Smith bows out at JBay, despite 10-point double

“Impressed with the way @wsl handled this white shark crashing the line-up yesterday – with acceptance of it being there & even some awe.”

The day ended with an incredible heat when Morais upstaged Hawaiian John John Florence after picking up a ten in the dying moments of their quarter-final.

There was dramatic tension when the safety boat got caught inside a huge set. People marvelled at the sight of a rubber duck almost getting tubed by a triple-overhead wall of water, even tail-sliding as the skipper (and two terrified passengers) desperately avoided getting pitched into the orchestra pit.

There were many such moments at J-Bay this year, when the music slowly builds and peaks with a dramatic flourish – a series of mini-crescendos.

The tale of passion and tube riding started when, in the first act, 11-time winner Kelly Slater broke three bones in his foot after wiping out at Boneyards, up from Supertubes.

One hopes no-one told him to “break a leg” before this production began. The crazy burst of winter swell has calmed down. Today, the general downward trend continues. The surf looks 6’ on the open coast, easing all day. Winds blow moderate southerly, which is not great news for Muizenberg. By tomorrow, the surs is much smaller in glassy light variable winds. Expect 2-4’ surf on open coast. Muizenberg fun if small, maybe waist high but clean. Twitter @spike_wavescape