RVCA Junior Series Jbay Final Day - The Groms Caned It

Mikey February was on fire with the highest heat score of the event in the semi-finals & the U20 Win. (Photo: Stix)

Pro Surfing is all about rivalries and on the local Pro Junior PST Tour we are now looking at a absolute banger in the Under 20 Boys Division. Dylan Lightfoot won by a whisker at the Billabong Pro Junior in Durban, while Michael February fought him off with some world class surfing here in Jbay. Both of these surfers have a well rounded bag of tricks, both remind me of current World Tour Champions in style and outlook and both are hungry for victory both locally and abroad. The Tour heads to East London in 2 weeks time for the 2nd Billabong Pro Junior and I cannot wait to see how this battle unfolds.

Spare a thought though for the silent assassin  who missed out in Durban and did not find the waves in this event. Slade Prestwich is a big kid and has all the pedigree to challenge for the Tour Title. Along with David Brand and Max Armstrong, who was looking incredible through the first 2 days before having to leave for a family emergency. (We hope all is well with Armstrong Family.)

Emma Smith, the local girl with all the knowledge of the surf break at the Point, as well as some huge support from the local crowd, was always in my mind going to win the premier girls division.

My big surprise and probably also for the guys in his division was local kid, Rewaldo Abersalie. Coming through the development and grass roots programs in Jefferys Bay, he blazed the Under 14 Final with some quality surfing on his backhand. This kid is worth keeping an eye on!

All in all it was a great event, with some really good waves on the final day. RVCA did an excellent job of their first Pro Junior event and I am confident that this is the start of a long running competition.

RVCA Junior Series – Results

U20 Boys
1.  Michael February (Kommetjie) 12.85 (Tied – count back to best ride – 8.25 vs. 7.0)
2.  Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay) 12.85
3.  David Brand (Kommetjie) 12.50
4.  Slade Prestwich (Durban North) 9.75

U20 Girls
1.  Emma Smith (Jeffreys Bay) 13.25
2.  Nicole Pallet (La Lucia) 11.25
3.  Tahra Uren (Jeffreys Bay) 7.50
4.  Nikita Kekana (Kalk Bay) 6.85

U16 Boys
1.  Steff Burrows (Stellenbosch) 12.0
2.  Sebastian Williams (Mexico) 11.25
3.  Adin Masencamp (Strand) 10.20
4.  Ethan Fletcher (Kommetjie) 7.75

U16 Girls
1.  Anoush Zakarian (Melkbosstrand) 13.0
2.  Ashleigh Vaughan (Port Elizabeth) 8.50
3.  Kayla Verreynne (Mossel Bay) 6.25
4.  Robin van der Merwe (Port Elizabeth) 5.60

U14 Boys
1.  Rewaldo Abersalie (Jeffreys Bay) 13.50
2.  Adin Masencamp (Strand) 11.50
3.  Sebastian Williams (Mexico) 7.50
4.  Ford van Jaarsveldt (Kommetjie) 6.50

U12 Boys
1.  Saxton Randall (Durban) 14.10
2.  Max Elkington (Hout Bay) 11.35
3.  Karl Steen (Morningside) 10.65
4.  York van Jaarsveldt (Kommetjie) 10.25

U10 Boys
1.  James Ribbink (Durban North) 10.50
2.  Christian Venter (Melkbosstrand) 9.50
3.  Alex Townsend (Cape Town) 5.65
4.  Viviers Strydom (George) 2.60

Fly Away Award
Michael February (Kommetjie)

On Fire Awards
Ford van Jaarsveldt (Kommetjie)
Adin Masencamp (Strand)

Carve Award
David van Zyl (Glenashley)

Highest Heat Score
Michael February (Kommetjie) – 19.50 out of 20 in U20 boys semi-final

The RVCA Junior Series is sanctioned by Surfing South Africa (SSA), recognised as the national controlling body for surfing and a member of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and the International Surfing Association (ISA). The events form part of the Pro Surf Tour (PST) with competitors in all the divisions earning points towards their 2013 PST rankings.

RVCA Junior Series Jbay Day 2

The waves were tiny, but the Under 20's were still ripping! (Photo: Stix)

It was a tough day for the Groms with small, small waves at the Point in Jbay, but that did not stop the kids from ripping. We saw the first Round of the big lads and Mikey February and Max Armstrong were my pics in the first round. The Under 14's scored for their Quarter Finals as the swell picked up and glassed off towards the end of the day. Check out the Day 2 video...

