We’ve been in Coffee Bay since Wednesday and the crew have now settled into the slower pace of life of the Transkei. We are down by the coast and a long way from the hustle and bustle of the more developed coastal towns that we have stopped in to date.

We left East London early, hoping to arrive in time for an evening surf. There were some tired eyes after the fairwell party which involved a big fish braii, some traditional dancing, drumming and fire dancers. Unfortunately the weather didn’t play its part with some light evening rain, but the festivities went ahead regardless and it was a good way to leave East London.

We arrived in Coffee Bay for the early afternoon, unpacked and made the short walk over the hill to the waves. The swell was pumping; the biggest waves of the trip so far. Tom dropped into a monster and I saw Adam flying across the face on what has to be one of the waves of the trip. It was then over to the bar for a big supper, a couple of drinks and to bed in time for the lessons the next morning.

With the waves here pretty much to ourselves it allows us to have a bit of fun in the water. Thursday saw us all go in together as a group for some pairs surfing. The guys surfed in pairs, taking it in turns to catch a wave and calling their partners into the right spot. It’s a great way to introduce them to surf coaching and to get them thinking about what’s really going on in the water. Again, with loads of waves to go around there were some good performances. Merryl continues to improve with some good long rides and Pip was surfing well. The wind then came up in the afternoon so it was time to grab some rest in a hammock before a quick evening surf and a braii.

Yesterday we decided to take off for a bit of exploration. We loaded up the van and headed off down the dirt roads to Mdumbi. The road was in OK condition and we were greeted by a stunning empty beach, crystal blue water and some fun waves. With the sun shining many of us were surfing in board shorts for the first time. A huge pod of dolphins came through, one popping up right off the nose of Tom’s board giving him quite a shock. With nobody around it was a great chance to mess around with technique and try a few new boards and it was a really good surf and beach day.

Today the swell is up so we’re waiting on the tide to hopefully give us some rideable conditions. It’s going to be a real test if it comes together. Tomorrow we are off to Hole in the Wall and the week ahead looks set to bring some sun and swell.

Check back next week for another update.

Thanks for reading,

Tim and Bevan.

Today marks 1 week in the Transkei and we’ve had a great 7 days so far with some fun waves, good day trips and some interesting nights all thrown in.

A heavy day of East wind last week meant that surfing was off the itinerary temporarily so we took off on a day hike to Hole in the Wall. The walk took us through the empty green countryside of the Transkei, punctuated by the odd small settlement where the kids would run out of their small mud rondavels and harass us for “sweet! sweet!” The walk took us about three hours and we were met at the hole with toasties made over a fire, very tasty and very welcome. There was time to relax in the sun and take a swim out to the hole before heading back for supper.

Overnight the wind dropped and the swell generated from the previous day’s blow was running perfectly down the point. We hit the water all day with the guys surfing until they dropped. Everyone got some great waves and enjoyed the warmer water surfing in just boardshorts and bikini’s with nobody around but us. That evening Hills, Daisy and Sam went up to the local village where they had a traditional supper, including some interesting locally brewed beer, with the village chief – a good way to get to know the workings of a Transkei village.

Yesterday saw the run of good swell continue as we split in two for the morning. Some of the guys decided to stay behind and surf the point here whilst the other half went inland looking for a local secret spot. The chance to find epic waves in the middle of nowhere was there and, though we found the point, the waves weren’t quite what we were hoping for with the swell at just the wrong angle. Either way it was a good experience and the scenery was breathtaking to say the least. We all hit the water together in the afternoon before heading back to the hostel to prepare our costumes for the “p” party. Needless to say the festivities lasted late into the night and into the following morning for some!

Today sees a lay day in the surf, time to fix boards, work of pre-course work books and start preparing talks for the surf courses that start in just two weeks time! It’s all going too quickly. Tomorrow the wind is back offshore for a few days, Saturday we move to the South Coast and the sub-tropics!

Thanks for reading,

Tim and Bevan.

Having been out in South Africa for nearly 3 weeks now on a combination of holiday and TTRide development I have now caught up with the group on the Bluff side of Durban, South Africa’s surfing capital. I saw the majority of the group off as they boarded their planes in Heathrow what now feels like an age ago, but out here they were almost unrecognisable with everyone boasting a deep golden tan, a healthy glow, even if a couple are unfortunate to have claimed the odd war wound to match.

It was straight down to business, as the group got shown around their self catering apartments there was just time for a quick smile before everyone made their way back to the minibus to head into the centre of Durban to the Marine Lifesaving Club to start their Lifesaving Qualification. It sounds like they’ve been busy in Umtentweni with day trips to the various renowned point and reef breaks of the South Coast and a good run of swell. Tim and Bevan have been getting them up early to take advantage of the morning offshores so there are a few tired faces around, the way it should be when you’re chasing waves. Up early and early to bed! By all accounts the group coped well with the heavier waves so we are all confident that they will fare well in the Surfing Courses that are set to run at the end of this week.

As it’s been three years since my last Lifesaving award I’m joining the group on the course, it’s great to run through all the theory of it all again, and all of the group really seemed to enjoy the basic concept of how to save someone from a water incident; it’s a key stage of development in every surfer, and having completed the course fills you with so much more confidence when you’re out in the ocean.

Tomorrow morning we’re heading in for the timed swim, at King’s Park which boasts being the Southern Hemisphere’s fastest pool (never quite understood why?!) but it holds the most swimming records, and people always seem to shave time off their previous best.

