BACK IN THE DAY WITH MY DAD By Shaun Tomson 1970 - Buffels Bay, South Africa - I had just become top seed for the South African Surf Team to compete in the World Championship at Bells Beach, Australia. My dad didn't like to talk about the shark attack. He wouldn't directly evade the issue but he'd skirt around its edges with his own brand of strange humor. "The shark died of blood poisoning" or "I don't know who got the bigger shock, me or the shark." My mom said … [Read more...] about For Father’s Day…
Attitude Adaption
Recently I went to watch the first World Adaptive Surfing Championships held at La Jolla Shores in San Diego. Sixty-nine competitors from nineteen countries competed in 4 different divisions and the entire field was composed of athletes who endure daunting physical challenges – quadriplegics, paraplegics, blind, and missing limbs. Each surfer had their own story of courage and indomitable optimism, of adapting their attitude to the cards they had been dealt, to the life they had been … [Read more...] about Attitude Adaption
Surfer’s Code: I Will Always Paddle Back Out
My first time surfing Waimea Bay took place in 1975 during a contest, the Smirnoff Pro. Waimea needs a giant swell to work, and oftentimes weeks (even months) can go by without a ripple at the Bay. So I had not expected to ride Waimea at all that winter. On this particular day an enormous swell had hit the North Shore; the Smirnoff started off at Sunset Beach, but the surf grew too big. The organizers moved the contest down the coast to Waimea, which holds a bigger swell. I did not even own a … [Read more...] about Surfer’s Code: I Will Always Paddle Back Out
We miss the good hidden by gluttony
March 27 2012 at 10:20am By Philani Mgwaba - The Mercury Independent Online. (http://www.iol.co.za/mercury/the-editor-s-note/we-miss-the-good-hidden-by-gluttony-1.1264518) All too often some of us get weighed down by the negativity of the hotheads in our midst and are prone to bouts of depression, wondering about the future prospects of this potentially great republic. Regrettably, at times there is simply too much rancour and invective around for one's continued good health and peace of mind … [Read more...] about We miss the good hidden by gluttony
The Title
Who’ll take the 2012 world title? As a huge fan of pro surfing, the first event of the year is a favourite – there’s as much pressure on each competitor as if it were the end of the year with the world title on the line and it is good to see who has stepped up their game in the off-season. How the top guys perform out of the gate tells a lot about who will be on top at the end of the season. Generally the winner of the tour will come from the four who make the semis – Adriano, Josh, Jordy and … [Read more...] about The Title