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With this years second South African adventure drawing to a close we are now only four days away from the start of our first Mozambique 4x4 Surfari. We have got a group of 6 heading up the coast with our Head of South Africa, Tim Conibear and former SA Masters Champ Ryan Ribbink. With these two at the help the group being led by two highly capable trip leaders with a vast amount of experience between them.

The trip starts on Friday up on Durban's North coast where everyone will have a couple of days to acclimatise to the sub-tropical Durban climate, before loading the 4x4s and heading North across the border to a remote spot called Ponta D'oro which Surfer magazine has already famed "The New J-Bay", and then further North to Tofo which is widely regarded as some of Africa's most beautiful coastline.

Will and myself first explored Mozambique two years ago with the eye to running a trip there, and after a considerable amount of trip development it just around the corner, and so is a very exciting time for us all. The trip is aimed at those who have had a fair amount of surfing experience before in order to make the most of the world class waves that are on offer at both locations, and Ryan has also offered to take up his fishing boat which will add another brilliant aspect to the course, and ensure that no matter what the conditions the group are never bored!

All the preperations are complete, and it's due to be an all time classic, and with 5 people already up and ready for the trip in 12 months time it's looking like the popularity is already there.

Watch this space...!

Linley

It’s a pleasure to be reporting to you all from a breathtaking Ponto da Ouro here in Mozambique. In all my years working and running trips for Ticket to Ride I can honestly say that I have not got such a buzz driving into a new location as this. It is truly stunning. But more on that in a minute…

The crew arrived with us in Durban on Friday. I picked up Hugh early and took him off for a surf whilst we waited for the others to land. I can’t remember a better introduction to surfing in South Africa; powerful clean waves, nobody in and a huge pod of dolphins circling and jumping all around us. Straight off the plane, I am not sure Hugh knew what hit him, but the grin said it all! Vera, Chris and Lizzy arrived later in the afternoon to complete our party here and we set off for a welcome supper with some of the riders from our ten week course that had recently finished. We were a good crew and it was a fun evening as we chatted about what was to come.

Saturday was spent driving around kitting ourselves out for today’s adventures. Chris and Vera were sorted out with new boards but Clayton who also pitched in with an Ad Hoc coaching session on some of the more advanced manoeuvres the guys will be aiming to stick in their time with us here. Vera picked up a good looking 6,0 and Chris is the proud owner of a new longboard which will hopefully yield many a leg aching ride down the point out front. We then stopped in quickly at the Gateway mall to stock up on vitals such as sun screen, mosquito repellent and lots of books. We also stopped by the flowrider (Durban’s artificial wave) to have a look at a demo being put on by some of the local pros. Very impressive but with some serious surfing to be done here we chose not to risk injury and remain spectators. We may well be heading back there when we return to Durban later in the month. Driving back to Ballito the guys tried out the in car LCD TV’s and watched a couple of Mozambique related surf movies before arriving back to meet our guide Ryan Ribbink for a braii. Ryan is one of SA’s most decorated senior pros and a veteran of 4x4 surf adventuring. Arriving shortly after 5 we lit the braii’s, put the steaks on and chatted about the journey ahead before an early bed and a 4AM alarm.

The morning came quickly and we were all up and ready to leave, itching to get on the road and onwards towards Mozambique. The 4x4’s were loaded, bags stashed and soon we were motoring north, me towing the board trailer, Ryan towing his boat which we will be using for a few fishing trips on the off days here. We reached Kosi Bay at about 9AM and went through the usual rigours of an African border crossing; smile when smiled at, smile when frowned at and pay what they ask when they ask and not before… Driving on through the gate the tar road soon disappeared and a number of rutted sand trials spread out before us. As I looked on more than a little confused as to how we were going to negotiate deep sand with heavy trailers, Ryan calmly went about deflating the tyres before jumping in the front and striking off down one of the many ‘roads’. We followed close behind, the 4x4’s doing their best to maintain traction as we made our way through the empty countryside and down towards the coast. There were a couple of interesting moments reversing and bumping our way out of deep sand but we made it safe and sound and arrived to the sight of some beautiful little surf in the bluest, clearest water I have ever seen. Unfotunately we were a little late and by the time we had made our way along the beach to the jump off spot the tide had filled in rendering the surf a but ragged but there were a few fun waves. Tia got a good one and Chris managed to hitch a ride from the bottom of the point on a passing jet-ski saving a ½ hour paddle. It’s a long ride here! Tomorrow holds promise for some good waves and the wind should drop this evening allowing for a sunset session.

Internet connections here are still far behind so hopefully the pictures will make it through. The attached are of the journey, pics of the waves and the set up will follow with the next update later in the week. Apologies but this really is Africa!

Thanks for tuning in. Keep checking for more news on our inaugural trip to Mozambique.

Tim

We are settling into the pace of life here after 5 days of easy living by the beach. Typical days revolve around a 6am start and a quick stretch to limber up before heading up to the point and an hour’s power surf before breakfast. Walking into our accommodation here you order straight away, usually pancakes or French toast, shower and change and come back to find your food waiting for you on the deck. Not a bad start! Following that it’s back out to the sea, another surf, this time for a few hours until your arms drop off, then back for lunch and a sleep in the shade.

