South Africa--shapers, spots, advice, etc.?

General Discussion
1

Hey, everyone. I’m going to South Africa on my honeymoon. Me and the, gasp, wife will be there for the first two weeks in November. We’ll be renting a car in Cape Town and driving the entire coast up to Kruger National Park where we’ll be doing a brief safari.

I know some Swaylockians live in SA (that beautiful flower fish board thread comes to mind) and I’m sure many others have been there. So, any advice on what to expect weather and surf-wise, where to stay/eat, where to surf (my preference is for mellow spots, both in terms of surf and crowds), etc. would be much appreciated. Also, what shapers/shops should I check out? I’m still debating whether I’ll take some boards with me (and leave 'em in SA) or buy something there and bring it home. Maybe I’ll do both…

Thanks in advance,

Nilus

P.S. I heard some place called “Jeffrey’s” can get good, so I’ll probably at least stop there.

2

I’ve never been and i don’t know much but i do know that I would pick up a

twin fin from Spider Murphy.

http://www.safarisurfco.com/spider_models.html

3

Thanks for the link. I’m a twinfin fan, as you may or may not know, so I’ll certainly check 'em out. Durban is definitely one of our stops.

And are you LESider as in “Lower East Sider?” I live in lower Manhattan (one block from Wall St., actually) as well.

Nilus

4

Hi Nilus

I am from SA currently living in the UK I am from a town about 3 hours outside Cape Town on your way to J-Bay. The Place is called Still Bay and has a great selection of really good reef and point breaks about 6 reef and point breaks in an area of about 6 miles. I also have a holiday house there about 10 minutes walk from Still Bay point that you can use.

Here are some links to websites on surfing the east coast of South Africa. http://www.wavescape.co.za/main.htm

Go to spots and check out http://www.wavescape.co.za/top_bar/spots/capetown.html

http://www.wavescape.co.za/top_bar/spots/scape.html

In the Southern Cape you want to start looking at spots like Jongensfontein this is 5 miles from my house At Still Bay (Stilbaai) Dolfin point

http://www.wannasurf.com/spot/Africa/South_Africa/South_Garden_Route/still_bay_reef/index.html

http://www.wavescape.co.za/top_bar/spots/Jbaycoast.html

Check Out this site for Cape Town the rest of the spots up the east coast are not that accurate in were they are situated.

http://www.wannasurf.com/spot/Africa/South_Africa/Cape_Town/index.html

I wouldn’t bother much with the spots in False Bay as it is very inconcistent

PM Me and I can give you a list of places to see and surf. It would help if you can give me an Itinery of your travels. Just for interest there is a game reserve just north of Port Elizabeth so you wont have to stray too far from the coast.

Hope this helps

5

Hi Nilus

Me again. Try squeeze in an extra week you will not regret it. There is a hell of a lot to see. The wine the food whales etc etc. DAM I am really missing home!

6

I was in S.A last summer of 2004, Iwas also there summer of 2000.

Durban is a nice place to hang for a while, downtown is a little bit seedy and dirty. There’s good surf down on the town beaches around the piers. Also try the Bluff area with Ansteys and Cave Rock.

Lots of surf shops and shapers in Durban, surfboards used to be real cheap in S.A but the Rand is very strong at the moment.

Try Port Alfred for a nice walled up right and good vibe in the water

I also surfed in the Transkei, stayed in a place called Mdumbe that has a good righthand point. Also surfed some big waves at the next point up the coast called Lwandile.The Transkei is very rural so watch out on those dirt roads if You go out there. Plenty of sharks and good righthand points out there. Beautiful area! Beware of burglary, always have someone watch Your car while You surf! Ours was broken into.

Jbay is nice, lots of shapers and surfshops there. And some decent waves…

Have a nice trip

Erik

7

Hi Nilus,

I’m in South Africa but in the opposite direction from Cape Town (up the west coast). Swifty is right about 2 weeks being quite a squeeze if you want to travel the coast and go up to Kruger.

Stillbay point can get really good (right break) and break from the point all the way past the harbour wall into the river mouth. Jongensfontein is also a good bet. However just a warning that there a few rocks at Jongens that dot the lineup during low tide, and there are a few rocks on the inside of Stillbay point on the low.

There’s just far too many spots on the South and East Coast to mention. The further north you travel the warmer the water.

Being November, which is the end of spring I’d also recommend the George. 2 spots nearby Victoria Bay a point break if there’s enough swell and Herolds Bay nearby for those beginning of summer swells. Buffelsbay is also a quiet mellow spot with nice waves and a caravan park on the point. Wait, I’m gonna stop! This is amping me for a Cape Town - J Bay - Transkei - Durban run…

Check out Wavescape.co.za as swifty mentioned then pm either of us.

As far as shapers go: Since you are starting in Cape Town check out Dream surfboards by Pierre de Villiers (there’s a link on the Wavescape site). He shapes primarily customs so it would be wise to contact him beforehand and he’ll shape something for your needs.

