Surfing Durban and KZN with multiple Dusi Canoe Marathon winner Ant Stott
Durban and the surrounding KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) coastline is known worldwide for its warm Indian Ocean waters that make salt water activities a pleasure to partake in all year round. This coupled with its never-ending supply of great waves and beautiful beaches, makes it one of the most popular surfing destinations in the world. Nearly everyone is familiar with the sport of surfing, the most popular being the traditional ‘short board’ surfing that has put Durban on the international map with events like the Gunston 500, Ocean Africa and Mr Price Pro events – now the Ballito Pro – which started way back in the late sixties. Taking the KZN shores by storm is a new style of surfing called waveskiing.
The sport actually started in the 70s and reached its peak in the 80s before slowly dwindling off again, but Durban gained huge renewed waveski popularity worldwide when the 2014 World Waveski Titles were hosted right here in Durban. Competitors from around the world were blown away by our great waves, warm water, fantastic promenade, thrilling game reserves and beautiful mountains, all of which can be found right here in Durban and surrounding KZN – close to King Shaka International Airport.
More recently, waveski surfing has gained new momentum with local Durban manufacturers injecting new life into the rapidly growing wave sport. A waveski is very similar to a surfboard in shape and size, the major difference being that the waveski surfer sits on the board and uses a double-sided paddle to propel the craft forwards. By having the extra paddle power, the rider is able to paddle out through the breaking waves a lot more quickly than traditional surfers, who need to lie down on their boards on their stomachs, with the use of only their hands to paddle them forwards. Another massive advantage for the waveski surfer is that by using the paddle, they have the ability to catch a wave far easier than the surfers who don’t have paddles.
Durban is the proud home of one of the world’s most popular waveski manufacturers – MACSKI – which was founded by John Macleod in 1979 and subsequently purchased by past multiple Dusi Canoe Marathon winner, Ant Stott, who moved the factory to Durban in 2014. The boards are all built locally in Durban and have gained massive popularity around the world. MACSKI is now one of the world’s leading waveski brands and its products are shipped to all corners of the globe.
Ant maintains that “the popularity of Stand Up Paddling, or SUP surfing as it has become to be known, has also helped massively to bring new numbers to waveskiing. SUPing can be a bit awkward as your centre of gravity is so high while you attempt to stand up on your board paddling on one side at a time. Paddling out through the waves in order to reach the backline as well as negotiating the choppy waters can be a bit of a challenge for the unskilled SUP surfer. The obvious and natural progression is to lower the centre of gravity to the seated position while paddling. This is what makes the sport of waveskiing far more accessible to the first-timer who just wants to get out there and experience the thrill of the waves. Almost anyone can sit and paddle – meaning that wave riding becomes something that nearly everyone can do!” Durban and it’s bay is the perfect place to learn as you can choose a beach according to your ability.
“Our bigger waves generally come from the south, which means that Durban’s beaches are more protected from big waves the further south you go as a result of being protected by the harbour wall on the southern end of the bay. As your confidence on a waveski grows, you can move along to the more northern beaches where the waves are stronger, faster, bigger and a bit more exhilarating!” said Ant.
“Durban and its many piers also make it great for spectators and photographers to get right up close and personal with the action.”
Ant concludes by stating that “a trend that is becoming far more popular these days is for international waveski customers to order their custom boards from MACSKI and then fly over to South Africa to collect them in person. Making use of their stronger foreign currencies, they are able to stretch out their visits to KwaZulu-Natal and experience a world-class surfing holiday for far longer than they could in most other surfing locations, while at the same time being able to explore all the many attractions up north, down south and further west. It just makes so much sense for them to come and visit Durban and have a taste of the real African waveski surfing experience!”. For anyone wishing to gain more information on waveski surfing, or where to canoe throughout KZN for that matter, contact Ant Stott, Macski Custom Waveskis on +27 580 4696.
“Paddling out through the waves in order to reach the backline as well as negotiating the choppy waters can be a bit of a challenge for the unskilled SUP surfer. The obvious and natural progression is to lower the centre of gravity to the seated position while paddling. This is what makes the sport of waveskiing far more accessible to the first timer who just wants to get out there and experience the thrill of the waves. Almost anyone can sit and paddle – meaning that wave riding becomes something that nearly everyone can do!
“As your confidence on a waveski grows you can move along to the more northern beaches where the waves are stronger, faster, bigger and a bit more exhilarating! Durban and its many piers also make it great for spectators and photographers to get right up close and personal with the action. ”
