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 In 2005 I paddled the Scottburgh to Brighton for the first time. It was my first experience too of the Durban surf. (Click here for the story.)
The day before the race we went to Scottburgh to have some fun in the waves. It took me a whole hour just to get out through the surf, and among other delightful memories I have a crystal clear picture of me exiting my ski over the stern, hands over my head in an attitude of surrender.
It's a great race though (really) but I thought I'd write up some of the lessons that I learned - for those others attempting the race for the first time this year on 8th July...
Scottburgh to Brighton 2005
On race day 2005, the exit at Scottburgh was easy - the surf was small and no-one struggled going out. However the tide was going out and by the time we got to ‘Toti, the surf was about 6ft and quite a number of skis were trashed.
 Early morning start, Scottburgh 2005. Photo: Craig Dutton
At Brighton, at the finish, the surf was about 8ft breaking onto a 2ft sandbank. You could see the sand being sucked up the face of the waves... it was awesome and many skis were smashed on the way in. I saw a small child (as 3 years old) walking up the beach holding a piece of his daddy's ski in his hand...!
 Something nasty behind you... Photo: Craig Dutton
How did I avoid my ski being trashed?
Partly luck, I guess, and partly the excellent training that I had from my coach Dawid Mocke (who won the race).
This article contains suggestions on how to negotiate the surf at Scottburgh, Amanzimtoti and Brighton... It's written purely from my perspective and any corrections/comments/suggestions from Durban paddlers will be gratefully received and corrections may be made.
Who is this for?
Not the guys at the front of the race - they've done it all before. It's really aimed at visitors to Durban who haven't had to negotiate big waves before.
How to get out through the surf
Rule #1: Unless you're a serious contender, don't rush the surf. Take your time, choose your moment. What happened last year at Scottburgh and ‘Toti was that there was a single line of surf to cross. The break zone was only about 40m wide.
The basic method is: launch, approach the break, be ready to cross a series of foamies, and wait. Eventually there will be a gap in the sets, and you then sprint as hard and fast as possible through the break zone. If a wave should take you by surprise, look for a shoulder. If there's a shoulder, head towards it; if there's not, paddle as hard and fast as you can straight at the wave and try to burst through the crest. Do NOT hold your paddle in front of your face - you will lose teeth. Do NOT hold your paddle above your head - you will injure your shoulder(s) (personal experience). Hold the paddle on the deck just as you hit the wave and duck forward.
If you fall off, get back on as quickly as you can and get out of the break zone.
Be patient, there WILL be a gap.
Look around you - there are people more experienced than you and I found it a great help to watch what the other guys were doing and to sprint when they did and wait when they did.
How to get in through the surf
Rule #1: Unless you're a serious contender, don't rush the surf. Take your time, choose your moment.
Rule #2: These are not waves that you catch into the beach. They are dumpers and they eat people who try to surf them on skis (and they eat the skis too).
The basic method is: If there's a big set coming in, let them go and wait. When there's a gap in the sets, choose a smallish wave, paddle in with it, and then let it go underneath you. One way of stopping the ski is to stick your legs over the side temporarily. Don't catch the wave!
As soon as it has passed under you, chase it - and sprint as though something nasty is coming after you. It is. That hissing sound coming from behind is the sound of the next wave and it wants to eat your ski and spit out the bits.
Scottburgh
 Scottburgh. Stick close to the rocks on the way out...
The image shows my track last year from my GPS. You can see where I came off even in the small surf... (For those who have Google Earth installed, you can download the kmz file here to see my GPS track.)
How to get out at Scottburgh? Talk to the locals. I was told that there are two ways to get out:
- Head out close to the rocks to the right of the beach. In the photo you can see my track at the start of last year's race. The break is smaller, closer to the rocks.
- If there are multiple breaks, you can head north up the coast, popping over the breaks, and heading north between the breaks. Eventually you'll get out behind the surf. This is not how it worked last year.
Amanzimtoti
 Toti: Don't cut the corner, look for the gap
You can see clearly where I came off the first time, waited for the next set, came off again and then got out...
Things to watch out for:
- Don't cut the corner when you come into the beach. You need to keep going until you're at a ninety degree angle to the beach opposite the flags. Then come in. Unless you do this, you're liable to be surprised and to end up on the rocks before the beach.
- There's a gap in the breaks slightly north of the beach. It's clearly visible if you take your time to look from the beach. Last year our second was an experienced paddler who pointed out where the break was smallest and we didn't have too much trouble getting out.
Brighton
 Brighton: choose your wave and go like hell
The best thing about Brighton last year was that they had a life saver on a paddle ski marking the best spot to turn in...
The waves were massive and many skis were broken.
Take your time, don't hurry, wait for a small set and chase a wave in.
Landmarks
The guide on www.surfski.co.za mentions several landmarks. Here are some images taken from Google Earth that show them.
Section 1 - Scottburgh to Amanzimtoti
 ection 1: Scotburgh to Amanzimtoti (29km)
Click here to see a larger, clearer image.
Section 2 - Amanzimtoti to Brighton
 Section 2: Amanzimtoti to Brighton (17km)
Click here to see a larger, clearer image.
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