SURFING: Settling for Plan B on a Cold, Windy Winter's Day in Cape Town, South Africa

in SurfHive10 months ago

Hello everyone, and especially the SurfHive Community! It's Jasper, the musical-surfer dad from Cape Town in South Africa.

It is very much Autumn in Cape Town now... I have had flu or a cold a couple of times already as the seasons change, which has kept me out the water... Yesterday I realized it was already 20 May and I hadn't surfed a new wave yet!

I have made a challenging New Year's Resolution where I want to surf or bodyboard a wave I've never tried before every month this year. I've been able to pull it off in January, February, March and April, although February and April were close calls!

It looks like that will be the case again for May, because the reef I thought I might try was not looking too good.

Might as well still surf though... I landed up at a beach that has a terrible reputation for being "Plan B" when it turns out that all the other waves in the area aren't quite right...


But is the reputation fair? The general conditions looked lined up and clean...


It even has hollow sections...


A cold winter wind was blowing, and the water felt pretty frigid at first... the white dot I'm pointing out is actually an African penguin! Brrrr!


There were mainly rights...


But occasionally lefts...


This older gentleman was using his longboard and years of experience to get into waves early... he was having a great time!


Some of the best surfing was done by a couple of kneeboarders... I saw one of them fight his way out of a barrel on his first wave! Here's the other one carving it up...


Cape Town is a top windsurfing and kitesurfing destination, but this guy on a hydrofoil board didn't need more than a small hand-held wing to zoot about the backline...


My most interesting sequence? Realising that this wave was going to close-out and deciding to pull out the back...


Leaving it to the last second, and getting airborne as I fly off the back...


Admiring the rainbow in the wave's spray as I fly!


Realizing I can't stay up there forever and bracing for landing...


Sploosh into the clean, cold water!

So that was my session at "Plan B"! Not terrible, in fact it was probably better than a kick up the ass, but it leaves me with only a few days left to find my new wave of May! Wish me luck!


On my way home I waved to a distant uncle loitering about on the side of the road...


There are some aunts and cousins too! (This kind of primate is called a baboon!)

THE END

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I remember your New Year's Resolution about catching a wave every month! Fingers crossed that you find a new one this month!
Until then, thanks for sharing these awesome photos!


I have picked this post on behalf of the @OurPick project which will be highlighted in the next post!

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I did manage to find a sketchy rocky little novely new wave just before the month ended! Bring on June!

Yay! 🤗
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I see baboons often enough but that is my first hydrofoil board. Keep up the epic snaps there.

You see foils quite often at Muizenberg - they are mostly suited to soft rolling swells (or no wave at all if you have a wing!)

well done bro! keep exploring and surfing new waves 🤙

Ah man - with winter coming there will be plenty of new waves that I should probably stay the Hell away from! Hahaha! (Cape Town has several world class, but scary, proper big wave spots)