South Africa
On our last day in Cape Town, we hit Llandudno one last time before our drive to Great Brak and I am very glad that we did.
I had my first experience surfing with dolphins, although at the time I thought they were sharks...
As I sat out back waiting for a wave I noticed a fin run though the top of a wave.
My initial reaction was one of panic but as I watched more fins emerged and to my amazement (three feet in front of me), was a school of thirty dolphins.
This was a truly awesome experience and made me realise just how inferior we are in terms of wave riding.
For the record they were not pieces of Gower driftwood, as I'm sure a few people will speculate.
After a nice 4ft wedgy surf we then hit the dusty trail once more and headed towards Great Brak (near George on the garden route), which was to be the venue for the wedding.
It was a scenic 500K drive and after nearly running out of fuel, crashing the hire car into a tractor, smoking a hundred or so cigarettes and getting lost, we eventually made it in one piece.
The next few days were spent surfing, in-between wedding chores at a beautiful right hand point break called Victoria bay.
This was only a 10 minute drive from the place we were staying and as luck would have it was pumping for 3 out of the 4 days that I was staying there.
This wave was a sucky bad boy and I got my share of good rides and harsh beatings there.
Open ocean swells come roaring past the indicator rocks, jack up off the reef bottom and then the initial section peels super fast so you have to set your rail and charge!
If you make the barrel/ section, it opens up reels and gives you a nice big shoulder to hit a cutback, spin or turn on, before reforming on the inside and producing another speedy section.
I got some wicked rides but sadly my pictures do not do it justice as they were taken after I had surfed on a dropping tide.
The first day I surfed, I got a beasting as it was 6ft + and I wasn't used to the set-up, but by the final day (although admittedly smaller) I was taking off uber deep and making every section I went for.
All in all a quality wave, but a steep learning curve i.e. make the section or get a bruising.
Locals were pretty friendly and a good few waves were ridden here. I was just settling into a groove by the time I was leaving and knew this was definitely a spot that I would come back to in the future.
Without going into anymore detail and boring people, the wedding itself was awesome and me and my brothers had a fantastic trip.
Although a culturally diverse and troubled country, South Africa is stunning, with great surf, people, food and culture.
I will be back again some day and hopefully it won't be too long as I miss the long hot days and sunsets already.
