Welcome back to our surf safari! If you haven’t yet, you’ve got to read Part One to get the full story. But if you have and you’ve been anxiously waiting to find out how the surf was… then get excited — the time has come to share part two of our surf safari!
Related:
Top 5 Surf Destinations We’ve Found While Sailing (So Far)
Surfing Etiquette 101: Respecting Local Breaks While Travelling
The First Session
Wetsuits
The day we arrived the swell was at a super fun size, and we were frothing to get out there… but we needed wetsuits first. So we went into town at 10 a.m. when the stores opened and did the rounds to try and find cheap-ish, well-fitting wetsuits. We had great success for three of us and found a second-hand one in good condition for Finn. Now we were all set with big thick 4:3’s.
Heading back to Pepper St (more about where we were staying in a minute), we suited up, grabbed our boards, and headed down to the deck to watch a few guys navigate the keyhole.
Keyholes
Just quickly: the keyhole is a channel through the rocks that you walk down before jumping into the waves and paddling hard to get out. At Supertubes there are two keyholes — one for the way out that’s near the top of the lineup, and one for the way in which is further down the beach past the end of the lineup. Actually, if you’re interested in knowing more about J-Bay’s different breaks and the keyhole, there’s a super quick video here that WSL did.
We headed for the entrance one and slowly made our way out over the rocks, following a local guy who (thankfully) knew what he was doing. We made it out pretty smooth, no bumps on the reef — maybe a couple of cuts on our feet, but we were out! And also quite cold…
Some Waves
After thanking the guy who’d unintentionally guided us out, we sat there and watched, getting a feel for where people were taking off and how close we were to the rocks. I think Archie caught the first wave, and it was a great one — he was stoked. Then Dad got one as well. I got an okay one and was just trying to get a feel for it still — it was also the first time we’d surfed proper waves in months, so we were understandably a little rusty.
But hey, we were sitting out at Supertubes! This was awesome.
Back to the Beach
Then it was time to head back in. I have to admit I’d stayed out for quite a while because I was nervous about trying to slot the way in. One of the others went first — Ted, I think. Then I went in and tried to slot it… okay, not at all. Paddling my heart out not to get taken by the current, I kept trying to duck-dive the waves, but it was too shallow so I just kept getting rolled. At one point I got rolled by yet another wave and my back slammed into a submerged rock — well, at least I’d found the bottom, right? I gingerly stood up, not wanting to slip. Behind me, Archie was also coming in and getting rolled, though he was doing a bit better than me since he hadn’t hit any rocks.
I ended up walking over the rocks, not really in the keyhole at all, but to the side of it. So let’s just say we didn’t nail the first time coming in — we all completely missed it! But the feeling of accomplishment when we finally stood on the beach and looked out at the waves was awesome.
We headed back, got our wetties off, and had a warm shower. Our first session was a relative success!
Where We Stayed
Location
Okay, now I’ve shared our amazing first session, let me tell you about where we stayed… it might just be the coolest place I’ve ever stayed — at least so far.
Welcome to Pepper St. On a map of J-Bay, this is the street you park at to surf Supertubes. It has a deck at the end with a banger sunrise view and stairs that head down to the beach. We loved this deck very much.
Accomodation
The place we stayed is called Aloe Again. It’s a shared house with nine rooms and is part of the African Perfection operation. We had two rooms: one for Mum and Dad, and one for the kids. Bunks and a double bed as well as a bathroom and shower made up our room, and we rocked it for the two-week stay. Then we had the upstairs communal area, which was epic. It had a sweet kitchen that everyone used, a lounge, a pool table, and an indoor fireplace.
The People
Trust me when I say it was really cool. We met some amazing people and absolutely loved it.
The three groups we got to know while staying here:
- Two Israeli guys on a surf trip — the friendliest people who hung out with us, made fires, taught Archie pool, and cooked way too much food (which they shared). They were awesome!
- Another Israeli group — this time a family with their nineteen-year-old son who was keen to surf. Also really nice.
- A family up from Cape Town — with their son and his friend. They were super knowledgeable and had been coming to J-Bay for years.
As you can see, we had heaps of fun. And it wasn’t just the world-class surf that had us gobsmacked — it was the awesome people we got to stay with.
Sunrises
Every morning we got up before sunrise and went down to check the waves. Usually we’d watch the sunrise and then do an hour of school before paddling out for a morning session. When we came in, we’d head into town for a coffee and snack, then maybe wander some surf stores — simply because we could.
Some afternoons it was onshore and we’d skate or run. Other times it was firing, and we’d surf until dark… the setup was just so easy.
And More…
Then there was Cape St. Francis — but I think I’ll leave you hanging there. Next time I’ll write about that cool spot, how we found some new boards, and my new favourite lighthouse…
Thanks for coming along on Part Two! Stay tuned for Part Three. I’d love to know what you think and if you’ve ever visited Jeffrey’s Bay — or dream of going there — so please comment below!
the rock bits scare me. go you!
They weren’t too bad once you figured it out!
Loved loved loved reading part one and two! What an adventure ! And given the challenges of getting there it must have felt even more amazing to arrive at such a special place in terms of your surfing and meeting new and amazing people. Look forward to reading the next instalment Bella!
Thanks Alison! You’re right, after the effort put in to get there, the destination is even better! Thanks for commenting and part three is one the way 😊
Love your writing style, Bella. I would love to surf & travel, I feel excited trying to visualise what you’re all up to. My South African friend Nada (lives in NZ) was actually in J/Bay at the same time you were. Crazy, huh?! Miss you all, lotsa love, Aunty Kim 🥰
Thanks Aunty Kim! That is crazy! It’s a small world 😊
What an awesome adventure, Bella! So happy you got a safari in – a surf one at that, but you did see some eye shine from the critters along the way. Looking forward to reading about the rest of the trip.
Thank you! We loved it and I can’t wait to share the rest of the adventure 😊
Such a awesome place
It sure is! We loved it 😊