I took a swim in very difficult conditions the other day. The rip was crazy and waves were all over the place. However Jakes was on top form, and we managed to get one hit before Mother Ocean decided to call the session over. 
 
 
Here is a six pack of shots, courtesy of the Easter Bunny and Hurley's Donovan Zoetmulder. Crack open your own six pack and enjoy
crowds? what crowds?
grainy evening surf
sunday morning session saw good light and great barrels
frustration sets in during a particularly long lull
underwater visions
giving fins free a new meaning
 
 
Ripcurl charger, Etienne Potgieter knows how to handle his shit. Working at 30,000 feet, he can control the gnarliest of situations, and cross-uses this knowledge to dominate every swell that gets in his way. With such experience both in the air and in the pit, he certainly knows a thing a two. Et talks us through how to manage that sick feeling you get when you need to throw tail
ONE | As with most manoeuvres, throwing tail is all about the bottom turn. How you approach the lip is essential. A good bottom turn projecting straight up into the pitching lip. Keeping those knees bent keeps all that potential energy stored up to give the lip a solid kick.
TWO | The lip needs to be at the point where it wants to start throwing, this will help guide your board back towards the wave and not let you go flying off of the back.
THREE | At this point you've ridden right up onto the lip and its time to start moving your weight to your back foot.
FOUR | As you're pushing the tail you are guiding the nose around towards the trough of the wave.
FIVE | Neatly balanced on the lip you kick the tail around, your weight is shifted to centered over the middle of your board. At this point, the casual observer might ask,"Etienne, do you just throw your hands in the air and wave them around like you just don't care?", to which I answer that I am making my arms into a giant L for Looser so that Bruce Campell can see how its done.
SIX | and...
SEVEN | As the tail is swinging around, you've kept yourself nicely centered, you need to start shifting back onto your back foot, lifting the nose, head and shoulders looking and pointing in the direction of travel, which in this case is down and with the breaking wave.
EIGHT | As your fins engage again, you turn your board moving onto your inside rail and set up for the next bottom turn or drive out of the manoeuver. Its also sometimes good to leave a hand up and ready in case anyone wants to throw out a high 5.
 
 
The beginning of surreal
I caught up with "Cstyle" just as he had finished a surreal surf at Avalanche. There was lightning all over the place, and thunder was booming in the sky. This is what he had to say:
Pleasant times, as the tail end of the storm passes
 
 
A photographic experience of 72 hours
Pay the bill before you leave
Colour on an overcast day
Waiting for the bus
N2 passenger
Trees
Stretching those giraffe legs
Somewhere between east and west
 
 
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE HAS REFERENCES AND IMAGES CONTAINING BODYBOARDING. ONLY READ ON IF YOU RIDE A SPONGE OR YOU'RE A BODYSURFER. IF YOU'RE A SURFER I SUGGEST YOU CHECK OUT www.millerslocal.co.za/visions.html FOR MORE APPROPRIATE CONTENT. THE PHOTOGRAPHER DOES NOT TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY LOST STOKE BY CONTINUING WITH THIS ARTICLE

Warri always seems to be in the water. Even when its tiny and crap, he is out, finding pits and ramps all over the place. He gives you the low down on what it takes to dominate tiny barrels in the bay. Read on and learn bodyboarding kooks
1 | ok so as we all know, take off is key! While busy paddling and looking down the line, I sense what the wave will do. I glide with push of the wave and I can sense that the wave will be a short, hollowish one.
2-3 | sensing that I was right on the take off (as to what would most probably play out), I drag my legs a little to wash off a bit of speed and get as deep as I can. Basically waiting for the wave to do its thing. Its more of a positional thing, and being as smooth and controlled as you can, always watching between the lip and down the line.
4 | ok now I'm thinking its gonna throw (and I'm gonna get pitted off my pip). I just need to crank the bottom turn a little more and drag legs at the same time so I can get as deep as possible.
5-7 | now I'm using left side of my body to stall cause I wasn't deep enough and I sense the lip is still going to get hollower and barrel for a few seconds. And once again position myself in that sweetspot of the barrel.
8-14 | right, so now I'm enjoying the view hahah (time standing still, it truly is something special), and always watching top left part of the barrel for clues as to what's next. Getting bumped by the foamball, and riding on it is a feeling that you can't really explain. But you get sense of a push/pull feeling and being loose! 

The barrel is starting to pinch, so its just about trusting your line and speed, and well, stick with it (prone on a boogi you can't race/pump for speed in barrels unlike surfing, but leaning forward or back helps)...So the barrel pinches and my eyes are semi closed, i took a breath of air (in case you get chowed) and basically just punch through the curtaining lip.. :)
15-16 | I punch through the curtaining lip and am thrilled to have made that barrel and be alive :D
17 | Im looking to see if you (VISIONSblog) got the shot/semi claim
 
 
Taking sunday drives to the next level.
A pilot decided to get an up close view of the best pointbreak in the world. 
From his jet. Flying at a very low altitude.
The plane seemed to almost appear out of thin air, and was gone just as quick. You dont see that everyday. Unless you live at a landing strip
The tale end of the low altitude. From here the pilot took off directly vertical, took things to a more horizontal location, and disappeared into the distance.
Hercu witnessed the whole event. 
Jamming the rail. A precursor to being buzzed by a fighter jet.