RVCA Junior Series Jbay Day 1

Wok and Warbot scaring the Groms! (Photo: Stix)

The RVCA Junior Series got under way yesterday with Day 1 action. The waves were small but the groms were caning it. My stand outs for the day were little girl ripper Kai Woolf, Max Elkington and Simo Mkize from Umzumbe. Check the video out...

Ford van Jaarsveldt working the small waves. (Photo: Stix)

Keep an eye on this gal! Kai Woolf ripping the Point. (Photo: Stix)

Jordy Smith RIPs

The man has moves unlike any other! (Photo: Red Bull)

There has been a lot of banter and speculation on Jordy Smith the last few months and the tight loss to good mate Travis Logie at Snapper Rocks just added fuel to the fire. The bottom line is the man does rip hard, whether he gets a world title or not! So just sit back, drop your jaw and be amazed!

1721 Kilometers with Jordy Smith from steven michelsen on Vimeo.

RVCA Doodle Bus and Office Wetting Party 2012

Ari Kraak, AVG and myself getting ready for the party. (Photo: RVCA)

During the Billabong Pro, RVCA South Africa, moved into their brand spanking new offices in JBay. To celebrate they hired a bus and packed it with the RVCA and ANP (Artist Network Program) athletes and artists, and drove from Cape Town to Jbay for the party. The artists spent the day making the new offices beautiful, while the skaters did what skaters do and Roosta and I were at the surf contest all day. That eve we all met up and had a huge party (Probably the best one of the Billabong week.) With Taxi Violence playing, followed by Narch and Twig handing out tequila like it was water, it was a great evening! Here is the video, narrated by Roosta and myself...

The Friday Mix - Perfect Jbay, Bodyboard Slab and Sanoe Lake Bikini

Welcome to my Friday Mix with a very surf orientated vibe this week. We start with Beautiful swell lines at the world's best right hand point, Supertubes. Straight up after this is the mental slab, The Tand, being charged by the local West Coast crew or bodyboarders. We finish off with an older, but still very hot, video of surfer and bikini model, Sanoe Lake. Enjoy!

Captain Kai's World on www.2ov.fm - Podcast, John John Florence & 4 Elements Gaming

First show back in the studio and I will be honest it was a little nerve racking after so much time away. I definately had one or two glitches, but having said that it was a great show. Started out with Glen from 4 Elements Gaming as we caught up on all the gaming news in SA and abroad. Then possibly my most famous surf guest yet, John John Florence and his entire travel family were in studio. His Mom, Alex, Brothers, Nathan and Ivan, friend and fellow Pro, Kiron Jabour, as well as camera crew and local tour guide, friend, Frank Solomon. Video man, Blake, had possibly the funniest intro on the show ever. Crack a listen, its worth it.

Download and listen to the Podcast: Captain Kai's World Podcast Show - John John Florence

Last Week's Show: Captain Kai's World Podcast Show - Billabong Pro

The Perfect Storm - Billabong Pro Jbay 2012

Wok and I hard at work! (Photo: AVG)

First things first, I arrived in Jbay on the back of a 41 hour trip from LA. To say I am broken would have been an understatement. Never the less, I woke to perfect waves at the best point in the world and a contest site frothing for what was going to be one of the best 6 Star events of all time. The biggest storm of all time was on the horizon and contest director, Luke Egan, wanted the event done before it arrived. Enter 3 days of 24 heats per day and a crew of workers and surfers who went full tilt to the finals, where the most full tilt surfer of them all was awarded victory in the form of Brazilian, Adriano da Souza. While this was all going on I found myself in the holy grail of seats for a person dedicated to talking about surfing, the Billabong Pro webcast booth, along with my main man Wok. We were given an opportunity and we both grasped it with open arms. My feeling is that we brought something fresh to the webcast and hopefully that will be rewarded with more time in the booth at big contests. We snuck the event under the storm radar and then got thoroughly bolted by what must be the most insane storm I have ever seen at Jbay. It was ok though, we were happy to chill indoors with a glass of Red wine after the best contest in a very long time!