I’ll be out here until Sunday afternoon, but the trip is still running for another two weeks. During which time they’ll complete the Lifesaving award, and then next week the focus will swing onto the SSA Level 1 Surf Coaching Award, before a final trip wind down up in the North Coast at the beautiful Secret Spot in Balitto.

All the best,

Linley, Tim, and Bevan

Hello from Durban. We have been here for pushing 5 days now and the group are motoring through their Surf Instructor and Surf Lifesaver courses. We arrived on Thursday last week and were straight into action as the guys went over to Addington beach to meet Deon and start their Surf Lifesaving. The initial day was mainly classroom based which for most was an interesting throwback to school days that feel like a long time ago. The guys learned all about Lifesaving techniques, CPR, the systems of the body and emergency response, very interesting stuff and very relevant to what we have been doing these last 7 weeks: the feedback from the group was great!

Friday saw us head over to the pool for our timed swims. The effort put in by everyone was fantastic, none more so than by Allyn, Pip and Lou who all took 45 seconds plus off their original times from Cape Town. Pip and Lou (mid recovery from tonsillitis and pleurisy) came in just shy of the time but there will be another chance to re-sit on Friday and I am sure they will come through. It was then down to the beach for water work including board and tube rescues, and spinal board carries. The water work really improves your confidence in open water and is great for building confidence in the larger waves that Durban has to offer.

We had a couple of lay days over the weekend as we waited for Dene to come in and start the Surf Instructor course. We headed into town for some waves and rugby on Saturday. With such a wide variety of waves on offer there was something for everyone; Adam nearly getting barrelled at Bay Bowl whilst some of the others cruised the softer waves at South Beach, just the other side of the pier. We surfed hard then hit Joe Cools for the Wales vs. South Africa game. Allyn was the sole Welshman in the bar and wore his shirt with pride, sadly to little avail as the Welsh just missed out.

Sunday dawned early with some serious waves out front at Ansties. The conditions were testing to say the least with some hairy waves to duck under if you were to reach backline. Adam made it through as did Tom and Jules later in the day. Lou, Merryl and Allyn all gave it a valiant attempt in the early morning sun but couldn’t penetrate the 6ft plus breakers. To have tried it alone shows how far the open water confidence has come since the soft waves of Muizenberg 7 weeks back. By mid day the wind came up so we headed to the paintball centre next door to us here on the bluff. It was a good afternoon, if not a little too ruthless at times...there are still a few painful looking bruises kicking around today!

Today sees the start of the SSA Level 1 course. Dene has arrived from Cape Town and the guys are in the house going through the theory of teaching. This afternoon they will hit the water for the first of the surf sessions. The course will finish on Thursday with final assessments next week. It’s good to se the guys approaching the courses with confidence and I am sure they will come through well. A further update on these will follow towards the end of the week.

Otherwise all is well. Time is going far too fast with under two weeks left. By Thursday we are done with the courses! But that leaves plenty of time for free surfing, exploration, day trips and some well deserved relaxation.

Thanks for reading,

Tim and Bevan.

We are now up in Ballito and entering the final week of the trip. Most of the courses are now complete and I can happily say that we have a 100% pass rate for the Surf Lifesaving with Lou and Pip passing their swim retakes. Lou came through and knocked over 45 seconds of her personal best with Pip taking off over 11/2 minutes! A fantastic effort from them both and big congratulations from us all.

Dene left us last Thursday and will return on Tuesday and Wednesday of the coming week for the Surf Instructor Assessments. The guys will be tested on their surfing ability and their ABC lessons which they have been practicing for the last two days at the Lizzard Pro on the Durban beach front. We hooked up with the crew at KZN Surfing and took a pitch at Dairy Beach offering free surf lessons for the spectators and some of the younger competitors. It was the first chance the group have had to try their hand at coaching and feedback was good. Sam’s student finished the lesson and went straight out to buy a surfboard. We were only due to do the one morning but, following the success, we were asked back for today as well, joining the competitors afterwards for a Braii at the Durban Lifesaving Club. A good way to spend the weekend and to get involved with the local surfing crew here in Durban

In between we have had some good waves at the piers with lots of time being put in the water with the surfing assessments fast approaching. New boards have also been purchased along the way with the main focus being on graphics.....Daisy, Sam and Pip all designed theirs themselves and they came out very well. Lots of smiles all round tand more boards to follow I am sure.

Following all the new purchases we thought it would be a good idea to fix the guys up with some tips on board care. Bluff legend and Ansties owner Rudy Palmboom Snr took the group through a 20 minute ding repair session so that they will be able to fix their new boards when they knock them, a useful skill to have especially when you are on the road. With most of the guys continuing their travels onwards from SA next week they will be well prepared for the nightmares of travelling with fragile surfboards.

We are off out for dinner in a minute. Following a week of hard work the guys deserve some downtime and, after a good night out last night, a long meal and a rest day tomorrow is in order. We will check the waves early and make a call, we may take a day trip inland to the valley of a thousand hills for some traditional Zulu culture. But then if the waves are up that may well change!

Dene is here in two days to finish the courses then it’s time to kick back. The forecast shows a very good swell on the way just in time. The flowrider is booked for Sunday and it’s going to be an action packed final week.

Thanks for reading and check back for more news in the week.

Tim and Bevan.