Jordy Smith Takes Kindly To The Lowers Playground

Oh, dear beautiful, fluorescent, Southern California! Where the traffic’s gridlocked, the waves are pulp, the roads are Kardashian-manicured, and silicon doesn’t bounce as housewives carry their Pomeranians past Mr Smith’s relocated home. There’s a lot of good to South Orange County; you just got to look past the “Keeping Up” scene and ride down to the famed cobblestone point for some slalom surfing. 

Come Autumn, the waves shape up, and the WSL runs their contest at Lowers. But typically, it’s the land of the grovel. Hybrids and fishes are best suited for most breaks the majority of the year (a proposition which most ignore), and although it does get fun when your only viewing of California’s waves is in web clips, the perception exceeds the reality.  Compared to Mr Smith’s homeland of South Africa, surfing in the Golden State can be a shocker. 

We paid Jordy a visit to his newly remodeled San Clemente home and discussed relocation, adjustment and what boards work best from Salt Creek to Lowers. The verdict: the waves and traffic can be brutal but compared to South Africa there’s order in areas that are predominantly affluent – like South Orange County.