Here is my radio show with fellow commentator, Greg Long, contest director, Luke Egan, Billabong SA main skiet, Chad da Arcy and Billabong Events manager, The Heff! Have a listen and understand fully what went down at this momentous event!

SoundCloud Link: Listen Here

If for some reason you were living under a rock, check out the video highlights.

July in South Africa is pretty Mental

Shew - yes that's right, shew! I feel like I just ran multiple marathons down here in the Dirty South of South Africa. Every year I try get ready for July, think I am prepared, but I never am. It's supposed to be winter and slow and quiet, but that's not how it works in SA. So here is a little run down of how July 2011 nearly finished your Captain.

The Mr Price Pro in Ballito was mental! Waves, surfing and the jol. John John Florence charging.

So at the start we had the Mr Price Pro in Ballito. Not only did I arrive on the biggest day of competition and get to witness tube riding like it had never been seen in South Africa, we also got to see some truly impressive wipe outs and bomb sets. Went and got hammered with the Twig man and his lady, Kate, at our man Wok's jol. Was a little quiet that party, but it did not stop us from getting pretty loose at the bar. Culprit number 1, Mr Ard Mathews of Just Jinger fame. The man drinks more tequila than a Mexican plantation worker on the day of the dead! This was also not the last we would see of Mr Mathews...

John John paying the band - how big you reckon that white water is?

Saturday was back to the Mr price for the finals. Waves started off mental, but kind of dissapeared towards the final. Still good surfing to see though and Pat G was the eventual winner. Pack up my shit and jump in the cabby, off to North Beach to catch the Red Bull X-Fighters with "Sick" Nick de Wit and crew. Got there just in time to film the show - the boys were busting down! Nick threw about 4 new back flip combos I had not seen before, it was mental. Few beers with Andy Mork to get the hangover out and it was off to the ZigZag surfing Awards...

We like promo girls!

Shew, this bike is bliksems heavy! 

Photogs at work - convo in the back - Hey Wok wanna ride bikes? Wok - Hell NO!

The ZigZag surf awards was a fun night. Thank the lord for Luke Patterson though, without his chirps through the evening I might well have fallen asleep. Some of our older surfers could well use an introduction to how to make thank you speeches. A certain big wave surfer, hall of Fame inductee, spoke so much  ##### no one knew what was going on. All was not lost though, as Sean Thompson made a great speech and really pumped up the crowd about how proud we should be as South African surfers. the Black Label flowed and people were getting pretty trollied. Twig puled the plug and we got to bed early and surfed epic waves the next day.

Twig and Kate looking pretty dam retro for the Surf Awards!

Oh and then there was the Riot Jam BMX - by this time I was on auto pilot till I got back to Cape Town.

BMX at the Riot Jam.

Ok, so deep breaths back to work, then i get the call to drop everything and head up to Jbay for the Billabong Pro Music Festival to MC. Sure, why not. Chris Mason from Wavescape jumped in with me and we blazed up to Jbay getting there at 6:30pm, just in time for me to walk on stage and start the festival. Thus started a 3 nights of mayhem, with no surfing happening due to small swell. Some of the suspects who caused the drunken chaos were Luke Patto, Dutchy, Sasha Specker (I know!), Tyrone Rawlins and of course Dennis the Menace himself, Brad Masters, fresh from Bali.

Hard at work! (Photo: Mason)

Working even harder with Dennis the Menace! (Photo: Spex)

The bands that threw down over the 3 day period were definately AKing on Friday, PhFat went mental on the Saturday (The crowd were getting so loose the security fence almost got taken out.) and Jeremy Loops and Jack Parow finished us off in style on the Sunday. Every member of a band had drinks with us, but Ard Mathews that evil man of sultry music was once again the destroyer in carnate of the weekend! He is in some of these photos, but like an evil vampire you cannot see him! Beware! haha Boy were we slain for 3 days.

There was pretty much a ratio of 2 gals to 1 boy! (Photo: Spex)

Parow and Brandy & Coke, not much more I can say - Oh the boys were all perving his doll hard! true Story! (Photo: mason)

It was getting animated at the bar each night! Spex and I telling stories! (Photo: Mason)

The Champ and his lady, keeping it tidy! (Photo: Mason)

I got back to Cape town feeling like had been stuck in prison for 2 weeks and been considered some big black dude's bitch! The flu struck and I was man down. But the jol was not over, oh no. The biggest booze fueled orgy of party was still to come and it was at 3600m above sea level - Quiksnow!

