It’s a well-known fact in the WQS circles that sometimes you’ve just got to grind through, and today was one of those days. Wind from the SE ruffled Yoyo’s feathers and forced the competitors to resort to survival tactics. Most of the competitors were highly successful in navigating the cross shore, utilizing the crumble on the lip to good effect. The ladies opened proceedings with heat 3, round of 48, paddling out on a mild morning in Lamberts Bay. The men followed on and tore the back out of the tricky but fun conditions. Standouts of the day were Shane Sykes, Mikey February, and Jordan Maree, but Davey Van Zyl notably went to town in round 4 with surgical precision, earning himself a 15.09 heat total.
MFeb looked sharp and focused. © Ian Thurtell
Contest director Tasha Mentasti was stoked. “In the men’s division, we have 4 Saffas, 3 Brazilians, and a Kiwi remaining in the round of 8. In the ladies, I was really impressed by Nicole Pallet who threw out some radical moves, and Zoe Mcdougall from Hawaii was super fluid with great style, so watch out for them in the final rounds, tomorrow. We’re scheduled for an 8am start with The Pro Junior boys in the round of 16, where we’ll see seeded surfers like the Elkington brothers for the first time. The Red Bull airshow is going to be awesome, with 10 surfers going for broke on the Yoyo’s A-frames. We’re looking good for a 2:30pm prize giving.”
Davey Van Zyl was flaring. © AVG
This whole event we’ve been harping on about Yoyo’s, but where does it get its name? Pierre Engelbrecht, a long time local and resident of Lamberts Bay, enlightens us “The wave is actually known simply as “reef”, but the name Yoyo’s is a result of the slingshot effect of the backwash which forms from the chunky end section rebounding off the inclined beach.”
Split the peak and await the rebound. © Ian Thurtell
This year’s trophies are something special. Created by Cape artist Chris la Grange, they’re cast in concrete in a geometric shape as an ode to the South African maritime invention – the dolos. Seen in harbours worldwide, and weighing up to 20 tons they are highly effective against the erosion caused by waves. “When surfing at Yoyo’s and you look across at the harbor towards e-bay, the dolosse are a standout feature in the marinescape. We’re paying homage to a proudly SA invention, an icon of Lamberts Bay and to the harbor itself as it’s one of the biggest sources of income in this area.” Says conceptualist, Lee Garrett of Vans.
Unique, and meaningful – the winners trophies. © AVG
All in all, it was another fantastic day on the inimitable West Coast and with the business end of the event looming, there’s plenty of talented surfers still in contention, and we’re looking forward to an action packed final day at the Vans Surf Pro Classic.
