Surfing

This is an interview with a surfer who’s faced great personal adversity to reach a goal and become a surfing champion. Avuyile ‘Avo’ Ndamase tragically lost his brother Zama in a fatal shark attack at Port St Johns’ notorious Second Beach in 2011 – the fourth fatal attack in three years. A tragedy that would keep many out of the water indefinitely, Avo has used to motivate him to surf even harder, and his hard graft paid off with a big win in last weekend’s Future Stars division at the Quiksilver Pro Junior. We had a few words with the champ to hear his thoughts. Howzit Avo, you put on a great performance to win the Future Stars division at the Quik Pro Junior. Tell us what this win means for you? I got a second last year, so I’m really stoked to take it this year. Honestly, I would have loved to make semis or finals in the main event, but winning the Future Stars gave me a lot confidence to rip harder and make more heats. I also enjoyed some cool support and a lot of love from the boys and my main man Linx Logie. From the beach it looked an inspired performance. What motivated you to victory. My board has this huge ding in the tail and really bogs and stalls every time I do a turn – which gave me two things to worry about; My first worry was the crazy Papi and Nicholas backhand, and number two was myself, just the fact that I had my board to work against. But the memories of when I was a little kid shredding Second Beach on a board that had been snapped twice and had its middle plug missing, that motivated me. I was also saying to myself slowly, “Listen Avo, you’ve been in worse conditions than this and today you are here. If you want this board to go, then make it go!” Then just like that, boom, I got blessed with two sick waves and scored high sixes for each of the waves. Before the damage it was a really great board from Vudu Surf. In 2011 you moved from Port St Johns to East London. What’s been happening there? I was in matric last year, so I’m now working as a surf instructor for Jonginenge Eco Aventure and Environment Appreciation. I also work for Sugar Shack backpackers. I’m loving being an Eastern Beach local. There’s also some cool waves around the coast and the Reef is crazy – Slummies is spoilt with surf. Avuyile and his brother Zama proudly display their surfboards for photographer Richard Johnson before the fatal attack in 2011. You tragically lost your brother, Zama, to a shark in your hometown of Port St Johns. How did his death affect your surfing, and how long was it before you were back in the water? I pretty much moved straight to Slummies after that, and almost right away I was out at backline at Eastern Beach. The tragedy made me want to rip harder and do it for both Zama and myself. Who encouraged you to start surfing? When I moved to Second Beach in 2002 I made friends with a guy named Pitso Maza, who is two years older than me. Back then Pitso surfed anything from bodyboard to Malibu, and he got a lot of respect from the lifeguards and the locals. That made me want to be were he was. Once Pitso showed me how it all goes down, it wasn’t too hard, and the ecstacy I felt was too great – that’s when I got my first love, surfing, and it has never stopped. That’s when surfing started to become popular in Port St Johns? Yes, a year after I started Mike Gatke opened a surf school in P.S.J when he saw the stoke in us. He pretty much got us organised and influenced a number of kids, which included myself, Pitso and my brother. Mike helped with teaching kids and also put together a brotherhood called Iliza Surfing Academy – which sadly closed down in 2008 after we lost Luyolo Mangele to a shark. Most of the kids never surfed again and only a handful of us kept surfing. That was till Zama’s attack, after that surfing in P.S.J never worked out. Avuyile smashes a fun New Pier right to

There's a really nice little interview by Michelle Lockwood with Michael Petersen's Mum over at Big Sky Wire, conducted on the 1st Anniversary of MP's passing.

With progression inevitably comes exclusion. Things are left behind, and we seldom stop to look back. We’ve moved on. Progressed. Matured, maybe. But nostalgia creeps in the wake of what was lost, and we become curiously aware of something missing. Pick any of the best modern films and you’ll see the same phenomenon: Bottom turn to air. Bottom turn to air. The occasional pump into a barrel. Bottom turn to tail throw. Cue lifestyle shot. Nobody’s paddling anymore. Nobody’s taking off, dropping in, linking maneuvers, or kicking out. It’s all been left on the cutting room floor. Deemed unnecessary. We never get to see that moment when the wave stacks up and the surfer decides to go for it. The complete ride in surf films is on the verge of extinction.