 
 
when I first heard rumours of a pe surfer who had broken his leg skateboarding, i knew i had to know the real story. so i took a drive to st georges hospital, and found him on the 3 rd floor with a cyoh tshirt, reading a zigzag. he was so chilled when i started talking to him that i thought that the doctor had given him some A Grade medical marijuana. 

(the interview was recorded, transcribed and edited for better reading pleasure)
Pre interview, contemplating the questions and the round elevator lights
kody
So grant, are you on mad meds at the moment?

grant beck
i am hey, um, it feels like im actually flying at the moment, but its good.

at least you don't have to pay for that kind of stuff hey?
(laughs) ya, for free hey

ok, before we begin, what's actually broken in your body? or whats going on?
its my right femur, it snapped pretty bad, and uh, ya. they put a pin in, for good. 

so now we know it was your femur, which is your…
leg 

main leg bone?
strongest bone in the body (laughs)

ya, well its going be stronger after this, with the pins etc. ok so what actually happened?
what was the vibe? describe the scene to us
well, we all went for a surf, cape st francis. just cruising around. came out the water, nice evening. my brother, josh mcwilliams and i decided to go for a sector 9, so we bombed a couple hills, past stix, and then there was a little hill that i tuned josh, lets go for it. and uh, he didn't want to go first, so i went first (laughs). As i was coming down, you normally go onto the grass to slow yourself down, and i was just going so fast, and as soon as i realized there was a gap between the pavement and the grass, i had to jump off. And as soon as i jumped off on the grass, my leg obviously landed a bit skew and the momentum just snapped it. 

thats crazy
crazy

was it weird when you wiped, did you know it was broken or…
straight away
is it? straight away?
straight away, ya

did you land on your leg?
uh, i landed on my foot, and the momentum just snapped it (showing the motion of his leg going over). i just sat down on the ground afterwards, and my leg was just…you could see my leg wasn't straight, it was very, very skew. 

was it sore?
very sore
i cant even imagine that
ya

so you say your brother was there and..
josh mcwilliams

thats cool. what operation did you have to have to fix it up now?
ok so, they operated and put like a pin, they nailed a pin through my hip here (pointing to large plasters and bandages on his hip), straight down the femur, and two screws at the end, just before my kneecap. so that'll keep it in place.

how long do you have to have these? are the pins for life? 
pins for life

do you know how big the pins are?
there's an x-ray, but uh, but they are more or less...(shows me with his hands), i would say 35/40 centimeters 

just longer than a ruler?
ya
thats quite big
ya quite a long one

The Bionic Goofy Foot, getting some much needed stoke
how long are you going to be in hospital for?
i've been here since saturday night...
today is tuesday
today is tuesday ya, and they said they'll release me thursday morning.

ok, whats hospital like?
crap (laughs)
is it shit?
i don't like the hospital, hospital food is gross 

really? everyone always says hospital food is the best..?
nah, i think its rubbish

what about the nurses? surely there must be nurses here who can do you a special favor in the morning, or at night?
(laughs) there's one or two nice nurses
oh really?
ya
do they work at night or during the day?
uh, both

both? so you scored big time..
so you say you come out of hospital on thursday morning, and then whats the plan? where do you go from there?
hopefully go to cape st francis, and hang out there


(at this moment, in walks brad beck, hannah, and grants dad, mike. plenty of high fives go down)

in walks brad, brother to grant. hi brad, how you doing?

brad beck
good and you hey, you lekker?

yeah good, so tell us in your words. what was the vibe like on saturday? when it all went down
um, yoh we were bombing lekker hills in seals, cruising down to the caravan park, and uh, ou's are always amped for something more. just saw this one steep hill, thought it was cool and right in front of my eyes in happened hey. out of nowhere...ag you know, he's all good now, so..

double B to the rescue?
(laughs) ya

so grant, back to you, when do you reckon you're going to get in the water again? i think thats the question that everyone is asking
grant beck
uh, they say about four/five months, but im going to aim for about four. 

do you have to do rehab to get going again?
ya, physio. just physio work. its more the muscles now. 

oh ok, how long until you reckon you can start doing some sort of movement, other than walking to and from the bathroom, and the fridge? 
hopefully about a month

and then when you all back together, and surfing and skating again, you reckon you going to go try that hill again?
definitely not that hill (laughs)

not that hill? that hill conquered you, now you got to conquer the hill
ill conquer it some day (laughs)

some day? ok well thats good.  and then just to finish off, have you got anybody to thank, or anyone you want to say whats up to?
big ups to my brother, and josh for keeping me calm. best brother in the world, he's just like so supportive and stuff. 

now is that just coz he's standing right here?
(laughs) no, he's a good brother

ok, cool
cool, thanks
Support for the injured
 
 
The lure of no crowds gets the better of Ricky. He pushes aside the thought of large sealife, and busts during a solo session on the wildside
 
 
A photographic experience of 72 hours
Stairs
Int Mate
Furniture
Nuwe Mark Str / Newmarket St
More stairs
Keeping an eye on the situation
Time
Kieran getting serious
Stage fright
Scar