14 April, 2018 14 April, 2018

Buffalo City Surf Pro – Day 2

Yesterday, we pondered whether we should write about the girl’s performance on Day 1 at the Mitchum Buffalo City Surf Pro presented by Reef. It wasn’t the best. There’s nothing worse than putting together a piece of work that’s essentially an overhyped piece of nonsense. It wreaks of lies. It’s like somebody trying to get you to buy into a pyramid scheme and all you hear is deception. The only people who can’t see it’s a pyramid scheme, are those involved. So, in short, we, decided against it. But today, the ladies shone bright like stars in the Karoo. Their heats were DAMN exciting. Certainly, Nicole’s 9.00 in her round 2 heat was one of the more well-structured waves of the day. Some even called it a 10. Not the boys in the tower of course.

So here’s who impressed us on day 2 of the Mitchum Buffalo City Surf Pro presented by Reef. 

A bottom turn refined on only the finest righthand point break. Image: Thurtell

Nicole Pallet – She’s Mean (Waves Deserve Rights)

Anybody got some dollar for Nicole? She ain’t got none. She lost that shiz courtesy of a mean drop wallet out at Nahoon. Pallet paddled out in round 2 heat 4 and proceeded to lay down the law. Starting off with three of the meanest carves we’d seen all series. Meangirl.com. Drop wallets. Lumberjack axe hacks on tree stumps. She whipped that board into obedience and acquired the single highest wave score of the day, a 9.00. Protesters in the nearby bush emerged with plaques stating, ‘Waves Also Have Rights’. But Nicole was relentless. She was mean.

Certainly, she went from strength to strength, building on her confidence. Even when the tide rose and the waves flattened out, eliminating her most valued assets, she quickly adapted and lumbered away at some superb open face carves. A standout throughout the event, it was only suitable that Nicole Pallet, the girl with no regard for ‘Wave Rights’  emerged victoriously. 

Waves also have rights. Image: Thurtell

Jordy Maree – The Stripes are Reserved for the Man.

In Port Elizabeth, we wrote that Jordy no longer looks like a Grom. He looks like a man. A man who can, at will, grow a beard. In PE he appeared visibly discontented with his Semifinal result at the Volkswagen Nelson Mandela Bay Surf Pro presented by Billabong. A defeat he suffered at the hands of eventual winner Davey Van Zyl. He believed the win belonged to him. But in Port Alfred, afterlife served him a second chance, an interference called on him succeeding a drop-in on Dale Staples. Neptune stretched out his hand over the ocean, and it went flat. Jordy snuck through the heat on a single wave score. He made haste on Neptune’s second chance, taking his first ever QS win and ripping the striped vest off DVZ.

Today in heat 3 of round 2, Jordy surfed a stacked heat. Unperturbed, Jordy displayed some of the most stylishly refined backhand surfing we’ve witnessed this entire series. Smooth backhand cracks, no bobbles. The wave of the day. An 8.75. And the highest heat score total 15.75. No longer a Grom. The stripes are reserved for the man.  

The man wearing stripes. Image: Thurtell

Faye Zoetmolders – Inspired by Ando

The girls in our country certainly require running waves to unleash their most favoured assets. Maybe it’s because our whole country is made up of one huge point break linked up by a national highway. Or maybe it’s cause our girls don’t trip for beachies. Regardless, on the sloppy, soft lip, peaky runners of Nahoon Reef, which strangely resembled the top section of Seal Point, Faye awoke. Approaching each wave like she was in her garage painting a canvas. She drew clean beautiful lines. Inspired by Ando. Linking down carves and off the tops with the greatest of ease. Knock knee bottom turns to smooth off the lips. Faye’s surfing was smooth, powerful and well timed. Unfortunately, Faye fell one heat short of the Women’s Final, but she made a comeback and took the Women’s Longboarding.

Faye took the womens longboarding. Image: Thurtell

Jake Elkington – Finds his Stride

Jake’s an intelligent young man. Apparently he clocked A’s across the board at school. When it comes to surfing, your intelligence can either work for you or against you. When it works against you, it’s the worst. You’ll overanalyse everything. You’ll question you’re every decision. Should I do this, or should I paddle there. The variables the ocean serves up could literally spin you like an Afrikaans girl at the sokkie. Until your head just simply implodes rendering you a nervous wreck unable to complete a simple cutback. But when you dumb it all down, stop listening to all the voices in your head, and make decisions which you stick to, much like life, you begin to see success. And then, your intelligence can be used to your advantage. Perhaps, today we began to see Jake utilise his intelligence to benefit his surfing. Perhaps today we began to see Jake let the variables be variables and controllables be controlled. Because today we witnessed a Jake who just may have found his stride.

 Enjoy the gallery and highlights video below. All images: Ian Thurtell.

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