Durban - While some were hoping and praying for the recent heavy rains bucketing over KwaZulu-Natal to stop, a group of fearless surfers were biting their nails in anticipation, waiting for a chance to go out and ride the huge swells that hit the Durban beachfront this week.
With the might of the Indian Ocean pushing murky barrels against New Pier and North Beach, two sections along the Golden Mile, Durbanites and a Capetonian faced eight to 10 foot waves.
Speaking to IOL on Wednesday, local surfers Roland Suttie and Luke Thompson said that conditions on Tuesday morning were not for the rookies, with both men rating it at 10/10 and 8/10, respectively, on the danger factor.
From the images posted online by surf photographer Jason Brown, the water looks muddy. Large amounts of dirt, tree stumps and plastic were also seen strewn along the shore.
With a combination of big waves, trees and other rubble floating around the surf, Suttie said “either big balls or no brains were needed to surf on Tuesday morning”.
“Yesterday (Tuesday) the surf was wild and big, it was good but it wasn’t perfect. You had to have the right equipment and pick your waves correctly because if you got the wrong one you were pushed to the beach.
“Professionals out there like Matt Bromley from the Cape, Davey van Zyl were there, Luke Thompson was also going mad. The guys were charging but we were all on high alert. The Indian Ocean is very powerful and New Pier and North Beach are two places that will challenge any spot in the world,” Suttie said.
Despite going against the wrath of mother nature, Quicksilver sponsored Thompson told IOL that there was something special about being out during the storm.
But Thompson said everyone had to work as a team because of the rough conditions.
“Amidst all that dirt, the surf was quite clean and special because there were so few people out with those amazing waves. To get that with all the chaos that has been going on lately, was a good distraction.
“With conditions like that, you get to know what you are doing, what the ocean is doing, because if you are not comfortable in the ocean that's when you panic. So when you put yourself in a position where big waves are falling on your head, you know your limit and how far you can push yourself,” Thompson said.
Jean-Marc Tostee, owner of Surf HQ on Point Road said that Suttie had to buy a bigger board because the waves were bigger than usual. Tostee said Suttie needed “a gun”, which is a slang for a surf board used to surf big waves.
“Only the best were out surfing yesterday. Like, the Springboks of surfers. The current and rip was very strong so you needed to be extremely fit and strong because if you get knocked down you have to hold your breath for minutes underwater.
“Out there yesterday, I would say it was about eight or nine out of 10 on the danger scale,” Tostee said.
Matt Bromley, who was also out in the water with Suttie and Thompson, is a world renowned big wave surfer from Cape Town. Bromley also released a documentary recently titled, Over the Edge, which explains how he rose to the top of the big wave scene.
Three time world champion Grant “Twig” Baker was also out ripping during the tropical storm.
IOL