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Saffa on a Cover: Greg Vorster bags Slab Mag cover

posted by Simon Heale on 28th October 2011

Our fellow South African adventurers, Greg Vorster and Vijay Maharaj, gave us a little more insight into their freezing cold video that's been passed around on the internet like an pack of chips.



1st off congrats Mr Vorster on the Slab Mag cover ... that makes 2 SAFFA's on 2 separate international bodyboarding publication this year,(the 1st being Iain Campbell on Movement's Hawaii '10/'11 issue) a pretty amazing feat if you ask me!

How did you feel hearing the news? And did you think any of the waves and shots you guys collected had the potential to be cover material? Talk us through that shot ...

Greg: Thanks Simon, yeah Campbell's covershot was so sick! , it was really cool to see a South African on an international Mag!

"Really??" was my first thought for sure, to tell the truth I was kind of confused by it all ... like someone had made some sort of mistake! haha .No I'm really happy, especially for Emilie as well !! Getting a cover shot for a photographer is just as much of a stoke as for the rider.

Vijay: I was really stoked for Greg and Emilie when I heard the news about the Slab Mag cover. It is a great achievement for both of them!

We're all pretty much thinking it so I'm just gona ask, Canada ey? The land of moose and the rowdiest college kids in the world ... what made you move there?

Greg: I came over initially to further my studies and just fell in love with the place! I definitely miss home though!

Vijay: Having had Canadian citizenship for as long as I can remember, I always wondered if Canada had waves. In 2009, after some years of international travel, I decided it was time to check Canada out and the faint rumours of Canadian surf I'd been hearing.

The set-ups in the vid look like they have massive potential; were you pleased with the waves you got on the trip or is there going to be a Round 2?

Greg: Huge tidal changes, big weather systems and accessibility are some things you have to deal with out here, makes scoring a bit of a challenge! We definitely would have liked better surf but that's just the way it goes, We had a great trip and in the end, for me, that's all that matters! .... and yes there will always be a Round 2 for sure.

Vijay: This trip was not epic wave's wise. We were stuck in a cycle of too big, too small. The north pacific is very erratic and with tide changes potentially over 12 feet, it makes it very difficult to score. Definitely had fun but in the future we hope to score bigger and better waves at the locales on the vid. There is also hundreds of kilometres of coastline we have not explored yet with potential for epic set-ups everywhere. Access to the beach in many parts of Vancouver Island is very difficult, if not impossible by land and includes a lot of hiking. This limits the amount of exploring we can do at any one time. You can't just drive up and do a spot check!

Can you compare any of the waves in the vid to some waves back in the motherland, just so the kids who want to be world travellers like yourselves know where to go train?

Greg: I grew up on the North Coast of Kwa Zulu Natal surfing beach breaks in board-shorts. Now I'm pretty much only surfing reefs in 6 mm of rubber. You can adapt to anything. Just got to put yourself out there.

Vijay: Between Blythedale Beach (my home-break) and all the various other waves I was fortunate to travel to in S.A, I don't think there are any I can compare to the spots we ride in the vid. It's so different here; it's the other side of the world

So where to next? Any hidden waves in Kazakhstan or are we just going to have to wait for the next video teaser?

Greg: There are some really cool set ups that we found up at the North part of the Island! Looking forward to heading back up there for sure, we couldn't do any filming the last time because we got stormed out for a large chunk of the trip! The weather is CRAZY up there, huge storms rolling through constantly! Hopefully we get a mellow gap during good tides so we can cruise up that way again.

Vijay: We are currently working on more photo and video for future vids and publications before I head back to Hawaii for another season on the North Shore.

It definitely looks like a wild and rugged place, almost as if you needed to Bear Grylls your way to every surf spot. And by the looks of things you've been watching his survival shot on how to build a shelter too, good job! Tell us about the journeys to get to some of the surf spots.

Greg: "Two feet and a heartbeat." If you want waves out here, that's got to be your mantra, we do a lot of hiking that's for sure.

Vijay: It's very rugged out here and storms are plentiful. Usually, more time is spent getting to the wave than actual time in the water. We are often out of cell range. Far from shops/towns of any sort so preparation is key. The shelter we built I guess more represents the weather. It had to be built to keep our camera person and her gear dry because we were expecting heavy rain the next day.

I see there's a girl braving those conditions with you guys, is that a normal occurrence? How is the bodyboarding scene in Canada?

Greg: Haha! yeah that's Emilie! She is a trooper ... being a photographer out here is no easy task, constant rainfall, hiking up and down hills through the mud and forest with all your camera equipment and then shooting in the freezing cold, destroying camera equipment and then probably not getting a shot because of either fog or rain! You have to love what you're doing!

Vijay: The bodyboarding scene on the west coast of Canada is very small and limited mostly to foreigners visiting. I cannot speak for the east coast but I don't think they have much of a scene either. That is a big reason for me being here, doing what i'm doing. I would like to think Greg and I have made an impact and we are definitely seeing more and more Canadian interest in the sport.

Bears VS Sharks VS Ice bergs? Do you have to make friends with all of them before you are allowed to surf these secret spots or was that just a chance encounter in the video?

Vijay: Bears we do see a fair few of in our travels. The one in the vid actually approached us after filming him, in an attempt to steal the steak we we're frying on the fire. I don't think he was going to ask nicely either but Panda (who is very protective of steak) risked life and limb to chase the bear away from our lunch. Good dog!!

Seeing as we are on the animal side of things, what's the general vibe with sharks there? And if you wish, your take on the current world situation with our watery friends.

Greg: Fisherman claim to have seen large great whites off certain sea lion breading area's and Neah Bay in Oregon just South of us is also known to have Whites? Eisha, the attacks have been heavy on everyone I think, even us out here that don't have to deal much with Jonny's. Much love goes out to the family and friends of the victims.

Vijay: Some people say there are no sharks here. Truth is, we are not that far from Oregon and from what I know about great whites and cold water (IE: Cape Town), i'm not sure about that. We have personally never had any issues with sharks. The sea lions however, are territorial and Greg and I have been barked at and chased out the water by some aggro 600 to 800kg big boys.

You guys are holding the SAFFA flag high and show us the real spirit of adventure which we, as SAFFA bodyboarders, sometimes tend to push to the back of the cupboard, well, when it comes to international adventures anyway. Any last words to get that Christopher Columbus spirit stoked again?

Greg: Surf exploration or any kind of adventure for that matter rejuvenates the soul! I have found the happiest times in my life often are just after enduring some of the most uncomfortably experiences in my life! Pushing through this is what make us stronger. I truly believe in this. Getting out there will always be a mission, although the rewards will far outweigh the pain. Enjoy your travels!

Vijay: There seems to be a lot of people trying be comfortable in life but you only find true adventure when you throw that thought to the wayside and step into the unknown.

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