Flash flood warning for Eastern Cape

February 3, 2012

The Weather Office has issued a warning that heavy rainfall is expected in places the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro and surrounds for the rest of today spilling into tomorrow.

Roads in Aston Bay were badly damaged in the floods during 2011.

Localized flash flooding is expected in the area between tonight and tomorrow midday.

The rain over the area will gradually start clearing from the west towards Saturday evening.

The rain has been caused by a steep upper air trough/cut off low accompanied by a deep layer of tropical moisture, that started on Thursday and will be moving out to sea on Saturday.

A banana shaped high pressure system has been feeding low level moisture into the system. Hence the presence of low cloud which has caused disruptions to aviation.

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Supertubes ranked 2nd best wave in the world

February 3, 2012

Long regarded by surfers as one of the best waves in the world, it comes as no surprise to the Jeffreys Bay surf community that Supertubes has once again been rated as the second best wave in the world.

Subertubes delivers the goods. Photo: Paul Van Jaarsveld

CNN’s article World's 50 best surf spots ranks only Pipeline, Hawaii above the legendary Jeffreys Bay surf break.

Does that leave Supertubes as the finest right hander in the world?

For decades many surfers believed that Supers was the finest right hand point break in the world and wave riders from all over the planet have made the pilgrimage to come and sample the freight train waves that stack up and rifle down the reef.

Supertubes is one of the best waves in the world

According to CNN, nothing much has changed since the 1960′s when the Point was discovered and the influx of surfers from all over the world began.

Sadly the town itself did not look after the world renowned asset in its back garden and eventually the local surf community banded together in 1999 and formed the Supertubes Surfing Foundation to start taking care of the beaches and protecting the last remaining sand dunes along the beachfront.

Yet the waves still break, year after year. Many surfers rate 2011 as one of the finest in history as perfect wave after wave thundered down the point, ensuring that Supertubes lives up to the reputation it has had for nearly 50 years as one of the best waves in the world.

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John John Florence wins Volcom Pro at epic Pipeline

February 2, 2012

Hawaii’s John John Florence created one of professional surfing’s most dramatic moments today to claim his second consecutive Volcom Pipe Pro title, completely flipping the table on former Pipe Pro champion Jamie O’Brien (Hawaii) in the final seconds.

John John Florence won the Volcom @ Pipe

O’Brien had held the lead for 34 minutes and 45 seconds of the 35-minute final… and then it evaporated before his eyes. O’Brien had bolted away at the start of the heat with an apparently insurmountable lead and Florence wasn’t even in the picture. O’Brien’s top two scoring waves were near-perfect: 9.0 and 9.43 with all three of his challengers requiring a combination of high scores to beat him.

Then at the five minute mark, two waves in the 8-10 foot range pushed through. Florence got the first: an unbelievable backside tube at Pipe that was deep, critical, and near-impossible. He blasted out with the spray and scored a perfect 10.

Right behind him, O’Brien swung, pulled in deep and blew out in front of Florence’s face for a 9.93 – further extending his lead. One minute to go… Florence paddled over and congratulated O’Brien. Then a dark line on the horizon caught his eye. One last wave stacked up on the Pipeline reef.

Fifteen seconds to go… Florence clawed his way past a frantic O’Brien who could see the writing on the wall of the wave. Florence clawed his way past Jamie, over the ledge, under the lip and into the heat-winning tube ride – a 9.93 – to claim the $20,000 first prize.

“I wrote myself off half way through,” said Florence. “Kai and Jamie both had nines. I can’t believe it. Here at Pipe anything can happen. “With 40 seconds to go I wasn’t even thinking about it. I was like, yeah Jamie, congratulations, I won last year and I’m stoked for you. Then I turned around and there’s a peak. I didn’t even know if he was going. I was going to go left and backdoor the peak, then I ended up having to fade, go right, and barely got under it. It was a wild ride. “


 

RESULTS: FINAL 1st – John John Florence (HAW) 19.93pts, $20,000 2nd – Jamie O’Brien (HAW) 19.40pts, $10,000 3rd – Kai Barger (HAW) 18.20pts, $6,500 4th – Nathan Yeomans (CA, USA) 7.57pts, $5,500

SEMI FINALS H1: Jamie O’Brien (HAW) 17.77pts ; Kai Barger (HAW) 17.10pts ; Billy Kemper (HAW) 7.90pts ; Tanner Hendrickson (HAW) 5.10pts

H2: John John Florence (HAW) 13.56pts ; Nathan Yeomans (USA) 12.83pts ; Bruce Irons (HAW) 12.40pts ; Jonathan Gonzalez (CNY) 7.44pts

