Pumping waves for championship
WHILE work is still under way to clear damage caused by massive waves along the Eastern Cape shores last week, the MBSA and BCM-sponsored SA Masters and Open Surfing Championship pumped.
Surfers from around SA spent the week having some of the wildest rides, first at grunty Nahoon Reef, and when that went way out of control as the storm and surge approached, carried on in the relative lee of Nahoon Corner.
The change of venues was welcomed by surfers who all said the waves were good enough for the contest. Throughout the ocean event the competitors seemed either laid-back or “stoked”.
After storm surf spurred by Wednesday and Thursday’s massive surges on the new-moon had eased off , the heats went on, with surfers taking part in yesterday’s finals getting some great tube rides.
Over 150 heats were run by SA Surfing in the week and, despite waves surging over the Corner boulder embankment forcing cars to use safer areas, and security guards in a food tent at Nahoon Reef looking decidedly uncomfortable as the sea surged up to the marquee walls, the contest barely missed a beat.
Accelerate Sport head of operations Hannelie Schoeman said swells became very rough on Wednesday. “We were forced to move to the Nahoon Corner on Thursday because of the rough sea and high tide. The waves were just unruly and made surfing a bit difficult.
“Although it was a mission moving everything to the other side, we got perfect barrels. But we realised it was safe for us to come back to Nahoon Reef today [yesterday], where we are having the final. The weather and the waves are perfect for the last leg of the event.”
Meanwhile, it will take major repairs to fix large slabs of paving on the Esplanade near the Sugar Shack which were undermined, then simply washed away or down the road by triple-decker waves. A lot of brick debris was seen on the corner of the Esplanade and Moore Street.
Traffic officials had barricaded the entrance to the Eastern Beach, while graders continue to scoop sand and officials cleared debris. —