At the moment we are on Spring Tides so the afternoon high water has been killing the waves. With the amount of time we have been surfing in the mornings this usually comes as a welcome relief and we are happy to chill in the shade until it’s time for supper. For those that are keen Ryan has been putting his boat in the water to head to the outer reefs for a fish. Tia, Vera and Hugh went the first day, Chris and I went yesterday and this afternoon Christianne and Lizzy are going to head out. The first crew didn’t have much luck but Chris and I had a good fish yesterday pulling in a Cob and a big Red thing with teeth. Very pretty to look at and we let them both go. The water is so clear here, as we were pulling in the fish you could see the colours reflecting in the blue water, every now and then a large shadow would circle the snagged fish; a shark coming in for a closer look! Nothing too scary though so no worries there but it was very impressive to see the food chain in action, there’s so much life in the water here.

A couple of days ago the wind came up so it was time to take advantage of the 4x4’s and Ryan’s extensive local knowledge. Whilst the rest of Ponta sat and scratched their heads we loaded the boards into the trailer, let a little bit of air out of the tires and took off along the sand roads in search of waves at a point somewhere off in the distance. Leaving Ponta behind us in a cloud of dust we pushed trough empty bush as we bounced along the trails passing reed barracas (small road side cafes) and small settlements. After 45 minutes or so, and after encountering barely another soul, we reached our destination; an empty beach again with crystal clear water and some small fun waves breaking near the shore. I gave Chris a quick lesson before the tide caught us whilst Ryan took the rest of the crew out in the main break. We surfed hard for about three hours before loading up and heading back in time for supper and a rum and raspberry or two.

And that’s about it for now. Easy days just surfing and fishing the sun, nobody to hassle us and a couple of 4x4’s to take us wherever we please. Life’s pretty easy in Mozambique! We head off on Sunday and another blog should follow before we go. The long term forecast looks really quite exciting with a good swell and good winds on the way. All in all it’s looking like a fun couple of weeks still in store for us here.

Thanks for tuning in,
Tim

We are now well into our stay here in Mozambique and, following a two day journey through the countryside, are happily settled into our second location here in Tofo. It is, as all the pictures we saw beforehand showed us, beautiful.

We left Ponta da Ouro on Sunday morning after a couple of fun days and nights. The last two days we had a bit of swell and got to sample the leg aching rides down the point. I had to kick off one as i simply could not carry on riding! All the guys have had some great waves and have been putting alot of time in the water, roughly 4-5 hours per day. The weekend also saw Ponto fill up for the easter public holiday so we headed out for a few drinks. Most of us crawled in just after midnight to get up for the waves the next morning, Chris lasted a little longer and was heard crashing in around 4am. We didn’t see him until a little later the following day...!

Waking early on Sunday we loaded the trailers and set off on what can only be described as a true African bush adventure. For 5 hours we battled along sand roads often getting stuck and once using the winches to free Ryan’s 4x4 from deep sand. The countryside was completely deserted except for the odd passing car and it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere, which after consulting a map, we were. Our itinerary took us through the national elephant reserve, elephants have only recently been reintroduced after 16 years civil war so spottings are very rare, but the countryside is stunning and the hours passed by too quickly as we pushed on towards Catembe where we would board the ferry to take us across the Inhambane Bay to Maputo.

As we drove into Catembe we had our first run in with the infamous Mozambique police. Pulling us over for driving without wearing t-shirts (35 degree heat with aircon out of order from the dust on the roads..) they confiscated our licences and demanded a 700 metica fine. After a brief discussion with Ryan the fine became 100 meticas before they dropped it all together, deciding to let us off rather than go through all the official paper work as we demanded. The benfits of traveling with an experienced guide. We drove the next few kilometres and joined the queue for the Maputo ferry. With an hours wait we stretched our legs and took a walk around the small BBQ stands and the rusting boat yards. Across the water we could see the towering skyscrapers of Maputo rising up out of the slums, it was a very African scene and one far removed from Durban which we left only 10 days ago.

The ferry arrived and we were all highly sceptical as to whether it would float let alone make the short crossing. We piled the cars onto the deck amid all the shouting from the local hustlers and soon were cruising across the brown waters over to Maputo and the final leg of our Journey. Disembarking proved again eventful as our trailer became jammed on the gangway blocking the exit. As the first car off this meant nobody else could move and soon we had 50 people crammed around the car as we struggled to walk the trailer off the gangway. It took about 20 minutes but was entertaining none the less.

Ferry negotiated it was then time to head through Maputo. I have been to many cities around the world but few as interesting as Maputo. Buildings still crumbling from years of war topple into brand new department stores gleaming in the sun. The wide boulevards are potholed with patches of sand showing through as traffic makes it’s own way as best it can; a complete shambles but happily so. Our camp ground for the night was in the bush about 50 kms from the city. Arriving in the dark we settled in and ate to the sound of the generator that was switched off shortly after nine plunging us into darkness. We read quickly by candlelight before the long day caught up with us all and we slept through till the morning.

