THE ZAG BRAH GRILL - WHERE WE INTERROGATE THE FAMOUS, THE UNKNOWN, AND THE INFAMOUS.
Dr Phillip Chapman has been roaming the planet, getting some sick barrels and looking after sick people, as he is a doctor. He does stints at G-Land, Tavarua, and has surfed in some remote places. He is not sure where his roots are right now, so to speak, but feels that maybe overseas is not the best place to be as there is some good vibes happening back home in South Africa. He was in JBay for a recent swell, and he scored some sick waves, so we grilled him
Interview by Craig Jarvis
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Craig: You've been out the country for a few years now. Where all have you lived?
Phil: The UK, Australia, New South Wales, Tasmania, West Australia.
Craig: Outside of G-Land which has the best set ups?
Phil: The best was the uncrowded, remote surf in Tasmania. There are some seriously good waves down there. A couple of secret and not so secret spots.
Craig: And the worst?
Phil: Newquay, in Cornwall, during winter – Cold, onshore, miff.
Craig: Do you miss SA much?
Phil: Yes, I always miss the RSA.
Craig: Tell us non-expats the best thing visiting home after being abroad for awhile.
Phil: It’s just good to come back and hang with family and friends - getting to surf good waves with your chommies. Then there is always the beer, braai’s and biltong, which is so good, and unique.
Craig: So in your opinion what does South Africa have that people who leave the country can tend to forget?
Phil: There is a unique cross-cultural feel here. It’s a vibrant and exciting society with mostly cool people with decent manners. The whole braai thing, the culture, the dangerous roads - South Africa can also be quite an adrenaline rush.
Craig: You have spent your time surfing with top Australian pros, big wave heroes and sometimes loads of idiots, including a fellow at Vic Bay who wanted to attack you once. What’s your take on the average South African surfer?
Phil: These days there is such a mix of surfers out there. The old school crew are mostly classic, with a few interesting weirdos. The new guys that can surf seem okay. As I said earlier, most South Africans have good manners. There are a few locals that can sporadically cause some kak, but that's more of a universal thing. There is always going to be a ‘bad vibes Bob’ lurking somewhere.
Craig: What is your take on surf media?
Phil: I enjoy the cynics, possibly because I'm one. The bland stuff is so boring, and the groupie mentality has become the norm. These days it's hard to find a decent surf mag with good articles that captivate and educate.
Craig: With more surfers travelling to find waves around the world, a lot of them are out of their depth and can get seriously hurt. What are your thoughts, having witnessed this?
Phil: Like lemmings there are literally thousands of new surfers filling up around the world then travelling. Some have no idea, no wave knowledge at all and head out into the heaviest waves. This is the real worry, as injuries are on an exponential rise.
Craig: You work in Emergency units. How do you compare emergency medical situations to surfing in serious waves?
Phil: There are many analogies. Big days operating in the ER are just as hectic as trying to keep it together in heavy surf. The ‘Relax, Assess and React’ mentality is a good one. Panic is your worst enemy in the ER or in heavy waves.
Craig: Imagine a crew of surfers at some remote location up the west coast. Someone wipes out and breaks an arm or a leg. No one has medical knowledge or even first aid knowledge. Give us a few points to sort this situation out.
Phil: Broken limbs are common and occurring all over the shop. We had one at G-Land last week. It was a nasty broken ankle. The dude had no travel insurance and went overland in serious agony. I reckon surfers should consider doing a BLS course (Basic Life Support). With broken limbs, they need to be re-located. You have to try to correct the deformity. Then immobilised it somehow and elevate the injury. You can use anything from a rolled up newspaper, cardboard, a wetsuit, whatever, you have to improvise sometimes. Try and keep the limb elevated and in the most comfortable position. Rule of thumb: Analise / Stabilise / immobilize. Then transfer to hospital ASAP for X-ray and formal assessment etc.
Craig: Any final words?
Phil: Surfing is rapidly becoming a massive mainstream sport . All the breaks are filling up fast. This includes the heavier one's too, and surf etiquette is severely lacking. Injuries are on the up - hence my thoughts on more people learning basic life support skills, and the need for the surfing industry to realise they need to play a part, step in and focus some time, money and energy into surfing safety issues. Finally, it would be a good idea for some of the isolated surf camps at the heavier breaks to only allow competent surfers to stay and surf their waves. It would cut down on the injuries.
