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JEFFREYS BAY

Voted one of the five best surfing destinations

in the world, J-Bay has long been a regular spot

for the old ASP surf tour and the new World Surf

League. We take a look at some of the highs

and lows of this amazing break. By The Fenderbomb

J-Bay has long been known as one of the quality, in season. It has been divided We cannot talk about J-Bay without
best surf spots in the world and when up into several sections, including, from mentioning the 2015 incident with poor
you take a look back at some of the sports the top of the point, Kitchen Windows, Mike Fanning at the J-Bay open when an
legends who cut their teeth here, it’s not Magna tubes, Boneyards, Supertubes, inquisitive Great White Shark decided to
surprising why it has remained as one of Impossibles, Tubes, the Point, and take a look at Mike.
the high points of the professional surfing Albatross. “Supertubes”, which itself
calendar. breaks for about 300m or more, is The shark knocked Mike off his board
regarded as the best part of the wave. and left him helpless and at the mercy
*Jeffreys Bay is located in the Eastern On rare occasions (large wave sizes, of the killer. Mike used his board as
Cape province of South Africa. It is wide-breaking waves, and even swells), a blocker and lashed back with a few
named after the senior partner of the Boneyards can link up all the way to the punches. Thankfully, the Surf safety
firm Jeffrey & Glendinnings that opened Point for a ride over one kilometre long. team was very quick tocome to the aid
a store in 1849 on the location where the Optimal size is considered to be from and Mike was pulled to safety before any
town is today. Jeffrey is believed to be the about 4 to 10 feet (Hawaiian scale), or serious harm could be inflicted.
first person to have settled there. about 8 to 20 feet wave faces.
Once back to the safety of the shore, the
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, The initial discovery and promotion only damage was a broken leash where
Jeffreys Bay was known as a hippie of the wave is curious. Another nearby the shark had taken a little bite at the
hangout, where the now-burgeoning surf right hand point wave at St. Francis Bay board.
community originated. Jeffreys Bay has was first idolised and promoted in the
grown from a sleepy little fishing town surf movie The Endless Summer in the J-Bay will be hosting the Corona Open
over the past few years and is one of the 1960s (although both Jeffreys Bay and during the 2020 season, just one of many
fastest expanding urban areas in the St. Francis Bay were probably surfed new competitions being held in South
country. much earlier). Surfers who travelled to Africa this year but it will always remain
the area soon stumbled upon the nearby as the one to watch. We will be bringing
It has very long, fast, tubing right hand Jeffreys Bay surf break, which was found reports from the event plus the rest of
point break breaks along the west side of to be not only a faster, more powerful, the season. For South Africa, the action
the bay. The break is regarded as one of and hollower wave, but also much more starts in April at Port Elizabeth in the
the best right hand point breaks in the consistent.* Nelson Mandela Bay Surf Pro.
entire world, in both consistency and
* Exerpt from Wikapedia

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