Garden Route Surf Trip

After a few consecutive weeks of bitterly cold winter weather, a surf trip up the East Coast was a welcomed adventure-warmer water, good surf and the open road. Juliette, Sarah and I cruised along the spectacular Clarens Drive breathing in the scenery and then stopped for our first surf at Pringle Bay. The water was surprisingly much warmer than Cape Town (which was under an hour away). The sun was out and we headed across the sand dunes for our first surf session of the trip. We all caught a couple of good waves and then headed off to Hermanus for lunch before winding through the wheat and Canola fields of the Southern Cape. The winter rains had breathed new life into the fields since our last Garden Route adventure.

The rolling hills of the Overberg region had literally burst into vivid  hues of green and gold. We reached Cape Agulhas just as the sun began  dipping into the horizon so headed straight for the Southernmost Tip of  Africa to enjoy a sundowner with one foot in the Atlantic and the other  in the Indian Ocean.

Arniston:

Another gorgeous day of weather greeted us on day two of the trip. We wound through the farm roads from Cape Agulhas to Arniston, one of the most picturesque fishing villages of the East Coast. The beauty about traveling this stretch of coastline during the week is that often we find we are the only people on the beach. The waves were average, but the girls still had a blast. We walked across the sand dunes to the look out point over the next bay-where again there was not a soul in sight. We really are fortunate to have such pristine, untouched and protected areas of coastline in South Africa where development is still not permitted.

Myoli Beach:

We hit the road for Myoli Beach, a stunning piece of coastline just south of Buffalo Bay. We stopped off at Vic Bay along the way to watch some guys catching some 4-6ft lumps of a storm swell at the point. Coach was keen to get out there but needed someone to coax her into the treacherous paddle out, so mind-surfed from the side lines instead. That’s when having a camera in hand is a good excuse 🙂

That evening we enjoyed a vegetarian feast cooked up over the ‘braai’ true South African style by our host, Lyle. The beers were flowing and so was the conversation as we huddled around the fire under the beauty of the Milky Way.

Buffalo Bay Plettenberg Bay:

After a sunrise walk and breakfast on the roof top terrace at Myoli Beach Lodge, we headed to Robberg 5, our choice for day three’s morning surf session. Again we were blessed with sunshine, warmer water and fun waves. After a couple hours of working up an appetite in the surf we enjoyed a delicious meal at The Deck drinking in its sweeping views of the bay (along with a cheeky lunchtime shandy). We headed back to Buffalo Bay for the afternoon surf session via the Knysna Heads, where all of us were left in awe by the dramatic landscape.

Cape St Franscis  Jeffrey’s Bay:

Day four and by this stage coach was frothing for some good east Coast point break surf. With the first glimpse of the ocean as we descended the hill into the Seal Point parking lot, it was clear that the beach break was the best option. The girls caught some fun waves on the inside, whilst coach managed to sneak into a few backline bombs.

All of us were so stoked after this session and arrived in Jeffrey’s Bay amped for another good surf. Again, we were greeted with perfect conditions only a short walk from our beachfront room at Island Vibe Backpackers. We suited up (thank goodness for the luxury of two wetsuits) and got some more wave time until the stars pierced the dusk sky. That evening we indulged at our favourite local restuarant, Ninos, whilst watching surf movies on the big screen. The perfect end to one of the best surf days of the trip.

Day five and everyone was quite exhausted and ready to take some time to chill out, visit the surf museum and browse the endless throng of surf clothing factory outlets. Juliette and Sarah were keen to take a day off from surfing. They couldn’t have timed it better as a gale force Westerly wind was blowing. Coach, in her attempt to set a good example and keep the stoke flowing, paddled out despite the strong winds and almost got herself a cheap ticket to New Zealand. But did manage to sneak into a couple of fun waves. Its always worth the paddle. After a good day of rest, the girls were ready to hit the surf again on day six. After a morning session at Jeffrey’s we headed for Cape St Franscis too see if that beachie was working again. As we rounded the corner, coaches heart began to flutter at the beautiful sight of groomed lines of swell marching into the bay with the offshore wind fanning plumes of spray off the back of the 4-5ft sets. It was colder than it had been and so coach changed into her wetsuit in the car (quite a tricky feat in the minimal space of a citi golf driver’s seat). Juliette and Sarah decided to give this surf session a skip and opted for getting it on film from the warmth and comfort of the car instead. That evening we enjoyed another good meal at Nino’s and toasted to a fun week of great experiences together.

Living in Cape Town one knows that experiencing all four seasons in one day is very likely due to the geography of the Cape Peninsula. When I left the Stoked Headquarters, the sun was shining between patches of light rain. Despite the dismal weather report, I headed off beachwards optimistically, switched on my iTrip where synchronicity had Pink Floyd promising ‘Blue skies ahead’. Driving down the highway to pick up students from Observatory, I noticed the horizon darkening to a deep shade of grey. As I rounded Devil’s Peak, a torrential down pour englufed my car. I knew that the wind and swell conditions for Muizenberg were good (infact the webcam image made it hard not to put pedal to the metal). Trying to convince first and second time surfers that they were still going to have a good time despite the weather seemed like it may now be a challenge, as my car carved up deep puddles of rain into sprays of water with impressive trajectory.