Marcin Jekot going invert on the slopes and at the bar!

Ok, but that's enough for now, Quiksnow will be out shortly, in the meantime make sure you watch our Supersport Show tonight at 8pm, on Supersport 7. Lukka, Captain out...

Billabong Pro - Dane out and the Seeds change.

Dane not coming to Jbay due to injury.

The world’s top 32 ranked pro surfers are either already in Jeffreys Bay or on their way to the iconic Eastern Cape coastal town where tomorrow (Thursday) the waiting period opens for the R3 million Billabong Pro J-Bay 2011, Stop No. 4 of 11 on the ASP World Tour, the series of events that determine the annual ASP World Surfing Champion.

The last minute withdrawal of Dane Reynolds, citing ongoing problems with an injury that has seen the 25 year-old Californian miss the first three events this year, has altered the seeding for Round 1 of Africa’s most prestigious surfing event with defending champion and South African surfing sensation Jordy Smith now pitted against Adam Melling (AUS) in a repeat of last year’s final where Smith clinched his maiden Elite Tour event victory.

“I’ll just take the same approach as last year,” said Smith of the upcoming match-up. “Hopefully the swell picks up a bit before we get underway and it will be a great battle.”

Scheduled for 14-24 July, the 26th edition of the Billabong Pro J-Bay will again be staged in the fabled waves at Supertubes, the 300 metre stretch of coastline universally acknowledged as one of the planet’s premier high performance point breaks.

While Reynolds’ flamboyant, cutting edge manoeuvres will be missed, the outstanding field for the event includes 10-time and reigning ASP world Champion Kelly Slater (USA), SA’s Smith, Australian former event winners Mick Fanning, Joel Parkinson and Taj Burrow and current ASP No. 1 Adriano de Souza from Brazil. The established stars face an incredibly talented crop of rising stars in the likes of Owen Wright and Julian Wilson (both Australians), Michel Bourez (TAH), Alejo Muniz (BRA) and Hawaii’s Dusty Payne, all of whom will be eager to display their skills in the legendary waves of Jeffreys Bay.

Alongside Smith’s obvious credentials, the South African challenge for the Billabong Pro J-Bay title includes wildcard Sean Holmes (Cape Town). Nicknamed ‘The Nemesis’ for his extraordinary achievements in conquering the world’s best surfers at Supertubes, Holmes has reached the quarterfinals of the event on three occasions and would like nothing better to than a podium finish.

The second wildcard goes to the winner of the VonZipper Superheat, a five-man encounter held on the first day of the event featuring South African Pro Junior stars Shaun Joubert (Mossel Bay) and Dale Staples (St Francis Bay); international contenders Granger Larson (HAW) and reigning ASP World Junior Champion Jack Freestone (AUS), along with Shaun Payne (St Francis Bay), winner of the Xcel Pro Showdown at Supers.

The 2011 Billabong Pro Music Festival sees three days of major underground music talent running from Friday to Sunday, 15 to 17 July, at the Jolly Dolphin in Jeffreys Bay. The lineup features 14 top SA bands including Aking, City Bowl Mizers, P.H.Fat, Jack Parow and the ever-popular local Hot Wasabi band. Tickets are limited and can be purchased at any Billabong Store countrywide.

The entire event is operated using the best available ‘green’ strategies as Billabong continues its efforts to heighten awareness of local and global surf communities to the challenge of climate change, and how we all need to become part of the solution. Greening initiatives include using renewable energy, biodegradable food and beverage containers, paper instead of plastic bags and bio-diesel fuel in event vehicles where possible, alongside an event recycling program.

The estimated 384.5 tonnes of CO2 emissions generated by the event activities, including the travel by local and international participants and officials, will be reduced wherever possible. The remaining emissions will be offset using United Nations Kyoto compliant carbon credits. More about climate change and what it means to surfers can be found at www.cleanerclimate.com/billabongpro

All the action at the Billabong Pro J-Bay 2011 will be covered live via webcasts on www.billbabongpro.com featuring real-time scoring, expert commentary and interviews, video footage with multiple camera angles, slow-motion replays, video on demand highlights of previous heats and online competitions with valuable prizes.

