive field down to the final eight at the Fiji Pro.

 
Stop No. 5 of 11 on the 2015 Samsung Galaxy WSL Championship Tour (CT), the Fiji Pro saw a major ratings shakeup yesterday when wildcard Dane Reynolds (USA) eliminated Jeep Ratings frontrunner Adriano de Souza (BRA) in Round 3 of competition. The upsets continued today with Kai Otton (AUS) ousting No. 2 Filipe Toledo (BRA) during this morning’s Round 3 bout.
 
As the surf built throughout the day, so did the performances of the world’s best surfers.
 
Julian Wilson (AUS), current WSL No. 8, put in a blistering Round 4 performance day, threading monstrous tubes on his backhand in securing a near-perfect heat total of a 19.43 out of a possible 20 and advancing directly into the Quarterfinals over Kelly Slater (USA) and Taj Burrow (AUS).
 
“It was a good heat with sick waves,” Wilson said. “We all hassled for the inside at the start - Kelly and Taj got waves with turns and I was looking for more of a bigger wall that would hit the reef better. Was fortunate to get into a rhythm and find a few. Happy to be straight through to the Quarterfinals.”

Wiggolly Dantas (BRA), 2015 WSL rookie, navigated a tricky heat over rookie compatriot Italo Ferreira (BRA) and lethal wildcard Dane Reynolds (USA) to secure his spot in the Quarterfinals. With the swell building to at-times wild levels, Dantas found waves that offered scoring opportunity amidst the chaos.
 
“It’s getting very tricky out there,” Dantas said. “Feels like the swell is building and I think we put each other out of position a little bit. Stoked to find a couple of waves that didn’t shut down and make it into the Quarterfinals.”
 
Joel Parkinson (AUS), 2012 WSL Champion, has had an uncharacteristic start to his 2015 season, coming into the Fiji Pro rated 20th on the WSL Jeep Leaderboard. However, the Gold Coaster’s undeniable talent and power, as well as his wealth of experience in the South Pacific, have reignited Parkinson’s campaign. Taking on compatriots in three-time WSL Champion Mick Fanning (AUS) and Owen Wright (AUS) in Round 4, Parkinson threaded solid barrels on his backhand and tore into unmatched carves to the tune of an 18.43 out of a possible 20, including the event’s first Perfect 10, and advancement directly into the Quarterfinals.
 
“So good to be in Fiji with waves and surfing heats with good friends,” Parkinson said. “Staying on Namotu, they treat you like family, and it’s just great to be back. Locked into some good ones during that heat and looking forward to tomorrow.” 

Other Round 5 victors included Taj Burrow (AUS) over Dane Reynolds (USA), Kai Otton (AUS) over Mick Fanning (AUS) and Owen Wright (AUS) posting a Perfect 20 out of 20 en route to defeating Adam Melling (AUS). Wright’s commitment to placing himself as deep and critically as possible in the barrel was phenomenal this afternoon, netting the Australian only the seventh Perfect Heat Total in the sport’s history.
 
“I’m absolutely blown away by how good it is out there,” Wright said. “I never thought I’d ever get 20 points in my life, but there’s so much opportunity out there. It feels great to accomplish it. It just feels great to get those waves. There’s no better feeling.”
 
Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7:30am to reassess conditions.
 
When competition recommences, up first will be Julian Wilson (AUS) up against Italo Ferreira (BRA) in the opening Quarterfinal heat.
 
Surfline, official forecasters for the WSL, are calling for:
 
The new SSW swell peaks this afternoon, before starting to ease on Tuesday (still solid). Expect the fading trend to continue through mid week, becoming small by Friday. Although becoming rather breezy each day, wind conditions continue to look favorable for at least the mornings through the next few days (SE’erly Trades).
 

WSL Perfect Heat Totals:
2015: Owen Wright (AUS) - Fiji Pro
2013: Joel Parkinson (AUS) - Oakley Pro Bali
2013: Kelly Slater (USA) - Volcom Fiji Pro
2011: Jeremy Flores (FRA) - Billabong Pro Tahiti
2008: Joel Parkinson (AUS) - Billabong Pipe Masters
2005: Kelly Slater (USA) - Billabong Pro Tahiti
1996: Shane Beschen (USA) - Billabong Pro Gold Coast*
* Best three waves.
 
Fiji Pro Remaining Round 3 Results:
Heat 7: Mick Fanning (AUS) 13.67 def. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 13.30
Heat 8: Joel Parkinson (AUS) def. Sebastian Zietz (HAW)
Heat 9: Owen Wright (AUS) def. Adrian Buchan (AUS)
Heat 10: Kai Otton (AUS) 14.97 def. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 13.77
Heat 11:Jeremy Flores (FRA) 10.60 def.  Bede Durbidge (AUS) 4.50
Heat 12: Adam Melling (AUS) 11.66 def. Filipe Toledo (BRA) 10.97
 
Fiji Pro Round 4 Results:
Heat 1: Julian Wilson (AUS) 19.43, Kelly Slater (USA) 14.34, Taj Burrow (AUS) 13.83
Heat 2: Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 11.30, Dane Reynolds (USA) 10.77, Italo Ferreira (BRA) 10.67
Heat 3: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 18.93, Owen Wright (AUS) 17.26, Mick Fanning (AUS) 16.60
Heat 4: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 18.70, Kai Otton (AUS) 12.10, Adam Melling (AUS) 5.83
 
Fiji Pro Round 5 Results:
Heat 1: Italo Ferreira (BRA) 10.97 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 7.34
Heat 2: Taj Burrow (AUS) 15.24 def. Dane Reynolds (USA) 13.66
Heat 3: Owen Wright (AUS) 20.00 def. Adam Melling (AUS) 17.70
Heat 4: Kai Otton (AUS) 14.33 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 11.33
 
Fiji Pro Quarterfinal Match-Ups:
QF 1: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Italo Ferreira (BRA)
QF 2:  Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) vs. Taj Burrow (AUS)
QF 3: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Owen Wright (AUS)
QF 4: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Kai Otton (AUS)