Red Bull No Contest Trips Over The Transkei, Sampling The Rainbow Nation’s Vast + Variegated Surf Culture  - Stab Mag

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Red Bull No Contest Trips Over The Transkei, Sampling The Rainbow Nation’s Vast + Variegated Surf Culture 

Eat the many fruits of Jordy Smith, Mikey February and ‘Surprise’ Maphumulo’s backyard!

travel // Dec 6, 2023
Words by Stab
Reading Time: 2 minutes

No Contest is back — Stab and Red Bull’s look into the food, culture and customs of surfing’s richest international surf communities…and some of the best waves on the planet.

In episode three, No Contest host Ashton Goggans is joined by Red Bull athlete and HSGP star Jordy Smith exploring the 984km stretch of coast between Durban and Jeffreys Bay.

Guided by a legendary team of South Africans including Mikey February, Shane Sykes, Sophie Bell, Alan Van Gysen, Luke Thompson and Ntozoko ‘Surprise’ Maphumulo, we’re deep diving into the region’s rich, wild and complex culture, cuisine and history. 

Starting in Durban, we’ll meet the Smiths, the Sykes and the Maphumulos talking surfboards, contests (dating back since the Gunston 500 in 1969) and how it catalyzed the current thriving industry hub based around Durban and Ballito. 

From there we’ll doing the 1000km drive south to Jbay, exploring the Transkei, the birthplace of Nelson Mandela, a wild coast still run by chiefs and kingdoms. 

We’ll put a bow in it all at JBay. One of, if not the best right hand point breaks in the world, speaking with Cheron Kraak – the ‘Queen’ of surfing in SA, an entrepreneur, hustler and the first person to bring the Billabong license to the Rainbow Nation.

There’s plenty of incredible surf action and food along the way. 

Watch Red Bull No Contest: San Francisco and Morocco here. Check out all episodes of No Contest here.

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