posted by James Jones on 2nd August 2013
The 4A SABA Rated, West Beach Warfare event is just over a week away now, and the hype around the event is growing mounting, with another big name or 2 signing up to compete in the event, West Beach Warfare in Port Alfred is looking like it's going to be an event not to miss!
Events Organisers have gone full steam ahead and most bases have been covered to ensure that this will be a memorable event. They are hailing the venue one of the best ever to host a bodyboarding contest with an amphitheatre-like setup on the beach and the unique West Beach Pier allowing spectators to almost get alongside competitors and watch the action from up close. The venue sponsor for the event Guidos Port Alfred (situated across from West Beach) will host both the Contest Briefing held at 18h00 on Thursday 8 August, and the Prize-giving at 18h30 on Sunday 11 August . It is sure to be a place for competitors to hang out for drinks or have some chow while watching the contest due to the amazing view of West Beach from Guidos.
As West Beach Warfare is a "NEW" SABA (South African Bodyboarding Association) sanctioned event on the tour, there are no defending champions to speak of, but there are some riders who pride themselves on the skills they possess to ride this wave and hopefully be crowned the eventual victors in their various divisions. With a growing knowledge of the scale and exposure of the events, the locals are looking to show why they own this wave. West Beach can be an extremely tricky wave to ride and in time "master". Not many are able to claim to have gotten to this level, with many trying and paying the price for not respecting the wave.
West Beach receives raw ocean swell with no bay it needs to wrap into and no outer reefs to slow its surge towards the shallow banks. The swells come from deep open ocean and batter the shallow sand banks at West Beach, combined with the rebounding "sidewalls" coming across from the West Beach pier it develops into a heavy wedging peak that will need to be chosen correctly or will need to be negotiated with some evasive action to not bear the brunt of West Beach's teeth - do this and you could have one of the barrels/ramps/both of your life!
We have been hearing reports of locals and nearby travelers getting really insane West Beach lately, with the banks looking good and the organisation on track it is looking like an amazing event. Some guys to look out for in this event will be Murray van Vuuren from Port Elizabeth, with his renewed hunger to show the country what he's made of - we are sure he will be a rider that will shine bright in this event. Jason Lodge , fresh off the birth of his 1st child, will want to get away from the kicking and screaming and certainly make it a worthwhile event and take out the Masters title. Pieter Nell "the ever consistent charger", this guy is known to just sit in the barrels for days at West Beach! Jot De Lauwere is feeling and looking as fit as ever, and straight out of his trip to paradise aka INDO, he has got all the tools to take on this left hand wedge with style and class. Clinton Millard "West Beach Local" kills this place and packs a serious punch.
We look forward to seeing all the competitors next week for this much anticipated event. Please note that entries close at 17h00 on Monday 5 August , so get them in. Let's work together to make this a memorable event.
Entry Form + Media downloads: http://bit.ly/1bk32q1
Follow the action online:
Event Contact:
Jot De Lauwere
[email protected]
(+27)82 552 0386
www.sixty40.co.za/event/566
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