Tabla de contenidos para April-May 2018 en Zigzag

Every year ahead of the upcoming Dream Tour season, Jordy Smith spends a few weeks back home preparing for another run at the title. Jords takes the time to fine-tune boards and techniques, more often than not scoring some sick cyclone swell along the way. “Best Durban I’ve surfed in 10 years,” he told us once this swell from cyclone Berguitta had subsided. ©PATTERSON Flip the page for a different perspective. Durban local Blane Wood, on the other hand, was just charging a few before heading into work for the day. ©SMITH…

When the promised waves from Berguitta arrived in East London, I headed down to Nahoon Corner, which is normally a banker for a south east swell. But after spending the early part of the morning watching less-than-stellar waves due to the high tide, I decided to pack it in and go check out some of my favourite slabs. Once I arrived at Gashers, I was greeted by some bombs exploding on the shallow ledge, but the water was moving around all over the place and made the lineup look unapproachable. After watching it for a bit, however, I thought ‘stuff it’ and made the call to Solly. No twisting of arms was necessary, and he was in. For decades Gashers has been a firm favourite for the local crew of…

CLAYTON SURFBOARDS HAVOCK SHAPER: Clayton Nienaber DIMENSIONS: 5’9” x 19” x 2 ¼” - 26.5L FIN SETUP: Thruster The Havock has more width in the plan shape for smoother rail turns and fuller rails which make it super forgiving through turns. The Havock is ridden 1-2 inches shorter than your regular board. EMAIL: cindy@claytonsurf.co.za dean@claytonsurf.co.za TEL: (+27) 31 368 4825 WEB: www.claytonsurfboards.co.za ADDR: 44 Milne street, Durban Central, 4001 CLAYTON SURFBOARDS SICKNESS SHAPER: Clayton Nienaber DIMENSIONS: 5’10” x 18 ½” x 2 ¼” - 25L FIN SETUP: Thruster The Sickness has a smooth single concave and a simple outline that delivers creativity and performance. The Sickness should be ridden at the same height as the surfer. EMAIL: cindy@claytonsurf.co.za dean@claytonsurf.co.za TEL: (+27) 31 368 4825 WEB: www.claytonsurfboards.co.za ADDR: 44 Milne street,…

Since Bruce Brown and crew first stumbled upon Cape St Francis back in 1964, documentarians have been at the forefront of surf discovery, either leading the way or following in the wake of fellow pioneers. What followed was Uluwatu, Supertubes, Grajagan, Santosha, Mundaka, Cloud 9 and a hundred more discoveries. The world today has become a smaller place, but instead of being a deterrent, today’s first responders are pushing deeper, opening up the edges of the map and letting us have a peek at what’s still waiting out there. Meet three pioneering surf photographers who have helped lead the way.…

The Philippines is a vast expanse of islands, 7 107 in total and second only to Indonesia in potential dream setups. But unlike Indo with its constant exposure to southern hemisphere swells, the Philippines relies on erratic typhoons to light up any potential surf along its 36 289 kilometres of coastline. When there are no typhoons, the ocean lies dormant, dead flat for weeks on end. Discovering a wave like Cloud 9 against these odds is like finding a needle in a haystack, but that’s exactly what John Seaton Callahan did in 1992. “Cloud 9 had possibly been surfed before we went to Siargao in 1992,” says Callahan, who launched a small expedition to the island with American pros Taylor Knox and Evan Slater. “But we did not know there…

But you couldn’t do that without a wetsuit. On a particularly fresh day at this spot, you’d enjoy a 45 minute session before the sea tries to kill ya! And she wouldn’t have to do much either, when the hypothermia sets in: Shivering, loss of fine motor control, clumsiness, shallow breathing, confusion and then a sudden loss of consciousness and you’re tickets. Good times! And yes they are… Thanks to wetsuits! These fitted, flexi rubber suits mean that the next chapter of surf discovery will be written in sub-zero locations. We’re on the verge of grunting out the next cold water Uluwatu or J-Bay, it’s only a matter of time. And all because we can wrap our bodies in sculpted rubber and defy the elements - to enjoy a good…

Omphalophobia, the fear of belly buttons. Now this story has nothing to do with innies or outies but does relate back to the heebie-jeebies, a feeling familiar to most. Early dawnies or late arvo sessions have the power to tap into our subconscious and warp any dark patch in the water into a scene out of that shitty Blake Lively movie The Shallows. So, what’s the best way to get peace of mind out on our liquid playground? Well, for some it’s by busting a fat set of goofy eyes on the bottom of their stick. Sounds crazy, but Shark Eyes are real and gaining traction as a visual deterrent brought to you from the kelp bed by perlemoen divers. These underwater ranchers have wilder non-baited encounters with sharks than…

