Summer time.....

I only realised now it's been ages since I last blogged...

During this time I've been SUP'ping like mad. Most notably I did a 10km SUP around Duiker (Seal) Island - next to Dungeons for the surfers - in Hout Bay a few weeks ago and that was quite an experience.


There were loads of seals, dolphins and birds. Admittedly a couple of times I had to pep talk myself to keep on going, especially when it came to actually going around the island on the open ocean side. Firstly you had to turn crosswind and then into the wind, this makes for interesting paddling in a 3ft open ocean swell. Secondly you see all these seals returning to the island at a rate of knots, they jump and dive through the swell as if something is chasing them... and then the voice in your head goes 'what would chase a seal....hmmmm'... then you see this dark, grayish, brownish torpedo like silhouette darting beneath you through the kelp... of course the voice in your head starts to hum the theme from 'Jaws' ....thu-the thu-the thu-the thu-the .... heart rates goes up.... then you realise it is only a seal... phew. Ok, stay calm and keep on paddling... just 5km to home.

All that being said it was a great experience and it made me respect guys like Chris Bertish & Gary Van Rooyen even more, I mean they really do paddle 'open ocean ' long distance - Respect!

I saw a quote that really stuck with me ' All ships are safe in the harbour, but that is not what ships are built for ' ....

I've also taken to trying to surf my 14ft Coreban Dart. What a laugh a minute that is, especially if you are watching from the beach. It is fun when the waves are rolling and crumbling from the top as opposed to pitching and closing out - which of course it does most of the time here in Hout Bay - The benefit of 14ft is that you can get onto a wave when it is almost still just a tiny bump and glide in towards the beach for a couple of seconds. The funs really starts when the wave starts to pitch, you literaly have to 'run' up n down the length of the SUP to keep it from pearling or being tilted side ways. Alas, that is what happens most of the time tho, then you just have to duck your board like crazy - 14ft is a lot board to deal with in the shore break! That being said, there was a couple of waves that I managed to ride from start to finish, some reward for all the effort - perseverance pays of! I posted some videos of my excursions on Youtube, please have a look, like the videos and subscribe to my channel please.

Another thing that I noticed was the increase in 'ocean users' during summer. Guys n Girls surfing, Sups, bodyboards, etc. Everyone wants to have fun, but with the increase in water users comes frustration and inevitably altercations. That brings me to 'rules of surfing' which are mostly unspoken, often broken but they do exist.... and whether you are an experienced pro or absolute beginner, you cannot afford to ignore them. In today's crowded conditions we must all become more aware of them, try a little harder to monitor our own behavior and share the stoke in the water. If not, then we will ultimately destroy and devalue the surfing experience for ourselves and those around us.


Here are the basic rules:
1. The Golden Rule: Don't drop in i.e. don't catch a wave that someone else is already riding. The surfer on the inside (closest to the breaking part of the wave) has right of way.
2. Don't be a snake! A snake is a surfer who constantly paddles to the inside (or turn inside someone after they started to paddle into a wave) and then invoke the drop in rule. 
3. Don't paddle through the line-up. i.e. don't paddle out where the other surfers are riding.This could be very dangerous for all involved.
4. When are surfing away from home, you are surfing in someone else's home. Show some respect. Do show some courtesy and respect to both the more experienced surfers and the locals, remember this.
5. The surfer on the wave has right of way, if paddling out, try to stay out of the way, take the hit from the white water rather than risk ruining another surfers wave. You would not run into traffic, do not paddle into the line of an oncoming surfer.
6. Use common sense where crowds are an issue. If you turn up to a break that is already heavily crowded, then consider surfing somewhere else. Adding to an already frustrated and aggressive crowd won't help you or them.
7. Wear a leash at all times.
8. Always hold on to your board when a wave hits you (throwing your board away and allowing your leash to do the job for you, is very dangerous to the other surfers in the water).
9.Never use your board as a weapon or as a means of protection from a possible collision. Many beginners will throw their boards in front of another surfer when afraid of a possible collision. This is incredibly dangerous.
10.Have fun, but not at the expense of the other people in the water.

These are the basic rules that have been in force for many years out in the surf. Yet for the last ten years these rules have been broken on a regular basis, mainly by newcomers to surfing / SUP'ping. The result is chaos, and learners have come to be resented by the more experienced surfers. Learn these rules and apply them, become part of the solution, rather than a part of the problem.

...aaaaand that is the end of my preach - for now! 

CapeTownSUP

I got knocked over by a whale! (21/09/2014)

True Story...

