Over the years I had kept in touch with a close childhood friend, Byron, who since leaving university seemed to be popping up more and more frequently on my social media feed - getting barrelled in crystal blue waters somewhere off the east african coast. I managed to catch him on one of his brief visits to the mother city and after a few overdue beers I managed to get him to spill the beans.
I spent the next few months drooling over the string of whatsapp videos he kept sharing of a particularly hollow left reef break on the island he was working on. The trail of messages would go cold for a few weeks before I heard from him again. 'How would you like to come join us up here for a short stint and try things out?' My mind spun at the mere thought and a few weeks later I was eagerly carting my board through cape town international airport.
Huge granite mountains covered in tropical forest greet you as you fly in to the main island. I felt as if I had stepped into an old getaway magazine double page spread from my dentists waiting room table. The beauty of the place really does live up to its reputation, but I soon found a whole other world that reveals itself to you as you peel back the layers of high end tourism and five star beach resorts.
After a few weeks exploring the island in the 'blue bomber', Byrons vintage Suzuki Jimny, I soon began to recognise a few familiar faces in the lineups. There was a small but very enthusiastic contingent of local bodyboarders that welcomed us at their favourite spots. And soon I began to feel like a regular in the lineup myself.
Special mention must go to George, Selwyn, and the rest of the local crew for always welcoming us back when we dropped into town. It was great to watch the local guys pushing each other and it was impressive to see how they are growing the sport on the small island.
Pretty much the entire island is surrounded by outer reef passes that are home to boat channels that pass into the lagoons on the inside. I remember many drives to work drooling out the window as I watch another left spit into the channel about a kilometer out.
All this being said, the conditions are more than fickle and the area does not see a lot of swell. It was only over the course of a few years in the area that we got to know what spots worked and when.
Pictured above and below is another mate of ours 'CVJ' hailing from Natal and unluckily one of the few natural footers in a land of predominantly lefts. Never shy of an air attempt over the shallow reef, it always made for great shooting while he was in the water.
Byron had spent the longest amount of time surfing these spots, probably even longer than some of the local crew. So it's no surprise that he dominates the majority of my images. The truth is, I don't think anyone had these waves as dialed as he did.
Pictured above: A rare sequence of Byron blowing a takeoff. Nothing beats watching a mate send it unsuccessfully.
This particular spot fast became the favourite for the goofy footers amongst us. A wave very reminiscent of Kalk Bay Reef, but a lot sharper on the bottom. With the sun rising above the granite mountains in the background, it also made an idyllic spot to shoot from the water.
Pictured above is one of many link-ups with Byron and my lens. Too often I would surface wondering if had caught him with my housing. On one occasion I even lost my camera in the surf, having it ripped out my hand under a big set. After many hours snorkeling the reef searching for it, I gave up. Months later local bodyboarders, George and Selwyn, called me up to say they had found the camera.
The housing was slightly fouled but it still worked!
Pictured above: Byron on another pre-work morning surf. Not a bad way to start the day.
Pictured above (Gallery): With many flat or windy days to deal with, we managed to keep ourselves busy outside of surfing.
In one particular corner of the island was a beach that managed to pick up a significant chunk of the windy season swell. The contours of the bay channeled the swell in slightly better than elsewhere on the island. What resulted was a scenic yet thumping tropical close-out which would often eat unsuspecting tourists for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
For us, it meant more time in the surf and a proper good laugh. A nice way to beat the windy season down south.
The above collection of images was taken over the course of four years. A long time to get a few good surfs in, so it may not be an ideal surf trip location. But if you get lucky you are in for one helluva good time.
A short film I made from my time exploring the surf around the island.
