Table of contents for January/February 2017 (41.1) in Zigzag

I’ve been called many things in the surf but ‘cockroach’ stands out in my mind. Upset by the way I stuck around near the impact zone picking up the scraps that others missed or left, another rider in the crowded New Pier lineup called me out. Thinking back, my name caller didn’t appear to be stoked with anything that transpired that session, so I’ve kept a wide berth ever since. That situation reminded me of another surfer we came across years before, who my brother and I dubbed ‘Flame’ – in equal parts due to his ginger hair and fiery temperament in the water. We tried but couldn’t figure out why Flame was angry, because more often than not he picked up the best waves and ripped. But where…

Along South Africa’s 3000 kilometres of coastline, you’ll find reefs, points, A-frame beachbreaks, slabs and wedges. We even a wave pool over 600 kays from the nearest beach. We’re spoilt for choice if we’ve got some time on our hands and cash to fill the petrol tank. Even with half a tank and a few hours to spare, the chances are good that you can find something epic to ride. Up the west coast there are cooking lefts and the east coast is punctuated by right points, including one that many claim to be the best in the world. And if you get bored of all the options, you could always switch it up and put your other foot forward for a new experience, like goofyfoot Adin Jeenes did on…

THE TRAVELLER Has crossed more time zones than you have streets, considers International Departures his last known address, speaks three languages and has defeated five strains of malaria. If anybody has left the comfort zone of an easily accessible local spot, job security and two weeks annual leave, it’s The Traveller. The Traveller is easy to recognise; Healthy-looking, deep tan, ageless, and at ease. Riding a white pin tail (no logos) made for good waves, the timing in his surfing is impeccable, stylish and always on the rail. He’s all flow, reading and gliding through sections with a style that belies his talent. It may look innocuous, but he’s going full tap. Often he’ll only catch four waves in a surf, but they are all waves that stand out. He…

WHEN TO GO MAY-SEPTEMBER is when you are guaranteed the best chance of swell, with waves coming from the same frontal systems that hit South Africa over the winter months. April to May are probably the best months for ideal winds and a chance of decent swell. From June to September, expect regular onshore breezes that pick up during the morning and blow into the afternoon. WAVES THE EAST COAST has a number of shreddable right points. Santana is the most consistent, followed by Radiation Point, and then a couple more points further south. Swells have to travel a long distance and there is significant swell decay. You’re not going to get double overhead gaping barrels, but you will surf warm, rippable waves with only the stoked local crew for…

When a powerful swell smashed the Durban beachfront during the first week of October, Twiggy seized the opportunity to take another crack at The Wall – the sandbank curving around the tip of the harbour’s south pier, as featured in issue 40.7 (page 34). Among some of the chunky waves Twig paddled into was this beast, a seriously large wave for Town and good practice for the Big Wave World Tour rankings leader. Let’s find out more: ZAG: IS THE WAVE AS GOOD AS IT LOOKS? TWIG: It’s a bit of a novelty wave and I’d be lying if I said I was getting better barrels than the day before at New Pier, but for me to have a wave like this in my backyard is hard to ignore. It’s…

Those who know their surfing and their music might agree, there is something Elvis Costello’ish about the way we stand on a surfboard: knees closer together than feet and hips a little favouring the front leg, so that the back leg has a slant to it. It is part of why most older surfers can tell you where your medial collaterals are. The bottom line is, if you have a minimum of style then your back leg has an angle to it, and in years to come you will have a bunion on the inside of your back foot and your big toe will start to grow a little skew. All this back leg stuff is a little academic, unless your name is JP Veaudry and you don’t have a…

Ask a surfer to tell you about their dream wave and answers will vary depending on their stance, level of skill, the proximity of the spot to civilisation, plus a multitude of other factors. Some might even name their local spot and that’s understandable too, because different stokes for different folks. Here though, are some photos that we can all get stoked about. According to Matt Warshaw’s Encyclopaedia of Surfing, the word ‘stoke’ was first used by surfers in the mid-1950s to describe the euphoric feeling they experience during a session. Surfers were ‘stoked’ long before that of course, but didn’t have a word to describe that buzz until sixty years ago. Scientific research suggests that the lingering effects of surf stoke, the thrill we feel after an epic session,…

