Losing early in any surf contest is a bummer and the sense of frustration is only heightened when the waves are lackluster. This was apparent in the recent Challenger Series leg at Ballito in South Africa as competitors weren’t blessed with the same quality conditions the venue has had in recent years.
However, South Africa is not a bad place to bow out early of a contest given its wave rich coastline and the potential for adventure in nearby countries. Following their early exit in Ballito, a cohort of CT hopefuls made the most of the rest of their time in Africa.
Australians Jordy Lawler, Jarvis Earle, Reef Heazlewood, George Pittar, Jacob Willcox and Callum Robson all headed to Namibia for their first taste of Skeleton Bay where they were greeted with six foot plus long draining tubes all the way down the sand.
While there was talk that the bank was not as good in recent years, that didn’t stop the boys from having the trip of a lifetime.
The Australian crew were also joined by American Nat Young, Europeans Tiago Carrique and Léo Paul Étienne and a core crew of South Africans that included Jordy Maree and Eli Beukes.
About 2,000 km away, the same swell graced arguably the world’s best right hand point break; J-Bay. Morgan Cibilic, Matty McGillivray and Jordy Smith were all on hand to put on a show.
The above edit from Now Now Media and Alan van Gysen features clips from both spots during the same swell.
You can be the judge, would you opt for the draining lefts of Namibia or the long right walls of J-Bay?