QUARTERS H1: Billy Kemper (HAW) 12.00pts ; Jamie O’Brien (HAW) 11.87pts ; Tim Reyes (USA) 9.10pts ; Gabe Kling (USA) 6.63pts

H2 : Kai Barger (HAW) 14.66pts ; Tanner Hendrickson (HAW) 14.50pts ; Flynn Novak (HAW) 10.83pts ; Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 3.63

H3 : Nathan Yeomans (USA) 13.27pts ; Jonathan Gonzalez (CNY) 12.50pts ; Carlos Munoz (CRI) 11.50pts ; Kalani Chapman (HAW) 4.77pts

H4: John John Florence (HAW) 16.34pts ; Bruce Irons (HAW) 13.00pts ; Alexander Grey (USA) 8.40pts ; Mitchel Coleborn (AUS) 4.84pts

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Lightfoot to surf in Australian Open

February 1, 2012

Dylan Lightfoot, who grew up surfing the waves of Jeffreys Bay has cracked the nod and been invited to surf in the Australia Open of Surfing Pro Junior. The event will take place at Manley Beach from 11 – 18 February.

Dylan Lightfoo drives sets up the lip with a hard drive off the bottom.

The only other two South Africans who have been invited to the event are Beyrick De Vries and Sarah Baum.

Lightfoot started his surfing career at the Main Beach in Jeffreys Bay and has worked his way up through the ranks to become one of the top junior surfers in the world.

(Where it all began: Main Beach and Dylan going right on a ”smoker”) 

A regular invite to the Xcel Showdown @ Supers, Dylan has impressed with his stylish surfing on the bigger days, as well as his “slash and burn” approach in small waves.

“My surfing is feeling really good right now and I am hoping for a great year in 2012″, said Lightfoot, whose ultimate goal is to qualify for the WCT and surf the tour around the world.

Possibly J’Bay will have a home town victory in the Billabong Pro one day. Keep it up Dyl, the town is proud of you!

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NASA Finds 2011 Ninth Warmest Year on Record

January 31, 2012

The global average surface temperature in 2011 was the ninth warmest since 1880, according to NASA scientists. The finding continues a trend in which nine of the 10 warmest years in the modern meteorological record have occurred since the year 2000.

NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York, which monitors global surface temperatures on an ongoing basis, released an updated analysis that shows temperatures around the globe in 2011 compared to the average global temperature from the mid-20th century.

The comparison shows how Earth continues to experience warmer temperatures than several decades ago. The average temperature around the globe in 2011 was 0.92 degrees F (0.51 C) warmer than the mid-20th century baseline.

“We know the planet is absorbing more energy than it is emitting,” said GISS director James E. Hansen. “So we are continuing to see a trend toward higher temperatures. Even with the cooling effects of a strong La Nina influence and low solar activity for the past several years, 2011 was one of the 10 warmest years on record.”

The difference between 2011 and the warmest year in the GISS record (2010) is 0.22 degrees F (0.12 C). This underscores the emphasis scientists put on the long-term trend of global temperature rise. Because of the large natural variability of climate, scientists do not expect temperatures to rise consistently year after year. However, they do expect a continuing temperature rise over decades.

The first 11 years of the 21st century experienced notably higher temperatures compared to the middle and late 20th century, Hansen said. The only year from the 20th century in the top 10 warmest years on record is 1998.

Higher temperatures today are largely sustained by increased atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide. These gases absorb infrared radiation emitted by Earth and release that energy into the atmosphere rather than allowing it to escape to space. As their atmospheric concentration has increased, the amount of energy “trapped” by these gases has led to higher temperatures.

The warmest years on record were 2005 and 2010.

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Junior off road Champs in Kouga

January 30, 2012

This coming weekend sees the top Junior Off road riders in South Africa descending on the Kouga area as the 2012 Junior National racing season gets under way.

Entries in both the motorbike and quad sections are expected to reach  around 100 competitors with riders varying between 8 and 17 years old.

Former South African Off road Champion and Race Director Stephen Stofberg in action on his KTM 200

Organised and hosted by H-TEC (Humansdorp Trail and Enduro Club) this event forms part of series that the Club has been awarded the right to host by MSA (MotorSport South Africa) for 2012. The second event taking place in the Humansdorp area will be the National Enduro on 14 April.

The Junior Nationals will be taking place at Spitzbak Farm which is located on the R330 between Hankey and Humansdorp and will be open to the public. Time trials take place on Friday 03 February to determine racing positions with racing starting at 08h00 on Saturday morning and expected to finish around 17h00.

According to Stephen Stofberg, former South African Off road Champion and Vice-Chair of H-TEC this track will favour riders who have high levels of concentration and are able to navigate successfully over varied terrain. Stephen and fellow H-TEC members have been busy laying the track for over 10 days to ensure a highly memorable and challenging competition for all the participants.

