Specialty Surfing Event
18 May – 11 June
‘Dungeons’, SOUTH AFRICA – (Thursday, May 18, 2000) — ‘Big, but not big enough!’ was how South Africa’s first professional big wave surfing event ended in 1999 after it was decided that the waves that peaked at 15 foot (five metres) during the two week waiting period did not constitute enough of a challenge for the cream of the country’s big wave experts. As a result, this year’s version of the Red Bull Big Wave Africa will be bigger in all respects, with a longer waiting period for optimum conditions, a select 12 man field that includes a pair of the world’s best exponents, upgraded safety precautions and increased prize-money.
The waiting period has been extended to 25 days and moved from September to May 18 to June 11, the prime window for the huge South Atlantic swells, generated in the aptly named Roaring Forties, that annually batter the Cape Peninsula on the Southern tip of Africa. With Cape Town’s balmy autumn weather creating ideal conditions, waves with faces in excess of 25 to 30 foot (8 to 10 metres), higher than a three-story building, can be expected during the event.
Most of the 1999 invitees are raring to take up the challenge again, with Cass Collier, Ian Armstrong and Mickey Duffus, the trio that won the World Big Wave team championships for South Africa in 1999, and finished runners-up in February 2000, the joint favourites to clinch the inaugural Big Wave Africa title.
This year’s field also includes two acclaimed big wave matadors in Mavericks veterans Matt Ambrose, a finalist in this year’s ‘Men Who Ride Mountains’ event, and Grant Washburn, a semi-finalist there.
They will be joined by the legendary Jonathan Paarman, now 45, whose exploits in giant surf in the seventies is still spoken of with awe, fellow Capetonians David Stolk and former world pro-am champion Justin Strong, reigning SA open champ Sean Holmes and Durbanites Jason Ribbink, John Whittle and the rising star of South African big wave hellmen, 20 year-old Richard Sills.
The venue will once again be Dungeons, considered by the big wave riding fraternity as the most challenging surf break on the African continent and, on its day, the equal of any of the other renowned big wave arenas on the planet, such as Waimea Bay in Hawaii, Mavericks in Northern California or Mexico’s Todos Santos.
Situated under the imposing presence of the Sentinel, a 20 minute boat ride from Hout Bay harbour, Dungeons provides an extreme test of resolve on the part of the contestants. Facing directly into the path of the incoming South West swells, the reef is approximately half a kilometre offshore from the boulder infested cliffs, with surfers needing boards over nine foot (three metres) in length to be able to catch the waves.
Added to the bone and board crushing power of the waves, the competitors will have to contend with the icy Atlantic water temperatures that require thick but flexible wetsuits, the possibility of motion sickness while waiting on the boat for their turn to take on the surf and the ever present danger of Great White sharks cruising in the channel, attracted by the adjacent seal colony – the predators’ favourite source of food!
Little wonder that everything humanly possible will be done to ensure the safety of the participants, including having a helicopter on standby to airlift anyone needing medical attention out of the inaccessible venue, as well as a large boat with a doctor on board situated in the channel which also will act as the event headquarters for organisers, competitors, selected media and guests.
Additional safety precautions comprise a flotilla of jetskis and inflatable boats to pluck from the sea those who are ‘wiped out’ by the giant waves, allowing each competitor to have a caddie / backup person to assist in their mental and equipment preparation, pass them replacement surfboards due to breakage or loss, etc, and the presence of lifeguards on the shoreline to assist any hardcore members of the public who decide to take the arduous footpath into the venue and may get into trouble while watching the event.
While the adrenaline generating aspect of taking on and conquering whatever the ocean can throw at them is the major motivation for those on the select invitee list, the thrill of being crowned the inaugural Big Wave Africa champion and a R30 000 (US $4 500) cheque certainly ups the ante!
The total prize-money has been increased from R50 000 to R75 000 ($11 000) for 2000, with all the contestants taking home something. In the event that suitably extreme conditions (waves over 15 foot / five metres in height) are not produced during the extended waiting period, R50 000 of the prize-money will be rolled over and added to the prize-pool for Big Wave Africa 2001 with the remaining R25 000 paid out as appearance fees to this year’s athletes.
Other awards include R10 000 ($1 500) for the biggest wave ridden and R3 000 ($500) each for the best tube and best / worst wipe-out.
Big Wave Africa 2000 is sanctioned by the newly formed ISA Big Wave World Tour with Gary Linden as the Contest Director and Paul Botha as the Event Co-ordinator.
A comprehensive website at www.redbull.co.za features wave and weather predictions, details on the venue, athlete profiles, a daily log of activities and a host of other information to keep the public abreast of all aspects of the event.
Kindly direct media enquiries to:
Red Bull Communications
PO Box 36 Eppindust 7475 South Africa
Tel: + 27 21 505 5675 Fax: +27 21 505 5697
Email: lmallach@thumb.co.za
Website: www.redbull.co.za