SA Leads in Surfski Paddling

Says Dawid Mocke, four-time consecutive World Open Ocean Surfski Series Champion, "I am so proud to be a South African paddler as we really have top-class equipment and the best Open Ocean paddlers in the world living in our country. The gene pool is very deep, especially in Durban, with Hank McGregor, Matt Bouman and Grant van der Walt to name and few. From Fish Hoek, there is Sean Rice, Tom Schilperoort, Simon van Gysen, my brother Jasper and I. So, most of the time, when we have a South African Championship event, it could double as a World Championship event."

 

Growing appeal

The origins of this sport date back to 1912, but it was only in 1946 when surf lifesaving associations started including surfskis in lifesaving competitions and championships. Over the last 15 years, there has been a huge growth in ocean surfski racing in South Africa, as well as mainland USA, Australia, New Zealand and other Pacific countries, because it is limitless. All you need is a beach or span of water, it can be social or competitive and as it’s a non-weight bearing sport, it can be practiced for an entire lifetime. Proof is two paddlers from our club in Fish Hoek, who are in their late 70s and still training and competing. Surfski paddling is also not weather dependent. On a calm, flat day you can do a coastal paddle along the rocks, backline or wherever your boat takes you. For the more adventurous, there's playing in the big waves, but downwind is the ultimate for adrenaline-seeking paddlers.

 

Racing

For our more competitive paddlers, there's open ocean surfski racing. A typical race is around 20 km, with the competitors starting in the water and then making their way out and around a series of buoys before returning to the beach. The shortest leg of the race is into the headwind section, as paddling into the wind is the least fun part of surfski racing. But once you reach the turn marker and are into the open ocean swells, it all changes. Paddling downwind is a skill that is developed through hours on the water and practice, practice, practice. It’s all about chasing ocean swells and riding them for as long as possible. Sounds easy, until you try it. Imagine being on a 6.8 m long boat that is just a bit wider than a ruler (40 cm) and catching a massive ocean swell as high as a two-story building, shooting forward and reaching speeds of over 40 km per hour. On a windy training day, a top paddler can do 12 km in 37minutes; that’s an average of more than 19km per hour.

 

Each race has a grading, which is dependent on the prize purse, amount of international paddlers attending and the number of downwind stretches the race has. The higher the race grading, the more points you score towards the World Series points.

 

Events

South Africans, be it 'professional working' or 'studying' paddlers, are spoilt for choice as there's basically a race every weekend throughout the year to keep you fit and your skills honed. The main selection factors are the costs to get to the event, how the conditions suit your padding ability and the prize-money up for grabs. Currently there are three or four paddlers from South Africa on the world circuit that make a living racing surfskis.

 

Locally, paddlers can participate in the KwaZulu-Natal and Cape surfski seasons. The KwaZulu-Natal season is divided into three distinct series. The first runs from January to April. The second, which attracts the world’s largest fields, is from April through winter. The final series starts in autumn and ends in November. The Cape season is as dynamic and runs from October all the way to March, with a short break in December splitting the series in two halves.