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IT IS ABSOLUTELY COOKING BRU
Finally made it to Jeffreys Bay
Category: General
Posted by: tim
Not sure how it has taken me 44 years, but have finally made it to Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, one of those rarest of places that lives up to all your longheld fantasies about the place as soon as you clap eyes on it. You're driving through the surprisingly familiar environs of the South African coast, complete with its shiny new mega-malls and gum trees, and then suddenly you come over a hill and ... oh my goodness ... there it is stretched out down one flank of an enormous bay. One of the surfing world's most breath taking sights, with lines of white water rolling down what appears to be an endless point. Sure, the town is a bit more built up than you might imagine, and the surf hasn't been out of this world yet, but the set up is mind-boggling and the energy of the place is completely intoxicating. No wonder it is the surfers favourite stop on tour. The Billabong Pro was launched last night and it is heartening to see a few commendable green initiatives being adopted. All event vehicles are run on biodiesel, the contest site has solar hot water, all efforts are being made to separate and recycle plastic and glass waste, event personnel have been given reusable water bottles and coffee cups to avoid generating unnecessary waste, the event caterer is using organic produce and biodegradable paper plates, etc. Organisers have urged everyone to minimise their impact by reducing energy use and waste. Is great to see the pro surfing world finally embracing some of this stuff. It's a small step in a long long march but it has to start somewhere.
The sand at Supertubes is being called the best ever and the surfers are frothing on it - even with the small two to three foot swell so far, we've seen ridiculous Kirra-style drainpipes the length of Supers and one can only imagine what it will be like under the brunt of a six foot swell, predicted for the start of next week. Here for two weeks engaged in various dubious journalistic endeavours but have finally conceded that it is all really an elaborate scam to get myself to another amazing part of the world. The Occy book is being officially released in South Africa this week too and Occ will be signing copies, fittingly enough in a place that has been hugely significant in his career. And the clash of the Icons - the Occy v Curren heat, should be an historic event showcasing two of the masters of this magical point. Yee-hah.