Spider Murphy is situated in Durban which will be near the end of your coastal run. So he’s a good bet for a board to take back. He carries a lot of stock models in almost every shape or colour so you’ll definitely find your dream board there. My next shaping project is hopefully a spider twinnie.

Enjoy SA

8

Your on your honeymoon.

Your not supposed to surf.

Just kiding.

Sort of.

On mine I was given “permission” to surf twice out of 10 days. And even then the wife sat on the beach and waited for me. I told her to take the car and go shopping or something, but no…she sat there and waited for a few hours eeach time till I got out of the water. I think she did that perhaps subconsciously out of spite because it was something that we were’nt doing “together”.

Anyway, caought it great both times and should have stayed out longer on the second day I went cause it was 10 -15 ft and PERFECT. But I felt a twinge of guilt, basically cause I knew that my wife was doing nothing but sitting on the beach and waiting for me. Women are smart my friend. Sometimes too smart for their own good.

Tread lightly!!! And…

good luck

Drew

9

Hey Nilus,

I spent a few years over there, didn’t surf everywhere of course, but there’s lots of coast and good waves. A beautiful place and a lot of good people.

EricGs advice on crime is true, so don’t let your guard down. Don’t get paranoid, but be aware all the time about leaving your car or gear unattended. There are a lot of poor people who have no problem taking your stuff. To the extreme, I heard a first hand story of people going down the coast to their holiday house, only to find their house gone! All that was left was the slab with pipes and wires.

My experience with SA boards is that there are lots of good shapers, but sadly the glassing quality leaves a lot to be desired. I know I’m probably generalising, and I’m sure there are good ones, but I fixed a lot of dinged SA boards and most were falling apart on their own, many were new, oversanded etc. They are cheap for a reason.

Go and have a great time. Careful who you call a rock spider. Yaaaa, rrrrreally (roll the ‘r’)

10

With regards to crime the areas are pretty clear as to what is dodgy etc. I few rules to go by. Dont go into the townships unless it is on a guided tour. Dont leave your stuff lying on the car seat put it all in the boot and out of site. (You dont have to have someone looking after your car) You will not find that much crime in the smaller towns up the east coast untill you start hitting places like Jeffries.

The Water Front in Cape Town is a tourist trap though it is nice it is costly. Hope you like to eat Cape Town was voted the best Kulenary city in the world according to British Airways. All in all the SA government has done a lot in order to curb crime on tourists. You would take most of these security precausions in any city or country when travelling South Africa is no different.

11

I don’t agree about the quality of S.A surfboards, well not totally anyway.

I went around and had a look at most of the surfboard makers both in Durban an J-bay, some of them weren’t top notch but I’d say if You stick to the bigger brands You’ll be OK.

The best looking boards I saw were Spider’s boards, my friend bought one and he’s happy with it. Spider has been in business since the sixties.

Overall standard might be higher in the US???

On my first trip in 2000 i bought two boards in J-bay, one from Jigsaw and one from Glen D’Arcy.

Both boards have held up real well

What I missed in SA was broad variety in board design that probably is better in the US. Most boards are regular thrusters, not much variety. No one seems to make old school fishes or odd boards for smaller waves down there.

Maybe there’s not much need for them or they’re lagging a bit behind designwise?

12

Thanks so much for all the great advice. It will definitely be a lot of driving in a short period of time…I wish we could take three weeks, but jobs, our dog, etc. make that pretty difficult. And we already bought the airline tickets. LOL. My tentative plan is something like this:

Chill in Cape Town for two days…the fiancee says Camp’s Bay is the call. True? Or is it really touristy?

Hit wine country for two days (looking forward to some good Pinotage and Steen).

Then start a full-on assault of the coast. This is the to-be-determined part. All the info provided thus far has really helped me visualize some stop-off points.

We’re definitely hitting both J-Bay and Durban. My fiancee is Indian, and from what we’ve read, the latter has a large Indian population and some amazing temples, etc.

We’ll be finishing up in Kruger for two days…already have the place (Singita!) booked.

There’s definitely a lot of talk about sharks and crime. I mean, I live in NYC so the crime part doesn’t bother me as much as the sharks. LOL. But we’re probably better off leaving the valuables at home, eh? I’d hate to lose our rings on the honeymoon!

I guess the main thing I need to know is driving conditions and times up the coast, logical stops along the way (that will maximize time out of the car, in the water, seeing other things, etc.)

I’ll hit one of you SA guys up with a PM. Thanks again!

Nilus

P.S. And yeah, surfing on the honeymoon is definitlely a high-wire act! If the sharks don’t get me, she just might.

13

I cant resist so here goes.

Camps bay is an awsome spot to stay the sunsets are amazing and you can have cocktails as you watch the sun go down a few places in this area are “Blues” a resturant, Chapmenspeak hotel in Houtbay (order the calemari and portugese steak it is there specialty) La Med is a bit of a party place if your keen for a night out of dancing etc. You can surf at Glen beach which is a little cove that handels waves under 3-4ft. Go down to the Camps bay beach facing the sea walk down to the right of the beach and over the little rocky outcrop.

