Local Surfers Shine at Victoria Bay

All photos @keahlophoto

Young Guns, Glacial Winds, and Roadworks that Test the Soul

A young crew of St Francis Bay surfers (and their long-suffering parents) headed down to compete in the 2025 Hurley Junior Surf Classic over the weekend, returning with some incredible results, a mild case of hypothermia, and a few hundred photos of those parents holding coffee mugs with (alleged) triple shot Kahlua coffees in them while feigning concern for their little ones.

The Venue: Victoria Bay, George-adjacent

It’s a fairly straight drive on the N2 from Humansdorp to Victoria Bay—three hours on a good day, which this was not. Once you hit the Wilderness roadworks, things take a turn. From there, it’s an exciting, edge-of-your-seat 4km shuffle through a single lane of stop-and-go madness, accompanied by the soothing chorus of jackhammers, frustrated holidaymakers, and workers leaning on shovels in full reflective gear. It adds at least an hour and a half to your journey and subtracts several years from your life expectancy. No one’s quite sure what’s being built. Possibly a time machine. Or a tunnel to Elands Bay.

The Weather: Freezing to Very Freezing

Victoria Bay in winter is best described as “brisk,” or if you’re over the age of 45, “Oh My Eff! It’s So Cold, Why Did We Effing Come Here!” Morning temps were a fresh 7 degrees C. The sun made brief appearances, but mostly just to mock. The surfers had to peel off their steaming wetsuits with their fingers numb and teeth chattering.

The Conditions: Small, Quite Big, Big, Very Big, Huge.

The waves were consistent, ranging from big to full-on overhead straight closeouts from Vic Bay to Plett. Heats ran in everything from head-high peelers to overhead chunks that sent boards flying and a few parents sprinting to the rocks while coaches looked on bemusedly. “They must learn,” one coach was heard saying, as a surfer who had lost her board as well as the heat, visibly emotional, went through her somewhat heartbreaking and very public five stages of loss. There was denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, in the time it took her to clamber over the frozen rocks. At least she got to acceptance. It was like watching a very live, very short Netflix documentary. Emotional moments, as tissues were handed out amongst a few of the moms who were clasping those suspicious coffee mugs

The Performances: Sharp, Committed, and Occasionally Existential

Despite the arctic breeze and Hawaiian-style swell, the St Francis crew showed serious form. There were big turns, stylish cutbacks and down-carves, and one or two massive hooks for the big scores. The groms showed guts, grit, and good manners in the face of unpredictable sets and an impassive judging tower.

The Parents: Veteran Support Crew

Fuelled by bean bags, rusks, and borderline weaponised thermoses of coffee, the St Francis parents formed a solid sideline squad. They clapped for everyone (even a JBay kid, once), and whispered quietly about wave choice, heat strategies, and if it was worth the drive to the Garden Route casino for a break in scenery.