African Sunset – Photo Of The Day
African Sunset
The Corner Has Been Turned – 1 October Let’s Go!
photo © Chris Scott
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The calendar says it’s spring. The air suggests it’s still winter. October 1st in St Francis Bay is less a clean turning of the season than an awkward shuffle, the kind where nobody is quite sure whether to pack away the jackets or light the fire.
The mornings remain pretty dark, cold, and windy enough to discourage even those few ‘enthusiastic’ joggers. But by midday, people have convinced themselves it’s warm enough for shorts, and the hardware stores report a sudden spike in sales of fertiliser and pool chemicals. Seasonal optimism, St Francis style.
Some residents take no chances: board shorts with a beanie. A practical compromise that says, “Legs are ready for summer, but head doesn’t believe it.” It’s not fashionable, but it’s a uniform of belief, summer is on the way, even if the wind is cutting in sideways.
The beaches begin to fill again. Surfers debate wetsuit thickness like it’s geopolitics: 4/3 or 3/2? Booties or bravado? Nobody wins, except the wetsuit companies.
Everyone claims to be tired of winter, but winter had its perks, didn’t it? Quieter beaches, not full pubs, and traffic that meant waiting behind exactly one bakkie at the stop street. October threatens all of that with its slow trickle of hopeful holidaymakers and the “just down for the weekend” crowd.
And yet, despite the grumbling, there’s no denying that it feels better. The days stretch longer. The ocean looks a shade more welcoming. The sky carries just enough promise that someone, somewhere, is already lighting the first braai of the season at 3:30 p.m. unnecessarily early, but symbolically important.
We have a small window before the holiday makers start arriving, and an even smaller window before every tradesperson in the village becomes too busy to answer their phone. Make the most of it. October is a great month in St Francis Bay
Swallow-tailed Bee Eater – Photo Of The Day
The swallow-tailed bee eater photo is by Clive Wright photography
Further reading: Saddle Up – The FOSTER Jol Rides Again!
Seal Point Boardriders Club: Building Surfing from the Sand Up
The Seal Point Boardriders Club isn’t just a local surf club; it’s arguably the biggest and most active boardriders club in the country. Based in Cape St Francis and centred around Seal Point, the club has built a strong, inclusive surf community. It champions young talent, promotes ocean awareness, and maintains high local stoke levels all year round.
The club runs around ten grom comps and coaching sessions held annually, run by Luckyfish Surf School, a club championships, an AGM, and a legendary fundraiser party to wrap up the season. The club runs one of the most consistent and ambitious grassroots surfing programs in South Africa. It’s a well-oiled, volunteer-powered machine that offers something for everyone. From first-time groms learning to paddle out, to experienced juniors fine-tuning their contest strategies.
Club Chairman
The club is currently headed up by the very capable Dan Thornton. His calm leadership and tireless enthusiasm have helped shape its growing reputation. Under his guidance, the club continues to evolve, while keeping its core values of community, sportsmanship, and stoke firmly intact.
Crucially, the Seal Point Boardriders Club is able to do all this thanks to the generous support of its key sponsors: Billy’s Beach and Rotary St Francis. Their backing means contest entry remains accessible, events are professionally run, and the groms get to compete in a properly supported environment.From rash vests and T-shirts to prizes, wax, equipment and infrastructure. This kind of support is deeply appreciated, especially by the young surfers and their families who are at the heart of the club.
Friday beers and barrels
Whether it’s a mellow Sunday comp at the beach, Friday barrels, beers and boerie-rolls at the carpark, the AGM where new plans are hatched, or the big end-of-year jol where funds are raised and stories are swapped, the Seal Point Boardriders Club continues to grow. In numbers, in energy, and in impact.
The club has its own clothing range. Funky and popular, it is worn proudly by club members at other surf events around the country.
With a couple of lekker waves in the hood, a supportive community behind it, and the future of South African surfing emerging from the junior club ranks, we are all proud to be part of it.
Club Champs are upcoming. Look out for details
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Read more: Seal Point Boardriders Grom Comp and Coaching Session A Great Success
Field Narrowed at the O’Neill SMTH Shapes Rookie Rippers at Willard Beach
Ethan Schermbrucker © Dave Lindemann
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Although the field narrowed, it was another great day of surfing at Willard Beach for Day Two of the O’Neill SMTH Shapes Rookie Rippers junior event, with awesome waves rolling through in glassy, windless conditions.
The waves at Willard Beach are a perfect canvas for these young surfers to display their skills and prowess to the Surfing South Africa judges.
Young Ethan Schermbrucker put other contestants on notice in the third heat of the day with a scintillating performance, earning him 16.83 out of a possible 20 points for his U12 Boys Quarterfinal heat.
The U18 Boys Quarterfinals saw some of the best male junior surfers in the country battle it out, with Josh Malherbe, David Emslie, Ben Esterhuyse, Levi Epenetos and Clayton Turrell all winning their respective heats. It’s interesting to note that Malherbe was the only natural footer, with all the other heat winners being goofy footers in the predominantly right-breaking waves of Willard Beach.
Field Narrowed
Another goofy-footer, Loghan Tilsley, put on a fine performance in his U16 Boys quarters, with the highest heat total of the round of 14.00 points. Other surfers to excel in this division included Ashton Sangster and the two St Francis Bay surfers Jesse Moulang and David Moussouris.
The lunchtime high tide put a slight wobble on the conditions, but with the wind forgetting to blow on the north coast, the conditions remained highly contestable throughout the day, offering consistent great rides throughout the day’s competition.
Another Schermbrucker, young Emma, also surfed exceptionally well in her U14 Girls Semifinal to advance through to the finals. Coco Ho, Wanyu Chen and Maya Malherbe will join her in the finals tomorrow.
The forecast for tomorrow is promising, with a fine day predicted along with some clean swell lines. The call is for the event to start with the U18 Girls Quarterfinals at 7:30 sharp. Please keep an eye on the schedule on LIVEHEATS to check for any changes.
The O’Neill SMTH Shapes Rookie Rippers is the first surf event to take place as part of the Ballito Pro presented by O’Neill Festival. For more information, visit
Click HERE for the full Ballito Pro festival calendar.
Willard Beach is a high-performance, predominantly right-breaking wave that provides the perfect canvas for competitors to impress the Surfing South Africa judging panel and win valuable rating points and prize money. The judging criteria comprise speed, power and flow, and judges are always looking for combination moves and progressive surfing techniques.
The Rookie Rippers comprises U12, U14, U16, and U18 Girls and Boys divisions, with all divisions competing for contest results, prizes, and rankings on the SAST. The Rookie Rippers contest is a premier SAST event, with 1,000 points awarded to the winners and prize money in line with all premier events.
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