A WEEK BEFORE THE CARNAGE SHE WROUGHT UPON OUR SHORTS - LIGHTING UP THE COAST FROM SODWANA TO KALJ BAY WITH A PURPLE PATH OF EPIC SURF - BERGUITTA SHOWED HER DARKER SIDE A boom-box in the darkness thumps out an ungodly rhythm. The rhythm started as silent bands of energy gliding through the sea toward southern Africa, where they will thump ashore with a climactic crescendo on a Thursday afternoon in January during a neap low tide. She was born in mid-January a thousand miles past Madagascar in the middle of the ocean. Seabirds bore witness to her genesis. Pre-named before her birth by Mauritius Meteorological Services and Météo Madagascar, Berguitta was the second cyclone of the 2018 season. Her first stirrings were innocuous enough – a puff of…

Keen to learn more about the salty playground he grew up shredding, Kommetjie local Daniel Wilson signed up to study Oceanography after high school. And while he is yet to pursue a career in the field having since graduated, you’d be hard-pressed to find a surf instructor with better wave forecasting credentials. Dan’s wave-slaying skills aren’t to be sniffed at either, and he shreds whatever conditions the ocean throws at him. Name: Daniel Wilson Age: 24 Local spot: Kommetjie, or wherever the waves are. Occupation: Surf instructor Favourite board: 5’10” x 18 3/4” x 2 5/16” Clayton Spinetek epoxy Havok. Number of boards snapped: Far too many. Probably between 30 - 40. Been there, done that: Tofo, Mozambique, Madagascar and some epic spots in the Kei. Current Star: John John…

Since then Grambeau has journeyed to the Galapagos, been shot at in Northern Indo, survived torrential floods in Peru and driven his motorbike from LA to the bottom of the world Rumours, hints, marine charts and weather maps. That’s how Ted Grambeau has made some of his greatest discoveries over the past four decades, long before the Internet and Google Earth became tools de rigueur. In the process, Grambeau has travelled over 100 countries, burnt through 12 passports and arguably emblazoned more iconic images on surfing’s collective consciousness than any surf photographer alive. None of it may have happened though if it wasn’t for a footy injury. “My interest in surf photography started when a knee injury from Australian rules football prevented me surfing on the weekends,” says Grambeau. “I…

Nobody’s going to draw you a map to where the world’s next great surf discovery might be waiting, but here are some golden leads from a few explorers on the frontlines. With 54 countries, three oceans, and an abundance of untracked coastline, Africa is an obvious choice. Alan Van Gysen says even countries like Somalia are holding vast potential. “Like Namibia, Somalia has a lengthy and well angled coastline facing out into an exposed body of ocean,” says Van Gysen. “It’s not open to consistently big and clean swells like the west coast of Africa, but it still gets powerful cyclonic action with thousands of kilometres of coastline groomed by the desert sands and bookmarked by rocky points. It doesn’t take a lot to figure out that there are some…

I’d been watching cyclone Berguitta, hoping to hit a strike mission further up the coast. But while tracking the storm, I saw the winds weren’t going to line up. The new benefit of this though, was that the system was pushed further west than usual, and would sit close enough to spin out some east swell that would light up a few rare breaks. My travel partner was Jordy Maree. He was frothing but in his excitement forgot to mention that he had no boards, he’d snapped them all and they were in for repair. The initial plan was to leave early, and I drove to Jordy’s house in Kalk Bay ready to go, but he’d not yet been able to get hold of any of his boards. Things weren’t…

Often mistaken for a frothing grom, Umhlanga’s pint-sized charger, Mike Frew, will quickly end the confusion when you watch him paddle out into a heaving lineup and drop into some bombs. His already high stoke levels reach their peak when the ocean is roaring, and Frewbru never shies away from a big wave challenge. When he is not dropping into one of the waves of the day, Mike also tears up the little stuff and sells surf clothing and accessories for a living. Totally immersed in surf culture. Name: Mike Frew Age: 44 Local spot: Umhlanga Rocks Occupation: Sales Agent Favourite board: I’ve got two, both shaped by Dutchie Surf Designs. A 5’9” Icon model for normal waves, and a 7’2” Speargun model for thick barrels and heavier surf. Number…

The consequence of acquiring a taste for social media as the perfect work avoidance tool, is that I have developed the attention span of a tadpole. So when I got an email from the small but perfectly formed editor of this magnificent magazine, I paid attention right up to when he said this edition would have a travel theme. I stopped reading at the word ‘travel’ – missed the part about my deadline – and stared out the window thinking about where I’ve been and where I still want to go. The Bad Yellow-Eyed Woman found me like that. She was in a filthy mood and claimed to have been waiting for me at a restaurant for two days. It seemed unlikely. She has no concept of time, let alone…

Alan Van Gysen can still hear the sound of the second mate’s leg breaking, a sharp crack like a thick branch being snapped. “The boat captain launched over a wave and when the boat came down, the second mate landed with all his weight on the side-railing,” says Van Gysen. “The whimper he let out was almost inaudible, but right away we could see it was bad. Really bad. His whole leg was bent in at a right angle. We had to get him to a hospital right away.” There are, however, no hospitals in Cap Est, the easternmost point of Madagascar where Van Gysen found himself hunting for virgin waves with Greg Long, Twiggy Baker and Fergal Smith on a local boat they’d chartered. Instead, they lashed the second…