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 - Jordy Smith wins back to back Titles

Jordy Smith, the Champ, with cohort, Laces, and Red Bull SA chief, Tristan. (Photo: ASP)

Wow! After a worrying start and lets be honest, not the best waves ever seen at a WCT, let alone Jbay, this contest ended up being one of the best ever. Surfing was taken to the next level, with eventual winner (Boy the Saffers are happy!) Jordy Smith and Josh Kerr pushingn the rest of the crew to pull out the new school moves. In the end it was Jordy and Mick, who kinda flew under the radar till beating his best mate Joel Parko in Semi 2. But, Jordy, after a bit of a wobble in Round 4, never looked like losing and dominated the last 3 rounds with amazing scores in the deteriorating waves. Mr Smith also took the Nixon Winner Takes All award for his incredible wave in Round 5, which saw one of the biggest Air reverses ever made in a heat - His Girldfriend is apparently very happy with her new $10'000 Watch. Well done Jordy, you make us proud my man!



The ASP Press Release:
JEFFREYS BAY, South Africa (Sunday, July 24, 2011) – Jordy Smith (ZAF), 23, has taken out the 2011 Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay in a hard-fought Final over Mick Fanning (AUS), 30, in front of the raucous and hardy hometown crowd on the beach and hundreds of thousands watching online.

Event No. 4 of 11 on the 2011 ASP World Title season, the Billabong Pro culminated in dramatic fashion today with “victory at sea”, three-to-four foot (1 – 1.5 metre) surf and the world’s best surfers displayed their comprehensive abilities to shred anything from yesterday’s perfection to today’s challenging conditions.

Smith continuously posted impressive scores throughout his Quarterfinal, Semfinal and Final heats, but it was his local knowledge that allowed his to select the best waves in the Final to overtake an in-form Fanning. The win was met with an eruption from those in attendance braving the harsh weather, and Smith was cheered up the beach to an emotional audience.

“It’s been an incredible week for me,” Smith said. “All the support of the people at Jeffreys Bay, Garth (Tarlow), Steve (Smith), my girlfriend Lyndall (Jarvis), my mom and dad and everyone else. It’s been a really special week for me and I’m so happy right now.”

Moving from 5th to 2nd on the ASP World Title rankings, the young South African is now firmly in the hunt and will utilize the confidence attained today to propel him through the latter half of the year.

“Mick (Fanning) has surfed amazing all week,” Smith said. “He’s always an inspiration and he’s right there with everyone in the hunt for the title. Today’s a huge win for me. Last year, it was very emotional. To back it up this year just feels really, really good. It’s huge for my confidence and I’m looking forward to the rest of the year.”



Fanning, who claimed the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay in 2002 and 2006, appeared to find his form this morning, dusting Gold Coast flyboy Josh Kerr (AUS), 27, and Joel Parkinson (AUS), 30, en route his Runner-Up finish. Today’s placing sees Fanning move from 8th to 4th on the ASP World Title Rankings.

“It was really difficult out there today,” Fanning said. “Three heats yesterday and three heats today and felt like the arms wanted to fall off. Big congratulations to Jordy (Smith) though. It was great surfing. It’s inspirational stuff and I’m looking forward to the next one.”



Parkinson, 2008 Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay winner, was in sensational form this year, consistently notching up high scores throughout the event before falling to a rampaging Fanning in the Semifinals.

“The conditions are a bit tedious today but every now and then there’s a good wave,” Parkinson said. “Everyone is in the same boat too – we all have to deal with it. Shame I couldn’t find the same rhythm that Mick (Fanning) did out there, but that’s how it goes sometimes.”



With his Equal 3rd finish, Parkinson ascends to the frontrunner position in the hunt for the 2011 ASP World Title, but the perennial threat remains cautious when regarding the remainder of the season.

“I don’t really think about that yet,” Parkinson said. “It’s only the fourth event of the year and I’ve been in this position before. I’m happy with my surfing and my boards and I’ll keep my eyes on the next heat.”

Adrian Buchan (AUS), 28, former No. 17 on the ASP World Title rankings, led the goofy-footed assault on Jeffreys Bay throughout the event and his Equal 3rd place finish today moves the Australian up to 11th heading into the next event in Tahiti.

“I missed a good one at the start and that really let Jordy (Smith) get on top early in the heat,” Buchan said. “I always felt like I could come back but it just didn’t happen for me. It’s still an excellent result for me and I’m excited about the next few events.”

Alejo Muniz (BRA), 21, 2011 ASP Dream Tour rookie, matched his best result of the year with and Equal 5th place finish. Muniz now sits well inside the cutoff for the ASP Top 34 rotation in August, and will remain a fixture at the elite level throughout the duration of the season.

“I never thought I would have good results in my rookie year,” Muniz said. “I am surfing with my heroes and to be getting through heats is what I always dreamed of as a little kid. This matches my best result this year from the Gold Coast and I’m stoked to be safe for the August cutoff.”

Muniz, along with fellow rookie Julian Wilson (AUS), 22, both finished Equal 5th at the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay.

Highlights from the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay will be available via http://www.billabongpro.com

The next stop on the 2011 ASP World Title season will be the Billabong Pro Tahiti from August 20 – 31, 2011.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

BILLABONG PRO JEFFREYS BAY FINAL RESULTS:
1 – Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.60
2 – Mick Fanning (AUS) 14.83

BILLABONG PRO JEFFREYS BAY SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 17.46 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 11.87
SF 2: Mick Fanning (AUS) 17.47 def. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 11.93

BILLABONG PRO JEFFREYS BAY QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.10 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 8.94
QF 2: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 16.77 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 14.90
QF 3: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 16.83 def. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 8.16
QF 4: Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.40 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 5.43

ASP WORLD TITLE TOP 10 (After Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay):
1. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 25700 pts
2. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 24750 pts
3. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 22250 pts
4. Mick Fanning (AUS) 19500 pts
5. Taj Burrow (AUS) 18250 pts
6. Kelly Slater (USA) 16950 pts
7. Michel Bourez (PYF) 16000
8. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 15000
9. Josh Kerr (AUS) 13900 pts
9. Owen Wright (AUS) 13900 pts

Jordy takes Parko out at Snapper

After a bit of a bad start, losing in Round 4, Jordy made sure of his continued climb to the Quik Pro win with an amazing come from behind victory over Joel Parkinson. Parko surfing in his home event looked as good as won, then let Jordy take a wave under his priority and had to watch as the Saffa took the wave to pieces and won the heat.

Kelly is still in the hunt! (Photo: ASP)

King Kelly also had to fight through the 5th round, and also had a huge mental mountain to climb. He defeated Ace Buchan in their encounter and is still in the running for the number 1 spot in 2011. Lots of speculation still over whether he will stay on tour, Kelly had the following to say, “Sometimes I look back at everything and I’m pretty stoked, it’s been a long time, I just love it. I don’t always love the competition side of things and I just love to surf and love to get in the water. It’s a blessing to surf here alone. All of these people don’t get to surf Snapper with no one out. I want to keep making heats so I don’t have to free-surf as much. I don’t really know about my plans this year. I guess I’ve put it out there that I might retire or it’s been put out there by other people. I guess people didn’t expect that I would get a title this late in my career and I don’t know what’s possible.”

Other contenders for the Quik Pro title are Taj Burrow, Matt Wilko and Brett Simpson, who all dominated their Round 4 encounters. Make sure you log on tonight in the early hours to see if our boy can take the prize! Go Jordy!

Watch at - Quiksilver Pro Live