#1362. Surf's Up
Nestled in a corner of False Bay at the foot of the mountains lies the Surfing hub of Muizenburg. False Bay so named because mariners of old when rounding the southern tip of Africa often mistook it for Table Bay , Cape Town. Muizenburg is Dutch for 'mice mountain' though I can honestly say I have never seen any around. It was apparently named though after Wynand Willem Muijs who commanded a small outpost on the shore of Zandvlei in 1743.
Off in the distance in the bay is Seal Island , the buffet table of the great white shark. And if in doubt on the slopes of the mountain lies a shark spotters hut manned from sunrise to sunset , whose purpose is to radio down warnings to the beach life savers.
On any giving day of the year from before sunrise till after sunset hundreds of surfers may be spotted in the breaks.
Agatha Christie's first contact with water sports occurred in February 1922 when she and her first husband, Archibald Christie, "surf bathed with planks" for the first time in Muizenberg, South Africa.
The board used by the novelist at the now famous surf spot is somehow a crossover between a paipo and a water ski - thin, narrow, smooth, and featuring a rounded nose.
These boards had already been used in Muizenberg since 1904. They were around five feet long and 18 inches wide.
Today Muizenberg is home to the well known "Surfers Corner", where surf shops and surf schools are present in abundance.
Way out on the split ends of surfing's fringe, exists an anachronistic little wooden surfboard company called Wawa where quality, respect for the roots of surfing and a belief in the sanctity of nature are cornerstones of their business.
Here they build wooden surfboards that are inspired by the intuited hydronamic genius of the ancient Hawaiian board builders. Boards are built from woods such as Swamp Cypress, Pencil Cedar and Redwood. Selected for lightness and durability.
The iconic Gary's Surf School is the oldest surf school in Cape town and was established in 1989.
Any number of surfboards, sunglasses and wet suits in all shapes and sizes are available in the shops situated on beach road.
Today we Hang Ten in Surfer's Corner with a roll of E-Film Pastel Vibes loaded in camera, shooting 1 stop over exposed. Hopefully the results are not too crushed shadows and to our fearless leader's liking this time. ;)
P.S. shot in an afternoon with this blog in mind. I normally try very hard to limit the images to 10-15. In light of Pascals's recent post of magnificent brevity , apologies for the anhedonia dopamine rush. Lets hope they release a pill for that soon - operation warp speed con desperately needed.