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CHEST ZIPS ARE SO HOT RIGHT NOW
There is nothing in the world I like more than staying abreast of the latest pro surfing fashion trends. Is it okay to wear a rash vest or must it be a clingy white t-shirt? Are tube suits really a fashion faux pas? It can almost be a full-time job trying to keep up with these things.
That’s why I am so excited to bring you the news, direct from Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, that the chest zip is really really hot right now. We all know the pro surfing world operates on fashion cycles and has little to do with actual surfing ability, so take it from me, this is really one to watch, folks. The old back zip is going the way of the longboard, the single fin and the beaver tail - that is, it will disappear for a while and, er, probably come back cooller than ever in a few decades times. So don’t despair, hold on to those old back zips and watch them appreciate in value as quaint collectables..
In the mean time, the more forward thinking members of the ASP top 45 have embraced the chest zip with unabashed enthusiasm. And there’s no place where the fit of your rubber is more important than Jeffreys Bay. I predict no surfer with a back zip will make it past round four. .
I also believe the chest zip may have metaphysical conotations, that it represents the pro surfing world opening up its heart, because as Morning of the Earth devotees will know, “it’s a start, if you open up your heart, give your love to others, they become your brothers.” And what better place for this inspiring message than the multi-racial love-in that is post-Apartheid South Africa. After years of the bitchiness and backstabbing that the back zip represents, the chest zip is opening up a new era of universal love and understanding..
Witness the World Professional Surfers “surf with the pros” day at the Point yesterday, where lofty mega-stars like Mick Fanning, Bede Durbidge and a host of others took the time to surf with the local groms, including a large contingent from the nearby black township. There are more and more non-white surfers in the water at J-Bay and the groms are taking to it with gusto, encouraged by the older pioneers of the scene, who see surfing as a way out of crime, drugs and violence. It was once illegal for non-whites to use some beaches in SA, so it is a heartening scene to see world champs urging young African groms out through the shorebreak and pushing them into set waves. And all thanks to the chest zip..
Meanwhile the Billabong Pro was offficially launched last night, with Mick, Joel, Kelly, Tom Curren, Occy and local wildcard Sean Holmes all on hand for the press conference. The Occy v Curren masters heat promises to be an historic moment. Mr Curren revealed exclusively to your correspondent that he has been in serious training by “drinking lots of Gatorade” in the lead up to the event. And not to mention the thrilling log jam developing at the pointy end of the world title race between Messrs Parkinson, de Souza, Burrow, Hobgood, Fanning and Slater. The sand at Supertubes is said to be the best in living memory and even with the small two to three foot swell so far, there have been some ridiculous Kirra style drainpipes enjoyed. One can only imagine it under the brunt of a fresh six foot swell predicted for Monday. Stay tuned. .