So last week I bought a new SUP, the Coreban Dart 14ft. Went to fetch it on Thursday and took it for it's maiden voyage on Friday after work. I was suitably impressed, the board is super fast, stable and goes like a dream - a huge difference to my 1st board.

I took it out on Saturday morning again in somewhat windy (SE) conditions and the seems the board handles chop well, or at least well enough for my current skill level. It is always in less than perfect conditions that you come to realise your just how much you still have to learn.

A couple of months ago I paddled my 9.5' on a windy day in Mosselbay / Hartenbos on a river, let me tell you - it's not the same, wind over the ocean causes lots and lots of chop - continuously.

But that's not why I'm writing this blog (I'll do a post later on my new board and action camera) the real story happened on Sunday....

Sunday morning early I was out on the water in Hout Bay, paddled up along the coast line for a while just taking in the scenery and enjoying the peace and quiet of the mighty Atlantic. I saw some seals, lots of birds and exchanged pleasantries with a couple of guys kayaking. After an hour or so I decided to head back to the beach. About half way there I spotted something about 300m in front of me in the water, initially I thought it was kelp but as I got closer I realised it was a southern right whale basking in the sun. All excited I paddled closer till I eventually could make out the barnacles on his / her body. What a huge animal this is, so majestic and just simply awesome..... anycase, when I'm about 40m or so away from the whale it dives, it just disappears from view.

Now as I'm looking around to see if I can see where it pops up again, a sudden movement in the water below me makes me look down, just in time to see the whale right beneath me and surfacing. Man... when I realised that this huge, huge whale is gonna knock me off my board, there must have been a million thoughts running thru my head - how big is this thing, I hope the whale doesn't get hurt by the fin on my board, must I jump, must I wait, how lucky am I, it's so graceful,etc etc  - I decided to wait for the knock and jump.... once underwater I could see the tail fin and feel the turbulence as it swooshed past me and couldn't resist just to put an hand out and touch it... when I surfaced I felt this total exhilaration and I'm sure I was smiling from ear to ear. I mean... of all the things that could happen.. whohoooo... I got knocked over by a whale! The whale then swam back around as if it came to check that all is ok, it played around me for a while and then headed back out to the open ocean. What an amazing experience......

As it turned out there were some people who saw this happen and the cell phone pic on the post was post incident, taken by someone who viewed the whole thing from Chappies. (I'm the small white thingy to the right of the whale tail)

So there you have it, my claim to fame....I got knocked over by a whale!

Edited:01/12/2014 - Since the incident I've come across a few people who saw the whole thing. Some had photos but it was mostly very grainy and you couldn't really tell what was what. Tracy Gill (@tracegillxx on Twitter) added this Youtube video of me after the event, I was kneeling on my board just watching this beautiful creature as it was playing right next to me. Thanks Tracy. 

via CapeTownSUP

On Sharks & Taxi's....

Events of August 2014... still relevant today!

Over the last week or so there were 2 events that really got my attention and got me thinking about how strangely 'fcuked up' our society has become.

The 1st incident: The recent shark attack at Muizenberg and the subsequent investigation into the attack.

It seems that everyone and their cousin (even non surfers!) had something to say about the incident. They wanted to blame someone - the sharkspotters & the city of Cape Town took the brunt of it. It was in all the local newspapers, facebook and twitter. A full investigation was launched, some minister apparently said that 'they wont rest until the shark is tracked down'....... Thankfully the surfer involved survived. (Wishing you a speedy recovery bru!)

The stats for Shark attacks in Cape Town reads as follows:
1960 - 2014: 30 shark attacks. On average 1 every 2nd year.
The last shark attack at Muizenberg was in 2004 and the last shark attack in Cape Town was in April 2012.

The 2nd incident: 3 people died in Hout Bay on Tuesday 05/0/2014. The taxi that they were driving in collided with the pavement, went thru the steel barriers and plunged into the Disa River. Eyewitnesses said that there were 2 taxi's involved, the one swerved out for the other - speed was involved. The backdrop to this is the fact that it was raining heavily that day, poor visibility and wet roads - not a day to be speeding! There was outrage in the community, a few pics on facebook etc. No full investigation was launched. It was just another accident involving a taxi.

I googled some stats for road deaths in Cape Town and flabbergasted by the numbers, it appears that on average 100 odd people die EVERY MONTH on our roads. Thus a conservative figure for a year would be around 1200 - those are people with families, friends that will never see them again...just gone!

