The concept was simple, create a surfboard review show that was relevant to the every day, normal surfer. At 42, weighing 110kg and being a good, but certainly not a pro surfer, I was the perfect candidate. If a board goes well for me, it will more than likely go well for you! Plus who else but Captain Kai knows the whole of the SA Surf Scene.
It is simple, in order to win the Nixon Tide Watch or one of two Hurricane Grips, you need to have watched Season 1, of the Regular Guy. Then you take the survey below (It will take 3 minutes) and make sure you follow both Captain Kai and Nixon on Instagram.
Season 1 of The Regular Guy was filmed over 10 days at Supertubes, Jbay and I tested six surfboards from some of SA’s finest board makers. The brief was simple, send a board that would make surfing big winter, swells easier for the average surfer. The surfboard must paddle really well, have a high performance level and, of course, suit a surfer weighing 110kg and 42 years old, myself.
If you have not watched all the episodes, here you go:
Season 1 The Regular Guy
Now, do the survey!
The survey will take 3-5 minutes and will help me improve Season 2, so that you, the viewer, get more out of the surfboard reviews. Make sure you follow Captain Kai and Nixon on Instagram! Winner announced 18 October 2020!
This whole series would not have been possible without the featured board makers and of course my sponsors. So please show them some love.
Accommodation was provided by AtSupers and we were styling in Pepper St, just meters from the paddle out at Supers (Also the best breakfasts of my life!)
We ate like kings thanks to Jbay’s home away from home, Ninas Real Food.
All my board bags, leashes and grips were supplied by Hurricane Surf.
The South African big wave community have been charging both at home and around the planet for many years. Surfers like Grant Twig Baker, who just won the Nazare Challenge, focused the eyes of the world on the spots in and around Cape Town. Sunset Reef and Dungeons are the focal point of that attention. Satori, the new film by Rick Wall, tells the stories of the surfers who have pioneered these spots and that of the new generation of chargers.
Heavy Waters
The big waves of the Cape have a fearsome reputation for good reason. Giant, powerful swells out of the Antarctic Ocean slam into the Cape Peninsula, the water is frigidly cold and the world’s biggest oceanic predator, the Great White, petrols the waters. The surfers who push themselves in these waters are a special breed. Satori will take you into their lives and their passion for big waves.
Legends of the Cape
The movie does not just cover surfers who are famous world wide, like two time Big Wave World Champion, Grant Twig Baker, and adventure legend, Chris Bertish. It will also show you into the somewhat mystical pioneers, like Pierre De Villiers and Mickey Duffus. The new school of guys like Matt Bromley and Jeremy Johnson are also covered. This film will take you into the tight knit community and show you their lives.
Watch the Premier of Satori
You can watch the premier of Satori this Saturday in Cape Town – Go to this LINK
WOW, what an incredible day of big wave surfing. South Africa can be proud as we watched Matt Bromley charge one of the biggest tubes of the day before the contest started, followed by Grant Twig Baker charging into the semi finals – which will go down today! Check out the highlights video below, i know its 16 minutes, but it is so worth it, I promise!
PUERTO ESCONDIDO, Oaxaca/Mexico (Friday, June 24, 2016) – South Africa’s Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker started his campaign for the 2016/17 World Surf League (WSL) Big Wave Tour (BWT) title with a solid second place finish in his Round 1 heat of the Puerto Escondido Challenge in Mexico on Friday.
Held in monstrous 10 metre (30-foot-plus) unruly waves and challenging beach break conditions, the 2013 BWT champion from Durban showcased his big wave skills, finding several huge hollow tubes, and demonstrating his commitment and bravado by taking several bone-crushing wipe-outs.
Will Skudin (USA) claimed the heat win with a 22.07 heat total over Baker by only 0.74 points. Rogercin Ramirez (MEX), event wildcard and local favorite, opened Heat 2 with a huge barrel, pulling off a technical exit to earn an authoritative 9.00, which brought the large hometown crowd to their feet.
Ramirez held the lead against the field, but with 15 fifteen minutes left in the 75 minute heat, Skudin and Baker fought back to secure the first and second positions. Skudin, Baker and Ramirez advanced to the Semifinals while BWT heavyweights Billy Kemper (HAW) and Damien Hobgood (USA), along with local wildcard Coco Nogales (MEX) were knocked out of the competition.
“It was hard to find those corners out there,” Skudin said. “It was big and heavy, and I just put my head down and kept on going. I was hoping that eventually I’d lock one down and make a good barrel. Unfortunately, I didn’t make a really good barrel, but I made it through the heat.”
Reigning BWT Champion Greg Long (USA) led the field with back-to-back solid scores in Round 1 Heat 1 and was the first surfer to secure his place in the Semifinals. Long set the pace for the opening heat of the event by picking off multiple right-hand barrels to earn a 20.01 heat score (out of a possible 30).
