Sometimes things just fall into place. A kind of magical moment in time.
In this case it was the swell and the wind.

Cape Town got hit by some big swells and I just happened to be doing a photo shoot in Derdestein at mid day with Simone Vellekoop.
The magical thing about this session was not only the large waves which were getting bigger all the time, but also the fact that I was out mostly on my own. With winds of around 18 to 20 knots with some lulls, I had to play it safe on the 9m fury as  being underpowered in those conditions could have been disastrous.

I was mostly riding backhand as at my home spot in cannon Rocks I have the luxury of riding waves on my strong forehand with wind from the right as we have both directions. But in Cape Town it’s mostly from the left. So my switch riding isn’t as strong as I would like it. Something I am planning to rectify.

And of course being in those types of conditions I was sticking to what I felt most comfortable.

I tried to hit a few lips, but it was really powerful stuff, maybe on my forehand I would have been able to handle it? Got destroyed a few times, then started looking for the cover up.

The Fury handled beautifully in those conditions, I do normally preffer a 7m LEI size or smaller in waves, but because of the size of the waves, There was no need to change direction that quickly. Often i would just float the kite and ride.

It is a privilege to be able to out be in those conditions, to have that feeling of freedom and to have that spiritual communion with the elements. Even though I have been kite boarding for over a decade now, I still get flashes of the absolute amazing experience that it all is to be out there.

Cape Town has produced some great sessions this season, but this one will linger on in my mind. To see those mountains of water making their way from the horizon with Robben Island in view, Table mountain to the side is a difficult sight to beat.

There will always be something about riding big waves… Maybe it’s the surfer’s soul, maybe it’s more than that. Whatever it is, it’s magical