Watch Jeffreys Bay and Skeleton Bay Fire on the Same Swell
We’ve seen a lot of Skeleton Bay. We’ve certainly had a long look at J-Bay. But I’m not sure we’ve ever come across an edit that combines them as seamlessly as this one does. When a mid-winter swell from Antarctica slammed into South Africa earlier this month, the team at Now Now Media decided to divide and conquer.
One team would travel northwest into Namibia toward the world’s longest barrel. Another would head east to Jeffreys Bay. Lo and behold, the swell simultaneously turned on both lineups. And the resulting highlights are too many to name. The clip features Brendon Gibbens, Eli Beukes, Jordy Smith, Matheus Herdy, Matt McGillivray, Jarvis Earle, Reef Heazlewood, Jordy Maree, Nat Young and many more scoring in two oceans at once.
One thing stands out from watching both point breaks: When they turn on, they look as demanding as they do perfect. Speed management, the ability to stall and speed up at a moment's notice is a required ticket for entry (Perhaps Skeleton Bay a touch more than J-Bay).
Rick Wall/Now NowMedia
Alan van Gysen, one of the masterminds behind NNM, gives an insightful breakdown of the Skeleton Bay swell later in the clip. He says that, compared to last year, there was a noticeable increase in sand in the middle of the wave, creating a large rip and softer section. It could be a factor of the southerly swell direction combined with an unusual amount of sand, and hopefully not an indicator of permanent change to come.
“There was definitely swell out there, but it was interesting. It must be a bit because of the direction, it was definitely too south, with a bank built up in the middle, and this really hard wind. Literally about two hours ago I had to lay down, it was too gnarly up there. Those three factors have affected the wave quite a lot in comparison to other good years.”
Sand points in a remote part of Africa are hard to predict, but thankfully Now Now Media is there to document, distill and share it all. Good tunes come free of charge.
Related: Watch: Nolan Rapoza Leapfrogs 56 Spots on Challenger Series at Ballito Pro
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