In June, Durban will return to its surf city roots –remember the care free days of the sixties and seventies along the Golden Mile, bronzed bodies and coconut suntan lotion, the Bay of Plenty and the iconic Gunston 500.
The Durban Surf Carnival presented by Jeep Apparel, which will take place at the New Pier on Durban’s Golden Mile from the 7th to 9th June, is embracing the worldwide retro surf wave which is seeing all things old becoming new in surf cities across the world.
“Durban has the richest surf history in Africa and one of the most colourful surf heritages in the world. Over the past couple of years, the release of surfing movies that have documented the rise of the surf culture have seen surfers of both the past and the present going back to the romance and vibe of the early days of surfing. For this year’s event, we promise to add even more spice. We are confident that by combining retro and traditional disciplines, we can present something unforgettable for everyone,” says Paul Godwin from Nerve Events.
Over three days, the public and surfing community will be treated to world class wave riding in the Longboarding, Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) and Retro Surfing divisions. The event will also host a Traditional Longboard Expression Session that will showcase the golden days of surfing. This will showcase the days when single fins and twinnies ruled the waves and show how surfing has evolved over the decades.
The Traditional Longboard Expression Session will only be open to surfers who are part of the main event and have the necessary skill and showmanship to maneuver these boards and produce what can only be described as classic surfing.
Godwin, who is looking forward to seeing both old and new surfboards littering the beachfront, says the Durban Surf Carnival presented by Jeep Apparel will include the KZN Longboard Open Championships. Contestants who are not representatives /members of respective provinces in the country will be allowed to surf in this KwaZulu-Natal Longboard Surfing Association sanctioned event.
This year, there’s also the Forgotten Soul Retro Surfing Division. Here, surfers must ride single-fin surfboards which generally fall into the 7’0” category. “This event is sure to bring a lot of interest to the carnival with many surfers from the 80’s still using this type of board today and others having grown up surfing the single-fin. I am sure this division will be hotly contested, as the winner is in line for a new Forgotten Soul retro surfboard courtesy of Natural Curve surfboards,” says Hugh Thompson the owner/shaper of Natural Curve Surfboards
For more information or if you wish to enter contact Nerve Events on 031-2012169 or go to durbansurfcarnival.blogspot.com
Main Sponsors of the event are the City of Durban - Durban “the warmest place to be, Jeep Apparel, The Independent on Saturday.
Support sponsors are: Bokomo; Naish SUP, Natural Curve Surfboards, Coreban SUP, Thule, Nestle Pure Life Water, Container Conversions, Gunslinger Skateboards, Mad Dog Surf School, Maisch Fins, Nescafe, Thermo Plastic Concepts & Equipment (TCE), Pro Class/Lamont Surf Shop, Club Zero Fitness, Carling Black Label, Kahuna Creations. Lock Rack
The Event is created and produced by Nerve Events
The Event will comprise
- South African SUP Surfing Championships
- KZN Longboard Open Championships
- Retro Surfing Contest
- Traditional Longboard Expression Session
- SNAP Photographic Competition
- Free Surfing Clinic
- Club Zero Fitness Weekend
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