Surf's up!!!

[miles]

Hiya

Hopefully this years Red Bull Big Wave Africa 2006 will take place shortly!! The surfers are all on 48hr stand-by.

Whats this all about? Well, : "The event location is Dungeons, the monster that is sleeping beneath the cliffs of the Sentinel at the mouth of Hout Bay on the Cape Peninsula, and that has the ability to awake and produce the biggest waves in Africa. The Dungeons Reef is the first sea bottom that the ocean swells hit on their path shore-wards. These swells, generated across the South Atlantic Ocean, hit the Dungeon Reefs and rear up into these giant right-hand breaking waves for brave souls to attempt to ride.

Apart from the enormous waves there are a few other elements to add to the mix of bravery needed to attempt to surf Dungeons. The ice-cold water, the thick, undulating kelp beds that cover the inside waters, and the abundant sea life, including a few local sharks that prey on the seal colony. To ensure the safety of competitors and spectators alike a well-knit local water-safety team is in attendance for the day of the event."

http://www.redbullbwa.com/press-room/index.php?id=6

Seems like the diving is going to be bad for the next few days.............

Some pic's of last years comp:

 

[spaghetti]

Wonderful. :-O
Question from a total ignorant of surf as I am: how can surfers manage to get back to the beach without drowning? Those waves are big! No joke, it's a real question I'd appreciate to be answered by some of u guys...

 

[Huw]

Most surfers heading home tend to either paddle to the side away from where the waves break in order to get back to shore, OR... you could always ride them

I really dont like the sound of the kelp beds . Surely being leashed to a board and then bailing into a bed of kelp is a recipie for entanglement... maybe they should read up on our current threads on dive knives rofl .

I used to love surfing, and although i never hit waves that big, its a pretty cool 'sport' to enjoy when the sea is too big for diving

Thanks for sharing it with us miles!

Huw

 

[SurfnSpear]

Spaghetti..these guys are totally supported by watercraft. The boats take them out there and moor in the calm channel well to the side of the impact zone(indeed the judges view from a boat). Should a surfer be seen to require assistance (or a lift back to the take off point) they are supported by elite and trusted individuals using high spec waverunners with pick up platforms towed behind.
However, the individual surfers often can experience multiple wave hold downs and can be dragged quite some distance under water, hence their breathold and fitness is important until the waverunner can spot and pick them up.

 

[SanderP]

Damn that's cool. I'd love to try surfing, sounds like fun. I hope I have to chance to do so in the future. Those waves look just fantastic.

 

[surfinsd]

Like Surfnspear said, those guys are a probably a hundred miles out to sea, and completely supported by watercraft. Looks like it is a paddle-in contest, which ups the difficulty level of big wave riding quite a bit imho. At places where it is big and close to shore, you either ride a wave, then when it's all whitewater, lie/jump down on your stomach and cruise in, or paddle away from the peak and attempt to time it right so that a wave doesn't crash on your back.

 

[sickbugs]

they'd never catch me paddling in on something like that !!! double overhead is my limit !!

 

[Rockbrother]

Like Surfnspear said, those guys are a probably a hundred miles out to sea,

That spot is actually quite close to shore and very near one of my favourate scuba diving spots, it gets shallow quite quickly hence the big waves.

During summer when we dive here conditions is flat with great vis, just a bit cold at 8 deg C

 

[Stephan Whelan]

There is a film called "Riding Giants" which follows the start of the Big Wave Surfers. Very interesting film!

 

[SurfnSpear]

That spot is actually quite close to shore and very near one of my favourate scuba diving spots, it gets shallow quite quickly hence the big waves.

During summer when we dive here conditions is flat with great vis, just a bit cold at 8 deg C

Rockbru....I am from Durban and taken trips out of Hout Bay a couple of times before...I know a couple of the guys from my past in Durban. Especially Gigs Celliers who backs up some guys. I think I am also most amazed at the temps these guys are operating in as that is a serious factor to manage while trying to perform out there.
cheers

 

[podge]

Miles it looks great
Biggest I’ve been in is about 10 to 12 feet, which was plenty big enough for me.
Respect to the guys who ride big stuff like that it must take years of practice not to mention a lot of bottle and nerves of steel.

 

[Tompa]

picked up windsurfing this summer, (living in sweden there ain't too much waves to ride) Damn fun sport i must say! Can't wait 'till i get good at it!

 

[naiad]

However, the individual surfers often can experience multiple wave hold downs and can be dragged quite some distance under water, hence their breathold and fitness is important until the waverunner can spot and pick them up.

*Gulp* I think I'll stick to freediving. Maybe it's not so bad...

Big respect to anyone who does that.

 

[SurfnSpear]

....no broken bones in freediving:crutch
In 1996 I broke my femur pulling into quite a large low tide barrel at New Pier, Durban. It was fairly decent sized surf and I was pounded by the remainder of the set (and by my loose foot) before managing to pull myself up onto my board and bounce my way back to the beach. A lot of my friends were out that day and saw me pull in but just thought I was shouting because I had cramp. Ahhh...I remember the morphine well.
Well, I was back in the surf after 10 months and I had a 10mm thick pin through the inside length of the femur for 2 years. I still always get ribbed by the guys at New Pier when I go back home and start paddling into anything decent!

 

[BatRay]

You were pounded by your loose foot? Man that's a bummer . About as bad as I've ever gotten was to land on the back of a boogie board when the front dipped into the sand. My ribs still hurt to this day.

 

[fcallagy]

under water finsurfing anyone ?

 

[deep thinker]

There is a film called "Riding Giants" which follows the start of the Big Wave Surfers. Very interesting film!

Another one to watch if your interested in big wave surfing is, 'In Gods Hands', great movie that also shows a guy on a bodyboard riding one of those monsters. Pretty cool stuff.