For wine you want to go to Stellenbocsh (I went to school here) Wine farms to go to are Morati which is very old school they make a killer pinotage , Spier ( is a bit touristy but nice) where they have some cheatas you can cuddle etc and Lanzerac they have a good resturant aswell.

Franchoek is also in the wine country not far from Stellenbocsh about 20 miles it has a good cafe culture and winery’s. There are also a few wine tasting places in Stellenbocsh and Franchoek where you can tast wines from a number of winerys I would spend a day and a night in this area.

Then go to Hermanus which is about 1 hour out of CT. This is the closest you can get to a whale from land. So it is something you guys might enjoy just check upfron if it is still whaling season. Hermanus has a website. I have friends there who own a B+B that went there on holiday from the UK once and now they are living there.

Still Bay fact that it is one of the most consistant surf spots on that coast I grew up there and you can stay for free at our house. (Its up to you)

The garden route is one of the other top tourist destinations. Your wife will love this area. At this point you are 6 hours outside CT

Got to go I will give you more tomorrow with some links to sites etc.

Keep well

14

Nilus,

You’re a lucky man. Swifty’s right, Still Bay is the shit. I thought of it straight away, but was unsure whether to blabber on about it. But sounds like others have started so I might as well chime in. Catch Still Bay in full cry on a solid SW swell and you’ll be very happy. Jongenfontein if the swell is small, lots of other quality breaks around. And staying at Swiftys house would be such a bonus. That’s SA hospitality for you - get used to it. I haven’t been to SA for 6 years and I miss it bad.

Re boards, I fully recommend Dean Geraghty (T&C) in Cape Town. Over the years I’ve gotten four boards from him, three of them outstanding, two magic. He’s a shit hot surfer (ex SA champ) and a very good shaper who will shape what you want him to. Can’t say enough good things about him and his boards.

Also, Outer Pool at Mossel Bay is a very good wave. Between Still Bay and Mossel Bay are two very fickle, very very good right points. If the swell is huge S, or out of the SE, go searching in the protected nooks. Look out for big noahs, too!

Above all, treat the missus to some good loving, food and wine.

Enjoy

Maz

15

Hey Nilus,

I am currently living in South Africa, well actually I’ve lived here my whole life (All 19 years), so I don’t have a wife… lucky me…

But SA is an awesome place, as someone said, “There’s loads of coast and surf”, but if you gonna be doing a drive up the coast then you got to stop at Mossel Bay (four hour drive from Cape Town, nice short right hand point break), Still Baai is before Mossel bay but is a bit off the main\national road (but if you can get there it might be worth it), then Victoria Bay, then a definite is Jeffries Bay (world class), and maybe even St Francis (another right hand point break), not Cape St Francis, just before J-Bay (7-8hour drive from CT). Then of course Durban, nice\good beach set up, right in town. Best bet is to get a road map of SA and plan you trip from that, depending on how much time you got.

Wetsuits from Cape Town to East London, roughly, and boardies in Durban.

Between J-Bay and Durban you got East London and then the Transkei, which I wouldn’t personally recommend unless you going with someone who knows the area or you looking for a REAL adventure, Transkei that is. Just a BIT sharky! East London once again has good right-hand point.

But don’t be worried about the shark thing in the rest of the country, not serious; just keep them eye’s open. And the crime well it’s like any other place in the world we all have it. Just try not to look too much of a tourist.

But that wavescape.co.za is a good site, well resourced. Go to zigzag.co.za and contact the editor, Craig Jarvis and ask him for a list of shapers, he will sort you out, good man.

Weather in November is fine, it’s spring going into Summer. Loads of places to stay in CT.

Enjoy the beautiful Country!

jaC

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16

Ooi Mr. Swifty

What school in Stellenbosch were you at?

What year?

jaC [A soutH africaN]

17

Hi Haman

I was in Paul Roos graduated 91

Keep well

18

shark issue----" they always bite the other guy" told me by ian cairns while he and i were the only ones out at cave rock----i guess that made me the other guy!

boards----spyter murphy! there is no other shaper in SA built me a board that was unreal —the standard by which i measured boards for the next 10 years!

Sea food in Cape Town------sea point rules!

wine tasting ---- have FUN!

19

Just wanted to thank everyone who gave me great info. I got back yesterday…me and the wife had a blast. I missed a big swell by a few days, but still got some rides at Muizenberg and Vic Bay and managed to check out a whole bunch of other spots, too. The coast, food, wine, and wildlife were all mind blowing. I ended up riding a 6’0 Spowy pin thruster, which I picked up used for around $200. Worked well considering it’s not my usual board choice. In general, I found the board choices very limited–almost 100% cookie-cutter thrusters. However, in J-Bay I came across a few beautiful boards from D’Arcy, shaped as displays for a surf show. I ended up trading the Spowy on one, which I brought home with me. See my other thread on Martin Potter and D’Arcy for pics.

Again, thanks for all the help! And if you haven’t been to SA, I highly recommend going. I know I’ll be back.

Sincerely,

Nilus