Steve and Magdelena hopped in the car drenched but smiling with excitement. It was then that I realised that my students trusted me enough to commit to the lesson despite the weather. This is when my ‘100% guaranteed stoked’ claim was going to be put to the test.  We continued on to the beach to meet the rest of the students-Johan, Claudia, Mandy and Louise. I had just spent the past twenty minutes convincing Steve and Magdelena that all our storms move in from the south so essentially we should be driving away from the rain as the storm cloud seemed northbound. Well, my theory proved incorrect (and clearly my high school geography needing some serious revision) as upon arrival, the heavens opened. Time for a plan B…quickly I arranged for us to use an indoor changing facility which also offers hot post-surf showers. As I handed out a wetsuit to each student I could sense they were looking at me with thoughts of ‘Is she serious? Are we really going to do this?’ Fortunately, after everyone had changed into their gear, the squall had moved on. Soon enough we had boards in hand and we were making our way down to the beach.

The surf conditions were great, eventhough the tide was higher than expected. Some were a little nervous with the bigger 2-3ft waves but seemed to become more comfortable as the lesson progressed. The rain spluttered on us a bit more between gusts of south westerly winds but this didn’t seem to stir the students at all. They appeared to be enjoying the challenge of the conditions and having fun regardless.  At Stoked School of Surf we encourage our students to hit the surf whether it rains, hails or shines. In this way fears are overcome, confidence is boosted and ocean knowledge increases. Besides, being a ‘fair-weather’ surfer will never get you beyond the foamies…

Behind every cloud is a silver lining, after every rain storm lies a rainbow and after every surf a cup of white hot chocolate awaits. Thank you Steve, Magdelena, Johan, Claudia, Louise and Mandy  for trusting Stoked’s judgement and hitting the surf to experience the ‘stoke’ despite the rain.

Read reviews on our Facebook Fan Page or on Tripadvisor to see what past students have to say about learning to surf with Stoked School of Surf.

With the sun rising over the distant hills of the winelands, my mate and I dashed off down the highway to surf the morning glass. The wind had been pumping for days and reports were calling for a light Easterly-so the western side of the Peninsula seemed like a good call…however, I got so excited about the wind report that I overlooked the swell report. 25 mins later we were greeted with sheet glass but only a mere ripple of swell! Venturing farther up the coast in the hope we’d find a surfable wave we discovered (or maybe imagined?) a 1-2ft right-hand peak. I paddled out on one of the surf school 9ft boards and managed to sneak onto a few long rides. As we waited for the ‘sets’ we chatted and laughed as the morning sun warmed our skin-a welcomed heat when submerged in the frigid Atlantic. So the waves were not all that. But the time shared with friends, heading up the coast with good tunes blazing-that’s what counts at the end of the day. After the surf we dashed back into town so I could collect my students for the morning surf trip.

Back up the coast for a fun lesson in crystal clear waters and small, fun waves for the first time surfers. All four students grasped surfing so quickly that for the first time ever in a beginners class, I was able to grab my board and join them. The lesson was extended to 3 hours as coach was able to share the waves with her students. What a treat! As it turns out, one of the students, Viviene, from Germany, was on her way to visit a good family friend-who happened to be one of my father’s good friends. Small world. Love those kind of moments. Dropped the morning students off at 3pm and collected the girls for the afternoon class at 3:30pm.

By this time, the city was a sweltering 37 degrees-so back up the coast to find reprieve from the heat in the icy Atlantic. Leen, Taylor, Naomi and Aurelia were all on their 4th lesson of the ‘Uber-Stoked’ package, so once again, I could take out my board and surf with my students. By this stage the swell had picked up a little so the girls were treated to some 2-3ft Big Bay closeouts. I showed them how to paddle through the surf and do the surfer’s swivvle and then hooted them onto some of the bigger waves. Now and then they would miraculously make the perilous drop on their 9ft soft tops, but mostly all four of them would go over the falls and explode into a yellow firework of flying boards- leaving me quietly chuckling under my breath. And just when I thought they had had enough, they would paddle out for more. That’s my girls-going for it!

We were greeted by 5 energetic 8 year olds at Big Bay on Saturday. My assistant coach, Sarah-Jayne with the help of another friend tried very hard to calm the little guys down for a brief moment to put on their wetsuits. They only way we could convince them to concentrate was by telling them they would look like a super hero once the wetsuit was on. Moments later we were on the sand going over the basics of how to lie on the board. Most of the boys were rolling around or  drawing in the sand during this time but amazingly when we ventured into the water, everything we had told them on land they put into practice! The little guys were awesome in the water and so only minutes later we had progressed to the standing up phase of the lesson.

A combination of athletic ability and their lower centre of gravity resulted in all 5 boys popping up on the first wave and riding it all the way to the beach. They shreiked as they rode their wave. What an awesome experience to witness groms experiencing the stoke for the first time! 

After an hour, all 5 of them suddenly melted down. After sugaring up on some birthday treats they were all back in the water ready to get some more of the good stuff. After 2 hours we literally had to drag these groms out of the water they were having such a blast! One or two of the parents also gave it a whirl. 

Jenny, Frances and Ed met me at Big Bay yesterday 12pm with smiles of anticipation. All in their 50’s and 60’s they were keen to give this ‘surfing thing’ a go.

With children as old as I and grandchildren who were already surfers, they thought it was time to show the family who really was ‘boss’! The waves were 3ft-nice big walls foam for the three of them to catch with ease. I pushed them into wave after wave, expecting them to tire a lot quicker than they did. In fact, I was left exhausted after the lesson as they kept coming back to get yet another wave.

They invited me to lunch afterwards where we chatted about the endless adventures all three of them had been on: from climbing Kilimanjaro, to diving in scary inland lakes with no visibility, to running marathons in their 50’s, to early morning yoga classes and canoeing around the South Pole.