SUPer day and Hookipa heaven

Woke up early today to do a Stand up session with Hizkia before work.

We checked out Kuau and Kanaha Kai and decided that Kanaha Kai looked to small and windy and Kuau kind a big so I decided for Kuau where only a few tow-ins where playing. Hiz took some shots.

Getting out was hard work

But once on the wave very rewarding.

And then here are some shots Hizkia took of Hookipa yesterday. There was definetly some size to it and good action too.

Levi still the king of Hookipa

Keith also a contender of the crown.

Nice aerial off the lip from Hot Sails rider, Andres

Aloha

Time to play

It's good to be back in Maui. Today we had a classic day in Kuau, if you don't know Kuau, it's just a little down wind from Hookipa. What a day. Good size waves and just enough wind to be out on a 5.0 or 5.3. The waves picked up during the day from logo high to more than mast high. The whole week looks pretty good, so more Stand up and windsurfing action to come.
Yesterday I had a downwind with my good friend Hizkia from Holland. Today I went out with another good friend Gerardo who did amazingly well in the huge waves. Here is a little clip of today.

Look here what is coming this week. Two more big swell on the horizon. Huuaaa!

Aloha

South Africa SURF test (40 boards, 40 sails)

I know it was very quiet on the blog for the last few weeks.

I was busy testing boards and sails in South Africa for SURF magazine. This 5 week test is the most comprehensive test done in windsurfing. This is already my 15th year as a tester. Time is flying by.

Rigging in Platboom, Cape of good hope

We have been coming here in South Africa for the last 12 years already. Our base is Langebaan where we do all the flat water testing. For waves we have 3 options; Swartriet, 30km from here , Cape point, 200 km from here and Elands bay, 100km from here and famous from the Endless summer movie. If you are prepared to drive you can windsurf a lot but in the last 3 weeks we have already driven 2800 km to find the waves and the wind.

Baboons at the Cape of Good Hope

However we were successful because we had 16 days out of 20 of water time. If we would have stayed in one place you would have 5 days max. This year South Africa is up side down. Most of the time we have had wind from the right and cold and rainy conditions which almost never happens and if only for a day.

Rainy and muddy conditions

For me wind from the right is actually better since I am used to that from Maui, for most of the other testers it was a little adjusting.

This year we test 75 liter wave boards, 85 liter free-wave boards 110 liter slalom boards, 4.7 wave sails, 5.3 power wave sails, 6.0 free move sails, and 8.0 slalom sails.

Only in wave boards we have 18 boards, single fin, twin, triple and quads.

Platboom, always amazingly good

Witsands, this year mostly wind from the right. At our last sessions, I saw a big shark there.

Stephan, test leader and Photographer

Next time I hope to have some action photos. Today we leave for Elands Bay.

Aloha from South Africa