Albee Layer (HAW) secured a 12.83 heat score and the second position. Kai Lenny (HAW) and Gabriel Villaran (PER) battled for third place, but it was Lenny who showcased full commitment as he pulled into a deep barrel and edged out Villaran by only 3.10 points.
“The waves are really good right now and there are a lot of corners if you know where to sit,” Long said. “I actually deliberately rode a much bigger board than I ever do out here. There is a lot more volume so I could cover the ground that I needed to. It is something new for me, but in a heat if you can’t catch a wave, nothing else matters. My strategy was to keep moving around wherever it was clean and I locked in four waves.”
2014/15 BWT Champion Makuakai Rothman (HAW) charged through Heat 3, with Pedro Calado (BRA) and BWT veteran Carlos Burle (BRA) close behind. Rothman, last year’s BWT runner-up, locked in a near-perfect 9.50 and a solid 7.80 back-up score. Calado fired with an excellent 9.07 and 6.93 to earn the second position. With only 0.29 points between Burle and event wildcard Angelo Lozano (MEX), Burle’s 23.56 heat total was enough to advance to the Semifinals.
“This is my second time to Mexico and the waves are really fun,” said Rothman. “I was just in the right place at the right time. I am not thinking about the end result. I am just thinking about my first wave tomorrow morning and hopefully I am in the right spot. The local boys charge.”
Jamie Mitchell (AUS) netted the highest single-wave score of Round 1, a perfect 10.00, with an extremely technical barrel ride in Heat 4. Mitchell’s final heat tally, a near-perfect 29.03, was the highest of the day, earning him the heat win and a place in the Semifinals. The bout also saw high-scoring rides from local wildcard Jimel Corzo (MEX) and Rusty Long (USA), who will also progressed to the Semifinals.
“I think we were all worried about the fourth heat with the wind coming up, but I think we scored the best conditions of the day,” Mitchell said. “The tide was dropping, the winds stayed glassy and the swell was peaking. I found an early right hander and nearly made it out, which put me into a good rhythm. I found that left and didn’t think I was going to make it, but somehow I pulled out of that. It was an historic day. Incredible surf and incredible barrels.”
Event officials will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. local time (about 3pm SA time) for a possible 7:30 a.m. start.
For more information, log onto WorldSurfLeague.com where the Puerto Escondido Challenge will be webcast LIVE.
The internet has been a flutter with images and videos from the 2 days at Jaws, in Maui, last week. With some of the biggest and cleanest wave ever surfed, the South African crew of James Taylor, Mike Schlebach, James Lowe (See above), Matt Bromley, Grant Baker and Josh Redman all got some major coverage. It was Josh though, that absolutely blew up, getting two of the biggest tubes ever ridden out there in one session. Here is one of the better videos of the highlights of those 2 sessions…
Ok, so the video is actually an Ian Walsh project, but to be fair, Grant Twig Baker and Frank Solomon, the South African chargers, are rather prominent. The video was shot by surf cinematographer, star, Taylor Steele, and funded by Hullet Packard, hence the Hollywood feel. The boys charge some rather perfect looking, but extremely heavy waves up the West Coast.
There were a lot of calls being thrown about yesterday, with many people saying the Dungeons Big Wave World Tour Event should have run. After the storm subsided though, it was a good thing it did not. The Swell was huge, but had way too much West in it and there were huge walls of water swinging wide of the peak. Made it quite interesting for those of us out on Whale Song, with Captain Spooner, and some of the newbies shooting the lineup were definitely looking nervous, much to Spoon’s enjoyment. A small crew were on it, looking to paddle, but the wind was up the face early and the conditions were very difficult. Twig called it, “Bloody scary and difficult!”
Mike Schlebach caught the wave of the morning with an incredible late drop (See the video) and also caught the hiding of the season! His wipeout mas met with a collective scream of awe from those on the boat as he free fell 3 stories to oblivion. This one is a serious XXL Wipe of the year contender. Jake Kolnik also had a horrible time, with a 2 wave monster set breaking on his head. Simon Lowe and Twig both had solid waves, but with only 7 or so waves ridden across 3 hours, it was not worth running the event.
You are going to have to wait to see the wipeout on video, but Zigzag will be running a photo sequence soon. I will keep you posted on the event and everything else happening out at Dungeons as the winter progresses. Check the video from Corne Snyders, who shot from the Sentinel yesterday… (Also the Cover photo with Jacque Theron’s board floating in the danger zone!)
The Big Wave World Tour is ready for action at Dungeons and almost got the call for this week and the 2 massive swells on the way. The call being made that the winds are a bit strong and most of the “World” now headed for Donkey Bay. The only question really being raised after the announcement of the surfers eligible to surf for the event, where is Frank Solomon? The Hout Bay local and charger (Already ranked on the Big Wave World Tour), along with other local guy, Jeremey Johnson, have not cracked the list amongst much nay saying in the local community. Frank reckons he still has a good shout though as he is on the waiting list and should one of the foreigners not make it in time he will be in. (Much like myself on the webcast team.) So here is to hoping flights are booked and some guys from over the ocean don’t make it in time so we can get more locals in the mix. In the meantime check out this awesome footage from the big swell in August 2013 from Corne Snyders…
BWWT SOLIDIFIES COMPETITORS FOR 2014/2015 SEASON
Saturday, May 24, 2014 – The roster for the 2014/2015 ASP Big Wave World Tour (BWWT) season has been solidified, featuring the best big wave surfers on the planet as they complete across six international venues for the undisputed big wave surfing crown.
