Fantasising about J-Bay’s Return To The World Tour

Story by Craig Jarvis

Wouldn’t it be so very good to have Jeffreys Bay back on the world tour? That print-quality corduroy stacked to the horizon, the smell of aloes, waves that peel from Boneyards through Supers to Impossibles and sometimes, depending on the grains, all the way down to The Point. A set wave from Boneyards to the gully is just over 300m long, and a wave that flies through Impossibles and beyond is longer, and better. The lower sections are exciting, with boils and barrels and rock shelves. The top sections gift open faces for barrels and carves and airs and massive turns that define 2014 hot dogging.

Wouldn’t it be something if ZoSea, in their power, listened to the surfers and brought J-Bay back to the World Tour?

It’s a perfect location: Friendly locals, cheap liquor and a delicious culinary game. The global economy means that foreign coins go 10 times further. Plus, all those young South African girls who’d be thrilled to meet pro surfers! (Again).

Wouldn’t it be excellent to have an old favourite back on the world tour? With events like Keramas still without the backing of major sponsors… we can dream.

Former event champ Taj Burrow is one surfer who’d like it back.
“I think J-Bay is one event that should be on the schedule forever. It’s the most enjoyable high performance right pointbreak that irons out all the bugs in your surfing. I absolutely love it and miss it.”

Taj hooks a sling, with precision. ASP/Kirstin

Julian Wilson agrees.
“I think there’s no doubt that the World Tour would benefit from an event back at J-Bay. A pointbreak is missing from the schedule, and for a spot that’s a favourite for so many guys to not be a stop on tour is a bit of a bummer. I love it there!”

When a World Tour event last inflated J-Bay, Jules was still under the swoosh banner. His hooks are unwavering, however. ASP/Kirstin

Kolohe Andino can’t wait to get back to J-Bay either.
“It’s one of the best waves in the world. Also, J-Bay is one of the few waves in the world where you can perform some of the biggest turns combined with long tube rides. South Africa as a whole is a good place to visit. Personally, I love cold weather, but I also love all the fun waves around the whole country. All these things combined makes for a fabulous place to travel.”

Then there’s two-time Billabong Pro winner, Mr Jordan Smith, who froths, to put it mildly, about a return to J-Bay.
“Supertubes at Jeffreys Bay is one of the best pointbreaks in the whole world. As a town it has everything to facilitate a World Tour event and it just seems crazy to not have an event there. Taking off on a six-foot, low tide drainer, right up at the top of the point, into a strong offshore, is a very good reason to have an event there.”

Jordy drops purse at the Prime in 2011, on the board he rode to victory in 2010. Photo: Ryan Miller

And how about The Nemesis, Sean Holmes, the most feared wildcard at Supertubes? Whether he’d get a wildcard if the event returned would rely on numerous factors, but he still has the skill and knowledge to trounce plenty of World Tour competitors. He’d so love the event to get another run.
“J-Bay carries heritage. It’s one of the waves that put South African surfing on the map. As South Africans, we have broken so many boundaries on the sporting front and it only seems fit to host an event on South African soil at one of the best pointbreaks on the planet. It’s our chance to shine on the international arena and showcase why our country is so special.”

Don’t trip, Holmes is a mean cat on his home turf. You want slap? He’ll deal em to anyone (metaphorically, of course). ASP/Cestari

Kelly Slater is another surfer who has a special relationship with J-Bay (though to be fair, he has a special relationship with everywhere, but y’know…). He’s won at J-Bay, and has also missed events for pumping surf elsewhere, but he loves the place as much as the next man.
“J-Bay displays the best of people’s surfing. And it shows where you need to work on the fundamentals. It’s simply a classic wave that allows for pure lines and linking of manoeuvres. If we get it back I just hope it isn’t small and onshore while Tavarua is massive and perfect (smiles)! I think we all miss going to J-Bay. It’s a staple of the tour that everyone simply loves going to.”

Oh, champ! We long for your duet with the bay! What a sweet song it is! ASP/Cestari

We’d love to have it back. We’d love to see a webcast featuring Supers at her best. We’d love to see those freezing mornings with dark clouds, screaming offshores, and outside sets looming beyond the Boneyards reef, getting ready to unload along the point. Best surfers, best waves.

What d’you think?