We all know that the majority of taxi's on the road are not road worthy, the drivers have no licence (or the licence is fake, bought over the counter etc) and they have no clue re the rules of the road. They are literary death on wheels, yet the authorities seem to be unable to launch a sustained campaign to ensure that all taxi's are monitored.

As a surfer / ocean user I know and accept the risk involved when it comes to sharks. I am in their territory, they are wild animals and they are predators. Look at the stats- given the ratio of surfers / sharks you can safely say that we are not being targeted by sharks as easy meals. I've been surfing, sup'ing, diving, snorkeling and swimming in our oceans for years. From the wild waters in Namibia, the rugged West Coast..Elands Bay down to Cape Town, up to beautiful Mossel Bay, the Garden Route and beyond - think I saw 3 sharks at most.

Can we say the same thing about taxi's? Even if you don't use them the chance of you being affected by their reckless driving is far more likely than being attacked by a shark!

Why not demand a full investigation on that?   

http://logicals.weebly.com/blog

SUP - Just starting out...

Just starting out? See our FAQ's below: 


Q: Can SUPs  only be used in the ocean or for surfing waves?
A: No - Even though SUPs look like surfboards, you don't need waves or even the ocean. In fact, all you need is a body of water (river, lake/dam).


Q: Where is the best place to start?
A: Flat water (river,lake or dam) is preferred for building your SUP'ping skills.

Q: Where can I get a board?
A: Look at renting a board at first, most surf shops that sell SUP boards also rent them. Once you are committed you can speak to the surf shop to purchase a board.

Q: What size paddleboard is best for me?
A: That depends on your weight / skill level, where you plan to SUP and the conditions. Talk to a expert (local surf store etc) to see where to start. They might also be able to provide SUP lessons, which could get you up and paddling in no time.

Q: What should I wear when SUP'ping?
A: That all depends on your local conditions. In warmer climates / water you can wear whatever you are comfortable with - a T shirt and shorts or swimsuit. In cold climates / water a wetsuit might be required.

Q: What does a full paddleboarding setup cost?
A: Depending on which SUP you choose, the cost of a board starts about R6000,00 onwards. Remember that you also need a paddle, they start at about R800.00. Initially it might be easier to purchase second hand equipment or rent a board until you know all the inns and outs.

via http://logicals.weebly.com/blog

Why SUP?

Ever wondered if you should get a SUP? Let me tell why you should.....

Surfing requires waves. With SUPs, you do not need waves – as simple as that. All you need is a flat body of water, a stand up board and a paddle and away you go.

Take Hout Bay as an example, there is the big wave spot, Dungeons - but lets face it - it is way out of the comfort zone of the 'average' ocean user and the bay itself has no waves. Thus unless you only want to go for a swim, SUP is the answer. You can paddle across the bay or just play next to the harbor wall, there is fun to be had. 

With the popularity of Stand Up Paddleboard as a sport, you are seeing SUPs in just about every line up and I’m sure soon on just about every lake and river. As the numbers increase you will see them everywhere, because riding a SUP is easy and lots of fun. There is also the health and fitness aspect of it; I mean there are actually people doing yoga on them.

I predict that very soon the guys inland, where there are only lakes and rivers will start to get into SUPs. You will see more and more people riding them young, old, male and female. It is that accessible – simply anyone can do it. Most guys who have taken up riding a Stand Up Paddle Board have more than one SUP in their garage or on the surf rack of their car as they head out to the water.

Another great aspect of SUP is that it allows you to get together with your friends, social groups, clubs, or just yourself and spend some leisure time on the water, sightseeing, cruising, and enjoying the fresh air and sunshine.

While you are paddling, you are getting good exercise and some special time alone or with your friends in a very healthy atmosphere. Many who ride a SUP use it for physical training. It is especially good for core, legs, and shoulder training. An hour of steady paddling will wear you out and give you a terrific workout. While you are training or just paddling, it will clear your mind and get your blood flowing for a good cardiovascular workout.

All you need to do is get a board and a paddle that are suited for you so that you will have a smooth stable ride. Proper sizing of your SUP and paddle is very important. It might also be a good idea for you to take a lesson or two from your local surf shop or water sports facility. The experts in the shop and your instructor will make sure that you make the proper choices. SUPs come in different types and designs.

There is beginner hard and soft SUPs, intermediate and professional SUPs.

Depending on which SUP you choose, the cost of a board starts about R6000,00 onwards. Remember that you also need a paddle, they start at about R800.00. Initially it might be easier to purchase second hand equipment until you know all the ins and outs.

So get out there and just do it!.
Blog courtesy of Cape Town Sup (http://logicals.weebly.com/blog)