Day 2! We started early, around 7am, and took off onto the tar road north towards Tofo. The first 200kms are well kept and we cruised along at a good speed with the crew chilling in the back watching a surf movie or two on the screens and taking it all in. After 200kms the roads fall apart as large potholes make progress slow and laboured. We passed lots of small villages where kids would come running from the reed shelters trying to sell ‘Piri Piriiiii!’ and a large Unicef camp set amongst the dense palm groves. The countryside changes as you move north with palms everywhere. We are also a good 600kms nearer the tropics here so it is hot and humid but we are not complaining.

Arriving at Turtle Cove, our accomodation for the next week, we unpacked, grabbed a quick bite then hit the waves. The wind had come up and it was getting dark but the water was warm and the waves waist high or so and it was good to wash off the drive. We came back in, showered, grabbed a beer or a tea and ordered a chow. By 8 we were all exhausted and after a couple of games of Backgammon by the fire we were all asleep.

And that brings us to today, sat in my shack after a surf bringing you up to speed on all that’s been going on. This morning was small waves and fun, this afternoon sees a swell fill in and tomorrow, fingers crossed....

Thanks for tuning in. We have 7 days left before making the drive back and another blog will follow in due course.

Tim and Ryan

We are now into the pen-ultimate day of our stay in Tofo and the time has gone by too fast. Our stay here is for 8 nights and it still barely feels like we have been here more than a couple of days. The pace of life is easy, the days long and mellow and very different to the upbeat vibe of Ponto. Turtle Cove is a world away from home and it’s the perfect place to relax and spend a few days enjoying typical Mozambican style hospitality whilst we sit our between the waves.

To bring you up to speed; we have had some fun surf sessions here and there. Before we arrived the charts looked amazing with some long range swells predicted to last all week. Unfortunately the swell bypassed us here, being just a little too southerly, so we have been fitting surfs in around the right tides and at the most suitable spots. Mornings on the high tide we have loaded the boards and bounced along the sand roads to Dino’s, a mellow little beach break in front of Dino’s sand bar on Tofo beach. The water is crystal clear and the waves empty, it’s always been just us in the water meaning the guys have had lots of waves. Ryan has been passing around a few tips to keep everyone on their game and I have been using the video camera so we can give the guys a bit more feedback. We’ve also been trying a few new boards with Lizzy surfing one of Ryan’s 6,0’s and Vera now riding one of his 5,11’s. Chris is making some good progress on his longboard, Tia is going well on the 6,10 and Christianne is surfing the board she shaped herself back in Ballito very well indeed. So all in all, we have some happy faces.

When we’ve not been surfing Dino’s we’ve been off to Tofinho point. The wave is more critical and breaks hard and shallow making it more of a challenge. Hugh has been surfing well, nearly killing me on one drop in for which I will repay him… We’ve not been as lucky with the crowds and share the waves with a couple of the other guys staying here at Turtle Cove. These couple of guys though turn out to be SA surf legends Bruce Gold and Shaun, brother of underground SA charger Roosta. They have been super friendly to the guys and filled them with all manner of surf stories. Bruce is a true surfing hero here having grown up in the bush in and around J-Bay in the 60’s. At 61 he still charges and he has been filling the water with all the good vibes you would expect. It’s been an amazing experience surfing with him, sharing a rum or two at the bar and getting to know one of Suring’s most colourful characters. I am sure we will never forget him, whether he remembers us quite as long is another story….!

Other than the waves, we took a drive into Inhambane the other day, the main town that lies a few km’s inland. We took a walk around the main market and grabbed a drink in the main square, taking in a bit of the local culture and atmosphere. We came across an abandoned railway station and stopped in to take a look, all the old carriages and engines were still there and the main workshops were still intact, as if they had been left in a hurry. There was something a little eerie about the place but a lot of fun to explore. Some of the crew went over to Dino’s for a night out. Both Chris’ came back sometime around sunrise once again whilst the rest of us turned in early, expectant of some early waves that didn’t materialize in the end, seems that the Chris’ made the best call.

Today Ryan left early to head out on a local crayfish boat. His experience as a Cray fisherman in Durban when he was younger will hopefully come in handy and we will, with a bit of luck, be braiing some big fish on the fire tonight. The rest of us were due to head out on a whale shark diving trip this morning but have been scuppered by a broken engine. In true Mozam style there is no spare part, only to found in SA. It may take months to fix, but we’ll try to find another way out there tomorrow as it really is a once in a lifetime chance to swim with the huge animals, that is if you have the guts to jump over the edge.

Tomorrow is our last day up here, Tuesday we drive south and we arrive in Durban on the Wednesday night. Thursday we spend in Durban, hopefully surfing with the predications showing swell, then Friday the adventure comes to a sad close. Another blog will follow once we are home but till then thanks for tuning in.

Tim and Ryan.