Overseen and monitored by MSA (MotorSport South Africa) strict regulations are in place to ensure  safety is not compromised in any way and along with the Race Director, Clerk of the Course, course marshals, standby ambulances and paramedics , maximum precautions are adhered to so that the  riders’ safety remains top priority.

With iconic brand VonZipper co-sponsoring the event and donating goody bags for all entrants and product hampers  for 1st place in all categories, Red Bull providing much needed energy and Just Water providing constant hydration in the expected hot conditions, SA’s top Juniors are expected to have an unforgettable  experience at the 2012 H-TEC National off road champs.

Views of the track at Spitzbak Farm, R330 location for the upcoming H-TEC Junior National Off road Champs

Legendary  South African off road rider Alfie Cox will be attending to support his son who is racing and with M-NET Super Sport filming the event, the H-TEC Junior National Off road Champs will be the place to be this Saturday 04 February! Entry is free to the public and directional road markers will be clearly visible from the R330 to Spitzbak, located only 9kms from Hankey and 15kms from the N2 Humansdorp turnoff. For more information please visit www.h-tec.co.za . Alternatively contact Cheryl Gibson-Dicks on 071 686 3440 or email cherylgd@telkomsa.net

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EP Open Water Swim Champs this weekend

January 27, 2012

Jeffreys Bay will host the prestigious Eastern Province Open Water Swim Champs this weekend at Marina Martinique.

The event is the last opportunity for swimmers to qualify for the South African Open Water Swim Champs to be held in April at a venue still to be confirmed.

Local swimmers Caro de Jager, Seth de Swart, JC Van Wyk and Brenton Williams have all been selected in the provisional EP team for the national championships.

The format of the EP Champs will follow international standards with the 10 K marathon swim and the 3 K swim taking place on Saturday afternoon.

Marina Martinique is regarded as the best open water swim venue in the Eastern Cape and swimmers from all over South Africa are expected to attend the event.

Online entries can be made at www.ecswim.co.za

The full programme is:

Saturday 28th January 2012

Event 1 – 13h00 : 10km Mixed Swim
Event 2 – 15h00 : 3km Mixed Swim

Sunday 29th January 2012

Event 3 – 09h00 : 5km Mixed Swim
Event 4 – 10h30 : Kids 14u 500m swim
Event 5 – 10h50 : Kids 10u Bank to Bank
Event 6 – 11h00 : 1km Mixed Swim

Entry Fees

10km: R 100
5km, 3km, 1km Swims : R60.00

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Beyrick de Vries moves into last 16 at Billabong World Junior Surfing Championships

January 26, 2012

Beyrick de Vries kept the South African flag flying at the Billabong World Surfing Championships in Australia today with a hard fought Round 3 victory over sixth ranked Andrew Doheny (USA) to move into the last 16 in the third and final event on the ASP World Junior Tour.

Beyrick de Vries is the only SA male surfer in the World Junior surf champs. Photo: ASP

After yesterday’s lay day due to the windy and rainy conditions, the remaining 32 competitors in the men’s event were sent out in messy one to 1.5 metre waves and chocolate brown water at Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast this morning and given jetski assistance to ferry them back out to the line-up after each ride.

De Vries chose to sit on the outside bank at the break and was rewarded early on in the heat when he earned a score of 7.33 out of a possible 10 for a ride that consisted of just two manoeuvres, albeit on a larger wave.

The 19 year-old from Umhlanga is the only member of the South African team still in contention after compatriots David van Zyl and J’Bay local Dylan Lightfoot were eliminated in their respective Round 3 match-ups. Van Zyl was ousted by Kaito Ohashi (JAP) in a low-scoring encounter while Lightfoot could not match the aerial ability of Felipe Toledo (BRA), who will de Vries’ opponent in Round 4.

Dale Staples (St Francis Bay) and Michael February (Kommetjie), the other two South Africans in the men’s event, were eliminated in Round 2 earlier this week. Sarah Baum (Athlone Park, Durban), who posted the highest heat total of the entire event to date in Round 1 of the women’s event on Sunday, and Bianca Buitendag (George), winner of last year’s Billabong Women’s World Championships, will resume their challenge for the title when the women’s Round 3 takes to the water.