Surfline, the official surf forecasters for the Billabong Pro J-Bay 2011, predict that a contestable swell from the southwest is possible for Thursday afternoon (Thursday morning slow) and continuing Friday morning, before fading over Friday afternoon. Surf will be in the shoulder to head high range with some slightly larger sets possible.

With the entire Southern tip of Africa under the influence of an unseasonable high pressure system, warm, sunny weather and generally light northerly winds are expected. Newly appointed contest director Eric Stedman will be keen to get the opening rounds of the event underway as soon a possible so he has plenty of time to pick the best conditions for the business end of the contest.

The Billabong Pro J-Bay 2011 is proudly presented by South Africa’s adventure province Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency and further supported by Carling Black Label, Monster Energy, Coca Cola, Amarok, Vida e Caffe, Tavcor, VonZipper and Nixon.

Beach Babes of Jbay - 2012 Calendar Launch

The good people of JBay have decided to bring the community together and support charities by making their very own Beach Babes Calendar. Local businesses and of course the local hotties got together to make the 2012 Calendar. Our man in Jbay, Troy Wells, from BooTown Media was on the project and sent us all the information. See details below, as well as some behind the scenes photos from the making of the Calendar. Troy has promised us a video soon...

Beautiful girls and a magical place.

Love those Jbay Sunrises.

The Jbay 2012 Beach Babes Calendar that captures the beautiful beach settings of Jeffreys Bay as well as local talent on each page has it's official launch on the 13^th July 2011 at the Mexican Restaurant.
The Launch is set to explode with a performance by Cape Town band Black South Easter, followed by DJ Mike Marshal rocking the house as well as many prizes to be won.  The calendars will also be up for grabs, with an opportunity to meet the babes that feature in the calendar.  There will be a cover charge, which will add to the funds raised for pet rescue.
The shoot day of the calendar was on the 22^nd may and saw local business and individuals come together to show or donate there skills and support. Samuel Beck Hairdressers – hair stylists, Roast Jeffreys bay – catering, Marika de Groot – Make up, The Crayon Room – Photography and to all our volunteers and girls that gave there time and support thanks.

A special thank you to our sponsor’s: 

The Greek Restaurant

Funky Town Flash Packers
La Caribe

Lombardini Game Farm

Ubuntu Bricks

Property SA Info

Isabeau Joubert
The Mexican Restaurant
Lift up a life – Jump start
Blood Scan Africa
Jbay Print 

Want to attend the event - JBay Calendar Launch 13 July 2011

For more behind the scenes photos go here - Calendar 2012 Behind the Scenes

We will have a video for you inquiring gents soon!

Eskom wants to destroy our Culture!

Having grown up in the quaint and bustling holiday town of St Francis Bay, it was with quite a lot of horror and rage that I learnt of Eskom's (South Africa's totalitarian and competitor free power supplier) plans to build a Nuclear Power Station in the Eco sensitive Thyspunt. This is one of the last places on our Eastern Seaboard that is still untouched by development or bloody water sucking golf courses! To replace this nirvana of nature and fynbos with nuclear plant simply gets my gall up.

So, it was with great joy and rapture that I read this article which appeared in the Weekend Post, Port Elizabeth, over the weekend -
Weekend Post Article - Delight, joy as nuke plant rejected
 
The main story in the article is that the South African heritage council, working alongside the San people, have blocked Eskom's plans, due to the wide distribution of ancient San traps at the location - which would be destroyed due to the development of the Nuclear Plant and certainly become inaccessible to people wanting to experience a part of our history. Happy days, or so we think...

Three days later and the following article appears in the Herald Newspaper -
Herald Article - Eskom’s Thyspunt nuclear plant study continues
Which basically states that Eskom does not care about the Heritage Council's findings and will continue their own investigations into the feasibility of the project. Once again the corporate giant thinks little of anything except profit and growth - even if it is at the cost of our own heritage and natural bounty.

There are so many reasons for them to stop this from happening, but Eskom it seems are blind to our concerns!

Many animals who call the bay home - such as Olly the Otter, who spent a morning with us frolicking in the rocks in front of the proposed site - will lose their homes and feeding areas. The San will lose one of their largest heritage sights!



Stop the Nuclear madness go to -
SMS “Supertubes” to 38665 (SA) at a cost of R 10.