Surfing has been a source of myth and wonder
for as long as it has existed Images of sun-bronzed men with
long hair and tattoos, hanging out on beaches; and occasionally
catching a wave or two, immediately spring to mind. Layabouts,
good-for-nothings, drop-outs. Which is kind of weird, because
surfing started out as the sport of Hawaiian kings, some six
hundred years ago. These days, those images are not really
a true reflection of the sport either. The Americans have
developed surfing to hi-tech levels, pushing board design,
wetsuit and leash technology to the limits.
But surfing is not limited to the United States, and some
of the best waves in the world are found far from its shores.
Hawaii, contrary to popular belief, is also not the only country
with twenty to thirty foot waves.
off our own Cape Coast, near Scarborough for example, the
waves at the Factory reach thirty foot on a good storm swell.
And two South Africa surfers, Cass Collier and- Ian Armstrong,
recently won the team event for South Africa Brazil, South
Africa, France, Australia and United States.
Despite the hype and mythology surrounding surfing, the basic
concept is simple. Take a long smooth piece of board, paddle
out to the wave, catch the force of its motion, and ride with
it to the beach. It's about the unique unity of man with the
least controllable of the elements of the sea.
Surfers often speak of the ocean in almost mystical terms,
indicating a deep sense of respect for the might of the sea.
But they also have the determination to ride the biggest and
the hardest waves that it can serve up.
The international profile of the sport has meant that surfers
adopt a far more professional approach to their sport. So
the beach-bronzed lay-about image is no longer entirely accurate.
Yes, surfers tend to be brown, but they are also super-fit
athletes who compete for the highest stakes. Sponsorships,
international television coverage and a global surfing culture
has turned these Adonises of the beach into international
sporting icons.
The current world champion Kelly Slater is a
clean cut all-american boy, who runs five of his own companies
and is certainly no dropout.
Now, in Cape Town, there is a surf school that will take you
out and show you the ropes, so that you don't have to learn
the hard way, at the mercy of the waves and your fellow surfers.
Surfers are a fiercely territorial bunch who don't suffer
interlopers - you had better know the rules, or you're in
trouble! The Downhill Adventures Surf
School will even help you get to know these rules without
the embarrassment of being humiliated in the water by the
old hands.
Rule number one - don't get
in the way of more experienced surfers.
As I was soon to discover, the problem with this rule, is
that getting out of the way generally sounds a lot easier
to do than it is! This wasn't too much of a problem for me
though, as I wasn't intending to go near any big waves just
yet.
Rule number two - let those who are better
surfers than yourself (in my case, this is pretty much everybody
in the water) surf first. An informal queuing system works,
but if some pro spots a big deep wave, you had better shuffle
your board out the way, or risk getting turned into roadkill!
Downhill Adventures use mini-mals to teach new
surfers the ropes. These are 7-8 foot long boards with rounded
noses, ideal for learning because they are slow and easy to
balance. The name comes from their origin as smaller versions
of the original Hawaiian Malibu surfboards, which were nine
feet long!
To get out to a wave, one has to learn how to paddle. Your
torso should be in the middle of the board, your head an arm's
length away from the tip and your feet at the back. Paddle
by reaching your hands into the water right next to the board.
Dig nice and deep to get a good stroke in. Easy enough, right?
Wrong! You also have to keep your balance, watch where you
are going, try to avoid drowning while paddling through waves,
and generally imitate the Man from Atlantis! But, after a
few tries, you get it right.
So, spitting salt water, here I am, ready to catch my first
wave. No blue water for beginners though. I am to catch some
white water from a wave that has already broken.
The idea is to wait till the wave is about 5 metres away,
start paddling furiously, catch the motion of the wave, paddle
onto its face, and then get into a kneeling position while
the wave's momentum propels you beachward. If you've ever
body-surfed, the first part - catching the wave - is okay.
But staying on the board once you've done that, is the problem.
Ironically enough, the faster you are going, the more stable
the board becomes, so the bigger waves are easier to ride.
After various abortive attempts, I managed to experience my
first surfing thrill: fists clenched and raised above my head
as I coasted landward on a pillow of white water. Hmm, I'm
beginning to see what all the fuss is about! After about two
hours of mucking about on my knees, we retire to the beach,
while the instructor goes through the basics of the next stage:
learning to stand.
All we have to do, is leap to our feet while roaring down
the face of a wave. This part doesn't even sound easy, so
I'm wondering just how I'm going to get it right! I'm also
completely exhausted.
In fact, I'm beginning to think that same sadist invented
this sport. One spends about 80% of the time paddling about,
and actually very little time surfing. Now I know where surfers
get those washboard stomachs and wide shoulders from. this
is damn hard work!
We try a couple of the standing manoeuvres while on the beach.
Not easy, but after a few tries, we all kind of get it. I
catch a nice big white wash, paddle in and I'm away. With
a big shove, I leap up to my feet, and - hey - my feet are
in the right place, I have caught the wave and am surfing!!
Now I know why nobody tells you about all the paddling: once
you can actually surf, you
simply don't care!
Lying on the beach afterwards, with my wet suit half-off,
I had the ideal opportunity to observe surf culture, up close
and personal. There were all types in the water. Some teenage
girls were learning, as well as ten year old boys. The one
thing they all had in common, was a love of surfing. "Water
Features" is a book by a Port Elizabeth-based - journalist
and surfer, Hagen Engler, that is a collection of short pieces
about surf culture. Reading that, I thought: "Well, I
think I understand why people want to surf." Today, after
actually surfing, I understand why people need to surf.
Read the book, find a board, give it a go, it'll change your
life.
Dave Chislett
Downhill Adventures (021) 422 0388
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