What a day in the life of a web developing surf photographer and father. (Just a footnote: I have found somebody that wants to sell a water housing setup that is perfect for my current camera rig and I am hoping to buy it. This will really complete my camera rig, apart from maybe another body and a lens or two. Hold thumbs for me.)

Today was youth day and a public holiday in South Africa for those of you that don´t know. I spent the biggest part of the morning in a place called Funky Frogs.

My son attended the party of one of his friends, Gustav. (At the moment, we are listening to the game between Uruguy and South Africa.) I opted to go along and use the opportunity to take photos of some varied subject matter. I must admit, I do enjoy taking pics of children, especially candid shots. Before we went to the party, I made sure that we stopped at the lookout at Tubes to see what the surf looked like.

It had a nice South West swell direction, good wave period and ample hight and the resulting waves made me wish I could go for a paddle there and then. A couple of hours later, still at the party, I bumped into Melody who is one of a handful local surfing ladies. She said the morning sessions were epic, just very cold. You can imagine how I was frothing by then. We still had to buy groceries.

When I saw the weather I lost interest for a moment because like the rest of South Africa, it was freezing outside with rain pouring most of the day. Groceries, lunch, a bit of graft and then it was time for my son and wife to take their afternoon nap. I was about to start work again, when I remembered that I actually do live in J-Bay and there are actually waves. It took a split second to greet my wife and get suited. I was still contemplating between Supers and Tubes, but Roy Harley from Sonsurf was just getting suited up as I pulled in. We ended up taking a gap through the keyhole which Roy timed well and I just followed him.

In the water were some of the usual suspects, including Anthony Woolf, Thys Strydom and guys like Deon Lategaan etc. As we made our way to the lineup, we saw Dylan Lightfoot pull into a bomb and getting barrelled for much longer than the norm. The other groms like Remi and Steven was also out there and grumbled a bit about the crowds even though it did not look too crowded.

I waited my turn for a while, and eventually got my chance to surf the first proper wave in about 3 weeks. It was one of the smaller waves, but it actually formed nicely and I had enough time to do some big hacks (okay, it felt big, dunno what it looked like) and race for a barrel which I did not quite make out. At this time of the year, it get´s dark quick and I only had one average wave before it was almost too dark to surf. Water and air temperature was a regular topic of conversation. Eventually I was the last person out of the water, missing the keyhole with all the normal bumps and hooked leash situations you can expect.

Rushed home and took a shower until the warm water was finished. I did not have this amazing session, but my stoke levels are definately high after three weeks of no surf. When you live in J-Bay and the surf is good all the time, it´s easy to get used to the setup and pull your nose up when the conditions are not perfect. This three week lull made me realise just how priviledged I am to surf. Only a surfer knows the feeling.

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