Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Koxa overcomes his fears to become an 8-storey legend
will be confined to a memory or banter over a bar counter. Koxa’s ride was confirmed via video and photo footage, with one photo by Pedro Cruz adjudged the clincher.
The Brazilian almost met Davey Jones at Nazare in 2014, and while he escaped death that day, “for months later, I had bad dreams, I didn’t travel, I got scared, and my wife helped me psychologically,” he said. “Now, I’m just so happy.”
And wouldn’t you be. “I got a present from God,” Koxa said after the awards ceremony. “It was the best present I’ve ever had.”
I hope he means the award, and not the wave. If the latter, then its a case of “Be careful what you wish for!”
He might be meeting his maker a lot sooner than he thinks. About 5 000 people have bought tickets to the inaugural WSL wave pool event the Founders Cup of Surfing in California at the WSL Surf Ranch this weekend. Tickets are sold out, with many people appearing to respond to the line “come experience the magic in person” on the Founders Cup website. Apart from day tickets for around R1 200, the WSL also sold VIP passes for the weekend (about R60 000) and the “Surf Ranch Experience” (a VIP pass plus fancy hotel plus a 1 hour session on Monday plus private coaching and your own videographer). Cost of the latter? A cool R120 000. Interestingly, and further to my column last week about how wave pools will help surfing get mainstream traction, the WSL has announced a television partnership with CBS Sports, and a partnership with Turner Sports’ Bleacher Report Live.
After an epic run of incredible surf, with days of solid winter swell and light winds, it looks like we’re in a lull this weekend. Today, the surf looks 2’ and clean in light NW winds. Muizenberg could be fun if very small 1’ or 2’ for the longboard gang. The surf is set to increase slightly this afternoon, with a long range swell slowly starting to pulse to 3 or possibly 4’ by evening on open coast. By tomorrow, it’s a little more consistent and clean 3’ – maybe 4’ – with long gaps. Lovely conditions though, with glassy seas and light variable winds all day. Muizenberg lovely and clean but a major lack of swell.