Table of contents for January / February 2019 in Zigzag

Outside looking in. Surfing is all about the environment: wind, weather and waves. The conditions. And the alignment of all these variables for brief moments of perfection, samadhi, presence. Surfing in so many ways is the sum of its parts. Even in the heart of the city, in water that can incubate the gnarliest ear infections, surrounded by vistas of capital, concrete and construction, you can still find the pulse of nature’s flow. Like Jordan Alexander, viewed from afar, connecting the dots, and letting fly. ©FOX Flip the page for another perspective.…

COTTONS LIBEERIA “Like Snapper Rocks in reverse, without the crowd.” That’s how eminent goofy-foot shaper Simon Fish describes the series of points that make up the Robertsport Peninsula in northwest Liberia. The crown jewel amongst these sandy treasures is Cottons, a consistent left that spins off between clumps of rocks and ancient primary rainforest that tumbles down to the shore. On a normal day, the wave is made up of Outside Cottons and Inside Cottons, two separate sections that can offer rides over a hundred meters long. But when deep, booming groundswells march up the length of the African coastline, the two sections connect into a thigh-aching wall that can run for half a kay. Locals will even tell you of days when the wave connects all the way to…

WEN TO GO The Republic of Congo has two wet seasons: a short wet season from March to May, and a longer wet season from October to December. Annual average rainfall can exceed a staggering 1800mm, which makes getting around beyond the cities pretty much impossible unless you have an amphibious vehicle. The good news is that the best time for surf is June to August, which coincides nicely with the dry season when regular swells march up from the South Atlantic along with offshore winds. Expect consistent two to four foot waves with bigger days during this time. WAVES Mostly rippable beachbreak peaks centred around Pointe Noire, with La Pyramide being the most consistent and often the best quality. Waves are punchy and fun. Noumbi is a classic left…

DROP THE ZAG A LINE ON LETTERS@ZIGZAG.C0.ZA AND b E HEARD SCHOOL OF STOKE This past July, twelve schoolboys set out for Bali from the heart of Stellenbosch on Paul Roos Gymnasium’s second biennial surf tour. This tradition, which started as a “too-quickly-spoken” promise by Ms Stofberg, set an incredible example of the well-rounded education that can be offered by such a tour. I was one of the lucky boys on this tour and feel it was incredibly valuable in shaping us boys, both culturally and in our surfing ability. I believe that our school can be an example to other schools to show them what is possible. It can broaden the scope of education and help to shape more well-rounded individuals – and shredders. Bernard Combrink, Stellenbosch – Well…

A shark is not the kind of creature most people fantasize about cuddling with. That Jaws stereotype still plagues our murky water mind games and, let’s face it, it’s a tough one to shake. But you’ll be happy to know that there are sharks out there that break the grim stigma and are completely harmless to humans. Meet the puffadder shyshark or skaam haai. It’s endemic to South African waters, cute as hell, and get this – it glows in the dark. The shyshark is a predator that feeds mainly on crustaceans, worms, and small bony fish. Surfers, your limbs are safe. In fact, shysharks are so chilled out that you could probably even catch them with your bare hands! (Not that we endorse shark harassment but just FYI). These…

I HEAR HIM HOOTING ALL THE WAY TO BEACH Surfing in Africa has historically been a white sport on a black continent. Can the power of stoke, driven by a new generation of African surfers, blur those old-school mindsets and distinctions, and give birth to a better surf culture? We all start surfing for different reasons but we all become surfers for the same reason. Surfing is hard. It takes time and perseverance and opportunity. But the rewards have changed our lives. Surfing is a great privilege. Perhaps the greatest privilege of them all. That word – privilege – is doubly appropriate when we consider the racial demographics of surfers in Africa today. Surfing has been primarily the pastime of the white minority simply because it requires resources and influences…

Fortuna favet fortibus. Fortune favours the brave. For surfers, fortune means arriving at your local break to find it firing with not a soul in the water. Since this only ever happens in your dreams, you’re going to have to be brave and head for unchartered territory. You want perfection, go to J-Bay, Indo or the Maldives. But if it’s uncrowded you’re after, then cross a few borders and stay on the continent. That’s where the brave part comes in. Africa can be mad, bad and dangerous to know. I’ve been to ten African countries and surfed in five. Well, I say surfed. Most of these were work trips so I hardly ever had my board with me and often had to rely on whatever came to hand. In Mombasa,…

THE OVERHEAD STANDING WAVE THAT BREAKS, IN THE MIGHTY ZAMBEZI IS NO SECRET. DISCOVERED BY KAYKERS OVER 20 YAERS AGO, MORE THAN A FEW SURFERS HAVE MADE THE JOURNEY THROUGH THE KALAHARI TO EXPLORE ITS QUIRKY WAVES TIMELESS CURVES. BUT NOW THANKS TO A LARGELY ILL-CONSIDERED HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER SCHEME, AFRICA’S WEIRDEST WAVE MAY SOON BE NO MORE My phone pings near the dregs of my second beer at Dropkick Murphy. New message from my connection Sean Edington, a river guide on the Zambezi. “It’s just started. You coming?” And there was a picture, bad angle, but you could see the lip and the curl of the wave and that was enough. The wave normally only lasts a week. Time starts now. Things to organise: budgets, surfers, vehicle, passports, cameras, video,…

Tel: 031 309 2937 Mail: sales@surffcs.co.za Web: www.surffcs.co.za GRAHAM SMITH SURFBOARDS HOLY MOLY SHAPER: Graham Smith DIMENSIONS: 5’10” x 19” x 2⅜” - 29L FIN SETUP: Thruster A tale of two Lukes. The board that both Luke Slijpen and Luke Thompson dominated on at ISA World Juniors at Huntington Beach. Get one under your feet and taste the champagne. EMAIL: info@grahamsmithboards.com TEL:(+27) 31 368 4022 WEB: www.grahamsmithboards.com CLAYTON SURFBOARDS HAVOK SHAPER: Clayton Nienaber DIMENSIONS: 5’9” x 19” x 2¼” - 26.5L FIN SETUP: Thruster The Havok has more width in the plan shape for smoother rail turns and fuller rails which make it super forgiving through turns. The Havok is ridden 1-2 inches shorter than your regular board. EMAIL: cindy@claytonsurf.co.za TEL: (+27) 31 368 4825 WEB: www.claytonsurfboards.co.za ADDR: 44 Milne…

OIL AND DIAMONDS DOMINATE THE ECONOMY BUT WE HAD COME LOOKING FOR THAT OTHER PRECIOUS RESOURCE It’s the end of the rainy season and the water is the colour of Frisco. Stained-brown waves peel down the point, framed by dripping jungle. Somewhere inside all that green is our camp; a cluster of tree houses leading onto the beach. Beyond the bay lies more empty coastline and impenetrable rainforest that spills into neighbouring Gabon. It would be paradise, if it didn’t feel so sharky. “I wouldn’t be swimming out here,” Max Armstrong says as he paddles past me with a smirk on his face. Max is one of only two surfers out for hundreds of miles, but at least he has a board between him and whatever’s lurking beneath us. Legs…