Cape Town’s Aden Kleve is a waterman of note, which is no surprise if you consider all the time he has spent in the ocean instead of the classroom. Having made his name as one of SA’s top bodyboarders, Aden has been proving equally adept at ripping on his feet since acquiring his trusty ‘hybrid’ hardboard. Name: Aden Daniel Kleve Age: 25 Nickname: Ade or Ades. Local spot: I’ve recently moved to Llandudno but I can’t claim it as my local spot quite yet, so I’d have to say The Hoek. Occupation: I run a bodyboarding school during the holidays for high school students, teaching them the fundamentals of ripping, lineup etiquette, etc, during these camps. What rules, wax or grip: Wax for sure. I don’t do grips. Favourite board:…

Surfers love Christmas because they get presents and if there’s one thing surfers love more than surfing, it’s getting free stuff. But if you’re thinking of giving us something that isn’t somehow connected to surfing or the sea, please don’t bother. Sure, we’ll smile and pretend to be grateful, but when you’re not looking we will spit in your egg nog and let your tyres down. You don’t have to trawl the mall to get us something, either. If you’re not giving the surfer in your life an all expenses paid trip to Indo, or a Ferarri with decent roof racks, then all you have to do is go to your nearest surf shop. Woolworths is not a surf shop. Don’t fall for their lame attempts to tap into the…

27 December will mark two years since I’ve been in the water with a surfboard. No doubt, I’m itching to feel saltwater in my nose, sand in my hair, and arms so limp I can barely lift ‘em. Why not scratch the itch then? If only it were that easy. I live a good 348km away from the nearest surfable wave. I don’t even own a surfboard, and at Lamberts (my nearest wave) surfboards aren’t available for hire. So, looking at the entire picture, the closest wave I can actually surf is 550kms away. Yay me! My family asks why it’s such a big deal to me, and I wish I had the words to explain the thrill, the absolute joy I get from feeling saltwater running over my body.…

We’re rolling down the spine of an ancient volcano, tumbling, tumbling down to the sea. Outside the window it’s the colour of deep earth, the colour of an island that’s been turned inside out, exposing its fertile guts and dark green belly. Giant palm fronds high five the car as we twist around the jungle track with 50 Cent and Lucky Dube riding shotgun. Lucky’s crooning right now, telling us ‘Good things come to those, who go out and make them happen.’ Clearly Lucky never tried finding a road to the beach on the west coast of São Tomé. “I think it’s here,” says John Micheletti. “The bay we saw on the map.” He’s pointing out the window but all we can see is the same thick ribbon of jungle…

Introducing Tobias Schroeder, J-Bay’s local German ripper. Don’t let his piercing blue eyes and curly locks fool you, because Toby is no stranger to the competitive surf scene, having grownup rubbing shoulders with Dylan Lightfoot and Steven Sawyer. Along with fellow J-Bay Euro-blood, Remi Peterson, Toby recently went on a surf trip to the Baltic Sea, proving that the elements are never too cold or sparse for this frother. Name: Tobias Schroeder Age: 22 Nickname: Toby or Schniets Local spot: Supertubes Occupation: While I’ve been studying, I work at Surf Lodge SA. What rules, wax or grip: Grip/wax combo. Favourite board: Hurricane Sea Bass model with a swallow tail – 5’11” x 19 1/2” x 2 3/8”. Number of boards snapped: About six so far. Worst grom abuse suffered: Lots…

You may not have noticed, fixated as you were on the 540, the relentless pursuit of a 12th world title, the outrageous defiance of age, the continuous reinventions… but in the gloam, the long sustained, seemingly endless twilight of his career, Kelly Slater has been hard at work, steadfastly consolidating his reign and securing his legacy. The retirement of a sporting icon can feel like a little death. The end of an era ushering in a bald, new beginning we are seldom ready for; palming the mantle of performance to babes: Florence, Medina, Toledo, maybe Wilson, hopefully Smith. But let’s think about motivations for a second, as Bruce Springsteen sings: “Poor man wants to be rich / a rich man wants to be king / and a king ain’t satisfied…