Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
World won’t be the same without Brock’s ‘swagger’
Tributes flood in following the loss of a larger-than-life big wave legend
Little was no stranger to death. In 1994, he was in the water at Mavericks with Mark Foo, who drowned. In 1997, his close friend Todd Chesser also drowned surfing an outer reef off the North Shore.
His bull-headed lack of fear eventually lead him to become a Hollywood stuntman, where he worked on films like Die Hard and Transformers.
According to affectionate reminiscences, he rocked up at the 1987 Eddie as a gawky 17year-old who got into the event as an alternate after charging waves early in the day before the contest began. He came third.
Later, as the elder statesman to the up-and-coming brat pack that included Slater, Shane Dorian and Ross Williams, Brock paved the way for the current generation of top surfers and big wave riders.
As Chris Mauro says on the World Surf League website, Little “had the swagger” and “the toughness” along with a great sense of humour “that included his wise- cracking brother Clark, and the late Todd Chesser, who himself was a stand-up comic”.
Incidentally, his brother Clark is the famous surf photographer known for his close-up shots of waves breaking.
RIP, Brock Little.
Double Whammy
MATT MCGILLIVRAY and Dylan Lightfoot were the bestplaced South Africans at the Kommunity Project Great Lakes Pro held this week on the East Australian coast not far from Sydney. The two surfers reached round four before they were knocked out.
B before A
IT was interesting that the Seal Point Boardriders Surf Club B Team won the 2016 Billabong SA Interclub Surfing Championships at their home break last week, finishing ahead of the A team. Joburg Boardriders’ debut at the event was credible. They came ninth out of 18 clubs from around the country.
Corner Gathering
A GATHERING to celebrate the life and times of Tym Kanigowski will be held at Surfers Corner in Muizenberg next Sunday. Friends will paddle out and form a circle to commemorate Tym, after which everyone is invited to Lagerchinos in Beach Road where Steve Walsh and friends will play tunes and pay tribute to a champion surfer, man about town and all-round great guy.
Mild Mavericks
DRAMA, near-drownings and upsets marked the Titans of Mavericks event last weekend as Santa Cruz local Nic Lamb took the win, with the only South African in the event, Capetonian Chris Bertish, unable to progress past the first heat.
Weather Tip
GREAT waves around early this morning as a 4-5’ swell builds to 6’ or more. A light SE breeze slowly begins to freshen after a glassy dawn patrol, becoming fresh to strong by evening. Muizenberg should have a few 2-3’ lines before breakfast in a light hint of onshore.
Tomorrow, a southerly wind blows moderate to fresh, which is not a great direction for both sides of the coast. It’s onshore for Muizenberg and sideshore for the other side, where a leftover 3-5’ swell runs.