SA surf star: ‘Ocean is like a rubbish dump’
Jordy Smith warns about pollution as Cape Town sea tests deliver worrying results
HE has a permanent suntan, gets paid to hang out at the beach and surf, and even proposed to his supermodel girlfriend on a longboard.
But South African world surfing superstar Jordy Smith has warned that his beloved ocean is fast turning into a rubbish dump — including some popular local surfing venues.
Smith, currently fourth in the world rankings, told the Sunday Times this week that the waves were not what they used to be when hippies still ruled Jeffreys Bay.
“I always notice that the water quality deteriorates after heavy rain, especially in Durban,” he said.
“It would be cool if there were more programmes in schools, especially close to the coast, teaching the future decisionmakers the importance of waste and runoff,” Smith said in written replies to questions about his surfing lifestyle.
“In some parts of California, you have oil rigs off the coast and you get blobs of oil on your feet and board. The ‘in’ places like Indonesia, where they are not educated on what to do with their trash, you have some pretty messy beaches from everything being thrown into creeks and washing up on the sand.
“At Canggu [in Bali], there is a river that runs straight into the line-up and I’m always wary of surfing there if it has poured down the night before.
“Indonesia is a third-world country where rivers are used for washing everything from their bodies to motorbikes — and as a toilet.”
Smith’s comments coincide with a City of Cape Town report that shows worrying pollution levels at Muizenberg, consid- ered the “home” of South African surfing. Polluted water samples were also recorded at Blouberg Big Bay and Melkbosstrand, although city officials said it was not serious enough to ban swimming.
Pollution levels are generally measured by the amount of E coli bacteria, associated with human waste.
But not even floating barrels of nuclear waste would have stopped Smith from proposing to supermodel Lyndall Jarvis in true surfer fashion earlier this year — on his surfboard.
Jarvis said she was caught completely by surprise. “We have been tandem-surfing together a bunch of times, so when he asked me to turn around midwave and he was down on one knee, I was completely blown away,” she said.
Jarvis, a celebrity model since being named FHM South Africa’s Sexiest Woman in the World in 2009, said she knew little about Smith when she met him at a Cape Town horse race.
“I didn’t know anything about him — just that he surfed. I thought he was super-confident and aware of himself, which is always attractive, but I wasn’t interested in dating anyone. He asked me out a few times and I said no each time. He eventually persuaded me to go on just one date to change my mind. We haven’t been apart since.”
The couple will wed in February next year.
Jarvis also revealed that Smith was a frustrated rock star. “He’s a crazy singer. He loves to sing. He sings all day and he’s really good. There is definitely a mini rock star living inside of him. He can do a Guns n Roses cover like no other.”
I always notice that the water quality deteriorates after heavy rain
She said she had adapted easily to Smith’s surfing schedule, which involves travelling the world.
“I had been modelling for so long that when he asked me to come on tour with him, I just said yes. I go with him everywhere now. Sometimes I miss work and I’m hoping to get back into it soon, but our life together is so exciting that I’m in no rush. What’s better than travelling the world and exploring new places with your partner?”
Smith, 25, grew up in Durban and first raised eyebrows in the surfing world by perfecting the “rodeo flip”, a skateboard-style manoeuvre involving a lot of “airtime”.
He said surfing was more than a profession. “Surfing is everything. It’s on my mind 24 hours a day. There is also something spiritual about the ocean that keeps you young.”
He also revealed the inspiration for his career — his father, who pushed him into his first wave when he was just three.
“I grew up roughing it with my dad on surf trips up and down the coast. On tour, you need to be comfortable in houses and hotels, but I still love heading up the West Coast with a tent, sleeping under the stars and cooking by the camp fire. There is something really pure about living on the land. It brings me back to reality and makes me appreciate everything I have.”
Smith has released a short film, Now Now, which will be shown later this month at the Wavescape Ocean Festival in Cape Town.
He said he hoped future generations would be inspired by the movie to stop the “greed that is completely cleaning out the ocean”.