1 leg, 5 fins and a whole lot of motivation
Mark & his 'mistress'. Image Lorna.
Age: 48
Local Spot: Pipe
Weapons: 6ft6 5 fin - shaped by Dennis Ellis (The Boardroom)
Wheels: White Ford bantam bakkie
Graft: Recently become a free agent - which he recommends highly!
Favourite surfer: Kelly Slater
Favourite spot: JBay and Seals
Local Crew: Other than my fiance Lorna, on my own mission - enough crowds, so why bring more!
Achievements: EP Juniors up until matric (1979)
Local Spot: Pipe
Weapons: 6ft6 5 fin - shaped by Dennis Ellis (The Boardroom)
Wheels: White Ford bantam bakkie
Graft: Recently become a free agent - which he recommends highly!
Favourite surfer: Kelly Slater
Favourite spot: JBay and Seals
Local Crew: Other than my fiance Lorna, on my own mission - enough crowds, so why bring more!
Achievements: EP Juniors up until matric (1979)
So how'd you get into surfing?
Well, I grew up in Summerstrand. Started off body-surfing, then belly boarding. One day I saw a guy standing on a surfboard and thought it looked cool, like a natural progression. My uncle bought me a 2nd hand Larry Levine for Christmas when I was about 13. Got it outta the swop column for R10!!
We started out at Pipe, but then made surfboard trailers for our bicycles and used to cycle around Marine Drive to Noordhoek to go surf there. When you were young and fit the rip wasn't such a hassle!(Ed - not to mention the bike ride there to start with!)
We started out at Pipe, but then made surfboard trailers for our bicycles and used to cycle around Marine Drive to Noordhoek to go surf there. When you were young and fit the rip wasn't such a hassle!(Ed - not to mention the bike ride there to start with!)
Double click the images to open them up in full size with caption
Were you fully into it as a lightie?
For sure. I didn't get to school that much. Each morning I'd wake up and run down to the beach to check the surf. If there were waves, I didn't go to school, if there was nothing - then I went to school! They used to record the number of periods you were absent in a year, not by day. So my report used to show these absentees in the 100's! Luckily I just listened well in class when I was there, so still managed to pass matric. I called it doing my BSc - "Better surfing course!"
Did you surf competitively?
I did, not so much because I wanted to, but they kept asking me to. I didn't ever surf trials, I just got invited to go along. I was stoked cos everything was paid for and I got to go surf new spots, the competitive side was incidental.
In my matric year (1979) we went up to Margate for SA Junior Champs & I got my best result - making the finals. I remember it was during the sardine run, and there were fish everywhere, this brown water and all these sharks washed up on the beach! I wasn't so keen about surfing out there as you can imagine!
In my matric year (1979) we went up to Margate for SA Junior Champs & I got my best result - making the finals. I remember it was during the sardine run, and there were fish everywhere, this brown water and all these sharks washed up on the beach! I wasn't so keen about surfing out there as you can imagine!
What did you get up to after school?
I went straight into the navy, and ended up staying there for 4 years so I could avoid getting called up to the border. I then ended up going to Durban to work after that.
How did you lose your leg?
We were on our way back to Durbs from a surf trip in the Transkei in 1990. It was at night, and the next thing I saw all these cows in the road. I tried to swerve to avoid hitting them head-on, thinking I had a chance to get between them and the barrier on the side of the road. Unfortunately after hitting the side of one of the cows the car went into the barrier, which sliced into the drivers side of the car and into my leg. Bust my leg in 5 places below the knee and 2 places above the knee.
It was a long haul after that. They tried to save my leg, but after a year and a half being in hospital almost full time I was in so much pain - plus I'd developed gangrene in the leg. I ended up asking the Dr whether he could just cut it off instead, so the next day in I went for the amputation.
I was on crutches for about another year after that, as had to wait for all the infections to settle before I could fit a prosthesis. So that was nearly 3 years on crutches, incredibly frustrating. There was no rehab and physio back in those days, so I just taught myself to walk again.
I tried a bit of bodyboarding and paddlesking but it wasn't the same, so I just distanced myself from the ocean - basically hid from it. Surfing had been everything to me, and it was devastating to have lost it.
It was a long haul after that. They tried to save my leg, but after a year and a half being in hospital almost full time I was in so much pain - plus I'd developed gangrene in the leg. I ended up asking the Dr whether he could just cut it off instead, so the next day in I went for the amputation.
I was on crutches for about another year after that, as had to wait for all the infections to settle before I could fit a prosthesis. So that was nearly 3 years on crutches, incredibly frustrating. There was no rehab and physio back in those days, so I just taught myself to walk again.
I tried a bit of bodyboarding and paddlesking but it wasn't the same, so I just distanced myself from the ocean - basically hid from it. Surfing had been everything to me, and it was devastating to have lost it.
So how'd you get back into surfing then?