“The ASP Commissioner’s Office worked long and hard to determine a BWWT roster that reflects the most current standouts in the sport of big wave surfing and also rewarding the performances of past champions of the BWWT,” Peter Mel, ASP Deputy Commissioner, said.
With the season split into two parts to take advantage of the Southern Hemisphere and Northern Hemisphere swell systems, the ASP BWWT Top 12 surfers will be joined by six international wildcard per event as well as six local wildcards to comprise the 24-man field. The 2014/2015 ASP BWWT Top 12 have been determined based off the previous season’s rankings.
Note: Gabriel Villaran, of Peru, has received the ASP BWWT Injury Wildcard and will be seeded into the ASP BWWT wildcard selections for all events.
This year’s Top 12 includes a ton of talent, including recent Billabong XXL Award Best Ride winner Greg Long (USA) and Overall Men’s Performance winner Grant “Twiggy” Baker (ZAF).
2014/2015 ASP BWWT Top 12:
1 Grant Baker (ZAF)
2 Ken Collins (USA)
3 Nic Lamb (USA)
4 Shawn Dollar (USA)
5 Kohl Christensen (HAW)
6 Alex Gray (USA)
7 Greg Long (USA)
8 Ryan Augenstein (USA)
9 Anthony Tashnick (USA)
10 Ramon Navarro (PER)
11 Jamie Mitchell (AUS)
12 Tyler Fox (USA)
Southern Hemisphere Wildcards and Local Wildcards
The Southern Hemisphere events consist of Dungeons in South Africa, Punta Lobos in Chile and Pico Alto in Peru with a window running between April 15 and August 31, 2014.
DUNGEONS, South Africa:
ASP WILDCARDS:
1 Kelly Slater (USA)
2 Shane Dorian (HAW)
3 Mark Healey (HAW)
4 Ian Walsh (HAW)
5 Gabriel Villaran (PER)
6 Matthew Bromley (ZAF)
LOCAL WILDCARDS:
1 Mike Schlebach
2 James Taylor
3 Simon Lowe
4 Josh Redman
5 Chris Bertish
6 Andrew Marr
I have been doing my radio show for a while now and have had some incredible interviews over the years. This interview stands out though. Twig has been through alot over the last year, but there is no bitterness, no poor old me, simply the will to be the first ever ASP Big Wave World Champion and the drive to represent for the country he loves, South Africa. Every South African, nevermind every surfer, should listen to this interview.
A good cause backed up with a great event. The #OfftheLip Retro surf day with Quiksilver aimed to raise funds for Movember while putting on a fun day for the crew in Durban. I was lucky enough to fly up as an ambassador for Movember and had a great time. There were plenty of great Mo’s on offer and most people had made an attempt to dress up. Gorgeous Bikini girls walked around raising cash for a raffle and Kirsty Delport sported a Mo to shame the boys! Ryan Bisset looking like a 70’s policeman from Poffadder took third place, with big wave man, Grant Twig Baker, impressing in the smaller stuff for once and taking 2nd. The man with the only actual retro hairstyle took it though with incredible surfing on an old Mark Richards Twin, showing up all the old ballies. Mikey February won the event and took home an amazing Twin Fin Surfboard from Quiksilver. I walked away with a devastating Farmer Tan and a great big hangover. Movember promise to do the event again in 2014 with an additional day promised for Cape Town. Great video of the day by Steve Michelson…
All eyes turn to the North Shore of Hawaii next week as the Triple Crown of Surfing begins and the World Tour of surfing descends on Oahu. Outside of the winning the World Title, the Triple Crown is probably the most prestigious trophy in surfing and has been won by the best of the best. With 3 events spanning a month long period, it will put surfers to the test, from high performance Haleiwa, to monster outside Sunset and of course the caverns of Pipeline and Backdoor. Defending Triple Crown Champ, Sebastien Ziets will be wanting to defend his title for Hawaii, but annual stars like Joel Parkinson, Mick Fanning and Jordy Smith will be looking for that title, as well as the World Title. All the players and scenarios are in place for an epic showdown. Follow all the drama – http://www.vanstriplecrownofsurfing.com/
On the back of this, the invites for the Quiksilver in memory of Eddia Aiku Big Wave contest have gone out and Grant Twig Baker is on that prestigious list! With the waiting period stretching over the whole North Shore winter we can only hope that this year the spirit of Eddie will arrive and we can once again watch the beautiful chaos that is the Bay! Follow the mayhem – http://quiksilverlive.com/eddieaikau/2014/