Press Release The Eastern Surfing Association held its 2013 Northeast Regional Surfing Championships in Sea Isle City, New Jersey this past weekend, showcasing the best amateur surfers from New England, New York, New Jersey and also the Great Lakes. “The contest was so much fun,” said ESA Executive Director Michelle Sommers. “Although the waves were pretty small, they remained consistent throughout the event and the competitors put on a fantastic show. The local businesses and South Jersey surf community really came out to support the ESA. It was nice to bring our event to an area affected by Hurricane Sandy to help support the local economy, and Sea Isle City really pulled out the stops to show the ESA a good time!” Competitors qualified for this event through their local ESA districts over the past year and were competing for a coveted slot at the ESA’s premier event, the 46th Annual Eastern Surfing Association Championships (Easterns®), scheduled for September 15-21 at Nags Head, North Carolina. The ESA’s Northeast Regionals was also qualifier for the Surfing America Prime Series and the Surfing America USA Championships. There was a live webcast on the ESA website (www.surfesa.org) featuring surf action and interviews by Beach Video during all three days of competition. “It was wonderful to be able to allow people who couldn’t attend the event in person to view it live online while it was happening,” says Sommers. “There is also a video recap of each day of competition on our website for those who were unable to watch it live.” History was made in the Open Shortboard division, with Southern New Jersey Junior Women’s standout and ESA All-Star, Cassidy McClain, taking out all the guys to win first place. Second place went to Chuck Barend, and third to Chad Bruce. Alex Brooks, Andrew Rooney and Kyle Tester rounded out the the Open Final with fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. The ESA Under Armour Junior Mens division saw Central New Jersey’s Patrick Parenty claim first place over Chad Bruce in second and Cooper Fortney in third. Central New Jersey also took the Boys division and the Menehunes division, with Spencer Bridges winning Boys, followed by Greg Osborne and Andrew Rooney, and Jude Clark winning Menehunes, followed by Kyle Tester in second and Logan Kamen in third. New York’s Miller Overbeck won the Girls division over Jordan Allegretto, with Maria Barend and Kallie Leonik tying for third. Cassidy McClain was also a winner in the Junior Womens division, followed by Selena Moberly in second and Lindsay Bariault in third place. South Jersey’s Tom O’Brien took first in the Jimmy Lewis Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) surfing division, with Craig Lieder in second and Patrick Dermody in third. The Junior Iron Man award went to Spencer Bridges, who competed in multiple divisions and had the highest placings in those divisions during the event, while Tom O’Brien won the Iron Man award. The Hot Wave Award was given to Southern New Jersey’s Kevin Dewald , who scored a 9.07 in the Mens Longboard division, closely followed by Cassidy McClain, with a 9.00 in Open Shortboard. There was also an exciting All Star Tag Team event, featuring five ESA districts battling one another for bragging rights. The ESA’s Northern New England District won the event, with a team consisting of Juli Brown, Kainalu Nichols, Carter Walsh and Chad Bruce. Central New Jersey came in second, followed by New York District, Southern New Jersey District and another Central New Jersey team. A complete list of all the results can be found at www.surfesa.org. Photos of the event taken by Surfer Magazine’s Joe McGovern are posted on the ESA website and Facebook page. Special thanks go out to Sea Isle City, Imperial Cerveza and Heritage Surf & Sport, along with all the local sponsors who helped make the event a success. ESA National Sponsors include Under Armour, Sun Bum, Hyperflex Wetsuits, Starboard Surfboards, Jimmy Lewis SUP, Cat

Hanging with the god father!!! gizzzzzz

I used to have a mailbox that was constantly filled with letters from friends. These days, we tend to send emails and texts more often than post, so my mailbox has become a repository of bills, statements and the odd fine. But there are still some fun deliveries.Yesterday I was lucky enough to come home to a package from the lovely Sarah at Gyspy Jacket.I have been surfing in Sarah's beautiful handmade creations since last January. They're basically the only swimmers I've worn in that entire time and they have never failed me. I know how hard it can be to find cute, functional, not-mass-produced swimmers to surf in, so if you're keen to get your own butt clad in a pair of these beauties (or if you're in the market for a new surf board cover) you can reach Sarah via her Gypsy Jacket website or over on Instagram.

Want a job that equals water time. Surfcareers.com is the place to find it.

RAEN Optics has created a handmade, price point collection for Summer 2013

The Eastern Surfing Association held its 2013 Northeast Regional Surfing Championships in Sea Isle City, New Jersey this past weekend