Four years ago I became the agent for Evolution fins - an Aussie fin company - as a sideline. It sorted happened through a mate's brothers mate's type of thing. I decided to at least try get back into something surfing related, almost like a nostalgia thing. It didn't work out, but did at least start me thinking about getting back into surfing again.
I'd met Dennis Ellis (The Boardroom) whilst repping the fins, so went to him in the middle of last year and asked him to make me a board. I made my own leg for surfing out of bits and pieces of old legs I had. It was a real process of trail and error.
First time I went out was at Seals, slipped myself stukkend on the rocks on the way out, cutting my hands! The surf didn't work out so well, my foot kept on catching as I tried to get up. So everytime after I got out from a session I just chopped another centimetre or so off the foot, until I'd taken about 8cm off. I'd gone as far as I could in cutting bits of foot off, so started to trim down the length of the shaft - cut that by about 4 cm in the end.
After about 20 sessions I managed to get up on my first wave. I've never felt so stoked! Just blew my mind totally - after 20 years out of the water I was at last surfing again! Ended up pulling all the ligaments in my left foot as it wasn't used to trying to control the board - full on black foot that night. But I couldn't care, I was surfing again.
I'm glad I didn't know when I started out how hard it was going to be, otherwise I might not have even tried. It worked out well being so naive about the whole process.
I'd met Dennis Ellis (The Boardroom) whilst repping the fins, so went to him in the middle of last year and asked him to make me a board. I made my own leg for surfing out of bits and pieces of old legs I had. It was a real process of trail and error.
First time I went out was at Seals, slipped myself stukkend on the rocks on the way out, cutting my hands! The surf didn't work out so well, my foot kept on catching as I tried to get up. So everytime after I got out from a session I just chopped another centimetre or so off the foot, until I'd taken about 8cm off. I'd gone as far as I could in cutting bits of foot off, so started to trim down the length of the shaft - cut that by about 4 cm in the end.
After about 20 sessions I managed to get up on my first wave. I've never felt so stoked! Just blew my mind totally - after 20 years out of the water I was at last surfing again! Ended up pulling all the ligaments in my left foot as it wasn't used to trying to control the board - full on black foot that night. But I couldn't care, I was surfing again.
I'm glad I didn't know when I started out how hard it was going to be, otherwise I might not have even tried. It worked out well being so naive about the whole process.
The 5 finned baby asleep on the couch. Lorna reckons if she let him, Mark'd leave it just there instead of the garage.
You're surfing a 5 fin, that's pretty novel.
It kinda went that way by default. I got Dennis to make me my first new board in 20 years when I got back into surfing in the middle of last year. I wasn't sure if I wanted a thruster or a twinnie, so asked him to stick 5 fin boxes in to give me both options. When I tried it as a thruster it was a bit loose for me, seeing as I was just getting back into it and the added complication of the prosthesis. So I just stuck all 5 fins in to see how it went, absolutely loved it, and have been surfing it like that ever since. Now the ou's notice the 5 fins more than the fact that I have a prosthetic leg!
So where are you at with your life right now?
I resigned from work just over a month back - never been happier. I try surf every day that there's waves. The biggest I've been out in so far has been about 6ft, but I'm looking to keep pushing my surfing - getting better and going bigger.
I'm keen on getting involved with helping new amputees, from an advice and motivational aspect. I'm also looking at working with some prothestic companies as a spokesperson/role model, so we'll see how that goes.
Just last week I went to go look at bikes at Wayne Pheiffers's cycles in Linton Grange, something to keep fit with when not surfing. Next thing I know he's offered to sponsor me a bike, stoked! Thanks Wayne!!
I'm keen on getting involved with helping new amputees, from an advice and motivational aspect. I'm also looking at working with some prothestic companies as a spokesperson/role model, so we'll see how that goes.
Just last week I went to go look at bikes at Wayne Pheiffers's cycles in Linton Grange, something to keep fit with when not surfing. Next thing I know he's offered to sponsor me a bike, stoked! Thanks Wayne!!
You're such an inspiration for all those facing challenges.
I believe it's important to see every problem as an opportunity. It might not seem like it at the time, but if you get yourself in the right headspace you can overcome any challenge. You just have to keep reminding yourself of that!
When I resigned recently it was a big leap of faith, and yet so far it's turning out amazingly. I used to spend my whole life working just so I had money to afford my legs, now within 3 weeks I've been offered free legs and parts - so I no longer have this as a financial burden.
When I resigned recently it was a big leap of faith, and yet so far it's turning out amazingly. I used to spend my whole life working just so I had money to afford my legs, now within 3 weeks I've been offered free legs and parts - so I no longer have this as a financial burden.
Speedline at Pipe. Image by Lorna.
Thanks Mark, you're a legend!
Mark also credits his fiance Lorna with being a huge inspiration and support. He's even more stoked cos since he got back into surfing she's discovered she likes taking surf photography, so now he has his own photag whenever he goes for a surf. Beat that!