The Billabong World Junior Championships Gold Coast runs until 29 January and all the action will be webcast live via www.billabongpro.com

BILLABONG WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS GOLD COAST ROUND 3 RESULTS:

HEAT 1: Mateia Hiquily (PYF) 9.67 def. Peterson Crisanto (BRA) 8.63

HEAT 2: Medi Veminardi (REU) 10.34 def. Chase Wilson (USA) 6.20

HEAT 3: Arashi Kato (JPN) 13.43 def. Thomas Woods (AUS) 9.30

HEAT 4: Jack Freestone (AUS) 18.00 def. Jack Robinson (AUS) 7.10

HEAT 5: Conner Coffin (USA) 14.70 def. Jake Halstead (USA) 12.44

HEAT 6: Ian Gouveia (BRA) 12.83 def. Matt Banting (AUS) 12.27

HEAT 7: Vasco Riberio (PRT) 10.70 def. Caue Wood (BRA) 7.90

HEAT 8: Wade Carmichael (AUS) 13.33 def. Caio Ibelli (BRA) 12.83

HEAT 9: Garrett Parkes (AUS) 13.60 def Tim Macdonald (AUS) 12.07

HEAT 10: Kaito Ohashi (JPN) 8.77 def. David Van Zyl (ZAF) 6.00

HEAT 11: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 17.20 def. Dylan Lightfoot (ZAF) 8.67

HEAT 12: Beyrick De Vries (ZAF) 14.00 def. Andrew Doheny (USA) 12.10

HEAT 13: Nathan Carvalho (HAW) 12.17 def. Marco Fernandez (BRA) 8.70

HEAT 14: Evan Thompson (USA) 10.43 def. Matt-Lewis Hewitt (NZL) 8.50

HEAT 15: Soli Bailey (AUS) 13.66 def. Keanu Asing (HAW) 12.57

HEAT 16: Dean Bowen (AUS) 17.43 def. Hiroto Arai (JPN) 7.36

UPCOMING BILLABONG WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS GOLD COAST ROUND 4 MATCH-UPS:

HEAT 1: Mateia Hiquily (PYF) vs. Medi Veminardi (REU)

HEAT 2: Arashi Kato (JPN) vs. Jack Freestone (AUS)

HEAT 3: Conner Coffin (USA) vs. Ian Gouveia (BRA)

HEAT 4: Vasco Riberio (PRT) vs. Wade Carmichael (AUS)

HEAT 5: Garrett Parkes (AUS) vs. Kaito Ohashi (JPN)

HEAT 6: Filipe Toledo (BRA) vs. Beyrick De Vries (ZAF)

HEAT 7: Nathan Carvalho (HAW) vs. Evan Thompson (USA)

HEAT 8: Soli Bailey (AUS) vs. Dean Bowen (AUS)

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No danger from solar flare

January 25, 2012

Social media sites were abuzz yesterday with warnings about the danger humans were facing from a solar flare. However, the earth’s magnetic field protected us but did not prevent NASA from getting some awesome pictures of the event.

A solar flare is an intense burst of radiation coming from the release of magnetic energy associated with sunspots. Flares are our solar system’s largest explosive events. They are seen as bright areas on the sun and they can last from minutes to hours. We typically see a solar flare by the photons (or light) it releases, at most every wavelength of the spectrum.

The primary ways NASA monitors flares are in x-rays and optical light. Flares are also sites where particles (electrons, protons, and heavier particles) are accelerated.

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Chumming for sharks in Jeffreys Bay

January 24, 2012

The Kouga Municipality has been investigating reasons why there has been a marked increase in shark activity in our waters over the past couple of months.

There has been an increase of shark sightings in Jeffreys Bay

Sightings of great white sharks have resulted in beaches in Jeffreys Bay and St Francis Bay being closed with swimmers being evacuated from the water at Main Beach for 4 days in a row during the peak holiday season in December.

Fishermen have been reporting an unusual number of juvenile great whites taking bait off Kabeljous Beach, an occurance that is not seen every day in the bay.

The shocking discovery of long line shark fishing apparatus off the coast between Paradise Beach and St Francis Bay has shocked the local community and even more so because the operater is apparantly laying the bait legally.

The Weekend Post reported that Marius Van Heerden from Port Elizabeth has the only permit for long line shark fishing in the Eastern Cape and that he is allowed to fish for sharks anywhere.

The shark meat is is then exported to countries like Australia and France or their cartilage is used in medicine according to Van Heerden’s lawyer Ryno Scholtz.

The Original Jeffreys Bay Ugg Boot - by Instep Leather

Chumming for sharks must not be tolerated in our waters, permits or no permits. One wonders if any public participation process took place before a permit was issued allowing an individual the right to lay baited hooks just 300 m off our shores.

The usual argument will probably be presented that chumming does not affect the behaviuor of sharks as they are already here but why is this argument not also presented in our game parks. Why are buck not attached behind cars to attract lions when people go game viewing?

Tourism is the lifeblood of the coastal towns like Jeffreys Bay and St Francis Bay. We cannot afford to have baited hooks off our beaches that will attract predators closer to the shore. As a commumity we have to be pro-active and ensure this activity is banned before an accident happens.

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