Two men and a swamp donkey.
Africa’s a vast continent whose coastline is still, incredibly, relatively unknown and unexplored. Much of her West coast, for instance, is an inhospitable place: harsh coastal desert with huge sand dunes, enormous seal colonies, and abundant sea life, including massive sharks. There’s also mind-blowingly good surf, as anyone with a laptop and an internet connection now knows. Namibia’s Skeleton Bay popped up, apparently out of the blue, on Youtube and various surf media websites a few years ago. As an example of a sand-bottomed point break, it’s jaw-droppingly good: long, relentless, powerful, but it’s also a rigorous test of skill and commitment, both as a wave and as a travel destination. Thousands may drool over the online videos, but few will ever make the journey to experience the wave at first hand. South African Gigs Celliers is an exception. He was among the first crew to explore this Namib Desert gem’s potential. Marc Crawford recently convinced Gigs to take him along on a road trip to Skeleton Bay to catch a swell. On the long drive back home, Marc managed to extract an interview from the captive Gigs, but only on condition that Gigs was allowed to interview Marc afterward. The donkey? Well, read on.
Marc Crawford. How many trips have you made?
Gigs Celliers. I’ve done 8 or 9 trips there. The fact that it’s on the same continent as I live makes it a bit easier to respond to the right swells and launch a strike. It's a flight away, but a long drive. I've done both. The first trip I did was kinda a weird experience. A kid walked into my shop and mentioned Cory Lopez had just visited his area. What? Why would he be in an area with fairly good but pretty average surf … considering the cost, distance and cold water! I went into stealth mode and waited for the heaviest storm of the year. I flew in without a clue where the heck to go but somehow knew I was onto something. Turns out a hitch-hike into a local town and a beer at the pub with my board bag on the patio got a local bodyboarder chatting to me. Soon I was networked into a tight but amazingly friendly crew. Turns out they barely knew what was in their desert area but it had been spotted on Google Earth and ventured upon by Surfer mag in the USA.
Marc. Why do you keep going back to Namibia?
Gigs. I got a few waves first visit but knew I had to get it at potential. Turns out I arrive the next year with only Andy Irons, Corey Lopez, Twig Baker, Greg Long and Pete Mendia. Six of us in what I can only describe as a cartoon line-up that only Wilbur Kookmeyer and Captain Goodvibes got to experience. Linear hollow grinding perfection stretched out illogically for two kilometres. Not joking. The host family (Lombards) shuttled us in Landrovers until the sun went down. We were hi-fiving and Greg and Andy said they just counted me in a six foot, thirty second tube. I know it sounds like crap but I remember visiting zones mentally during that ride that nullified any previous tube experience. G-land – gone. Supersuck - gone. Desert Point Lombok - fading badly. Since that moment we were all hooked. We lied and denied any knowledge of its whereabouts but the media couldn't let go of it. And no one can blame ‘em.
Marc. Can you describe the uniqueness of the wave in relation to kneeboarding?
Gigs. When you unlock the right one it is hands down the best wave on Earth, if tubes count. No turns except an angled drive off the bottom. I've had waves so mesmerizingly metrically perfect reel for more than a km. Oh bullshit, I hear some of you call. OK, let’s get mathematical. Fifteen second plus period swell striking the sand at the right angle turns a Waimea shorebreak type effect into an angled peeler. Being a West coast wave, the swell seems to slam more as opposed to East coast points that wrap. I ain't no scientist, but the punch the wave packs is beyond terrifying. I have been more frightened of a six foot wave there than a thirty foot wave when I was doing all my tow surf adventures.
Marc. Talk us through the beating you got on the recent trip?
Gigs. Every trip guys get hurt. Two things happen. Firstly, when you wipe out you can't get away from your board. The wave tends to drive it back into you. The corkscrew flush in the barrel is so strong that boards and fins are a problem. Secondly, the wave may be breaking on sand but for impact think concrete. You can get hurt for sure. Every trip I have been beaten. This particular one recently split my board like cheese into three parts and removed fins and plugs. Thankfully it wasn’t against my body
Marc. What's the longest wave and barrel you’ve surfed while in the desert?
Gigs. I’ve been learning to concentrate on focusing and mentally not ejecting. Sounds weird but when you pass ten seconds of tube time you enter new mental zones. So to calibrate I try talking or counting - one crocodile, two crocodile, three crocodile kinda deal. I have counted to thirty nine before. I have seen guys sit in pits for close to a minute. When you arrive you will understand for yourself how hard it is to document.
Marc. What is your rating out of 100 for this phenomenon and why?
Gigs. To rate this phenomenon is easy. World’s best tube. It's my quote and every other top surfer that's ever been. Guys who frequently surf Tavarua and Indo are saying it’s a better barrel. I can agree but it ain't as welcoming or as easy. The desert is a harsh environment and a day out there will leave you worn and beaten like no other. It's like being on the moon. Being a desert, the current and winds seem to maintain and groom the line-up and keep scrubbing it: more swell more perfect – simple. It's Gods demonstration of how to create a peeling sand bottom barrel.
Marc. Rumour has it some of the farts on this trip were as long as the barrels. Please shed some air on the subject?
Gigs. Listen, I don't know how anyone can fart for over two minutes but hey, I've seen rides close to that.
Marc. Looking back at all the visits, can you sum everything up in a few words?
Gigs. Every visit is an experience and each swell is a learning process. I haven't learnt everything yet. I will be going back. I just need some time to process what just happened.
And then the tables turned …
Gigs. Hey MC, now that I managed to get ya up to Skeleton Bay, what can ya tell the kneelo world ?
Marc. There are very few words that can put it into perspective. Wow a wee a, OMG, unrealistic, RAW and blown away spring to mind, but those are just words and to put it simply you have to experience it. In terms of scale and context, it will blow your senses and logic away. I know it's been said plenty of times but the waves are kind of mechanical, perfect cylinders (if you’ve got the balls) that run for nearly 2km. Surely that can't be real ... well it is.
Gigs. Oh, and how do you compare the wave with other spots you have paddled?
Marc. There is no comparison; it's a totally unique wave, challenge and experience. If I had to try putting some sort of descriptive together, I would say all-time Mundaka, breaking like Wedge shorebreak, peeling yet growing for 2km in a desert with dead sea life around. Trippy!
Gigs. Would you go back?
Marc. Undoubtedly, already plotting plans ...
Gigs. Considering it’s a mission to get into the desert, what’s your take on the environment?
Marc. Unrelenting rawness, earthy Jupiter madness.
Gigs. I was crapping on that big day. How would you rate the wave on the heavy scale?
Marc. You were crapping! Imagine me, I was shitting bricks! And there was nowhere to clean my underwear and poop! If there was some sort of scale to measure it, I would say the scale was broken and got kicked by a giant swamp donkey!!
Gigs. What else can ya tell the kneelos ?
Marc. 1. Take spares as everything will be broken, if not stolen, and please don’t go right. We had enough hospital visits this trip! 2. Try the local beer 3. Take me with you! 4. Who is going to be the 3rd kneeboard surfer to surf there?
Images & Words Marc Crawford
Legless.tv African correspondents
