Mr Price Pro Ballito

This past week I got to work at the Mr Price Pro Ballito, an event I absolutely love as not only do I adore the sport of surfing, but the event takes place in my neck of the woods, practically in my back yard.
It was so divine to be a part of the event buzz and hear all the foreign accents meandering around the beaches and taking to the Ballito waves. Apart from the final day, the weather wasn't the greatest, but despite that, the crowds flocked to the beach to show their support. Good form Ballito, good form. 
The event was flippin' amazing, and I was so proud of our Saffa surfers Dylan Lightfoot, Beyrick de Vries and Jordy Smith for surfing outstandingly well. In the end, it was Jordy Smith (SA) and Julian Wilson (Aus) that went head-to-head in the final, and my God, I have never seen surfing like that in a final in my life. The hugest airs were being punted and landed, turns were being smashed and perfect 10 waves were being ridden. It was an edge-of-your-seat-bite-your-nails kind of 30 minutes as we supported our local man Jordy who ended up placing second to Julian Wilson who took out a well deserved win of the event. 
The prize-giving ceremony was loads of fun and I got to stand under some champagne showers as the boys celebrated their results. Such a beautiful day watching the world's best do their thing on Ballito waves. I already can't wait for next year! 

 (Yours truly in the green shorts on the far left)

Congrats to Jordy and Julian!

{All pictures from the Mr Price Pro website}

When all the Pro's came to town

The pro surf tour, formally known as the World Qualifying Series (WQS) came to town a few weeks ago, and after a year of being out-of-the-loop with all things surf related, I jumped back on the bandwagon and got involved in all the fun.
The Mr Price pro, a 6* Prime WQS event took place from July 2nd-8th, and with the event practically being in my back garden (I'm a local Ballito girl), I was able to get on staff for the event and help run the contest. I assumed the role of event assistant for the week and got involved with a little bit of this and a little bit of that. The event was such fun, and it's always my favorite time of year. I love it when different accents can be heard around the beach, and the world's best surfers get to show off on our waves. In the end, Glen Hall, an Irishman from Aus took the contest win on a sunny Ballito sunday, and that closed off an amazing week of surfing and pack-out beaches full of avid supporters.

Two days after the Mr Price Pro ended, the second leg of the South African WQS events began down at JBay. The Billabong Pro, also a 6* WQS event started on Tuesday July 10th, and I was lucky enough to travel down to the Eastern Cape and be a part of the action. When I was much younger, my dad used to work for ASP, so as a part of his job, he would go to the event every year and most years I would go with. The last time I was in JBay I was just a little girl, and so it was amazing to be back there  and watch the Pro for the first time in years. The waves over the contest period in Jeffrey's were absolutely phenomenal.  It was between 6-8ft most days, and the conditions were perfect. It's seldom that the planets align and such perfect waves are delivered for a contest, but the Billabong Pro was a definite exception. I spent most of the week watching the event from the top floor of an apartment building right on the point at Supertubes, and with a panoramic view like that, I definitely had the best seats in the house. Our South African surfers put on a really good show throughout the event, but unfortunately were unable to clench the win from Brazillian Adriano De Souza who ended up being crowded the 2012 champion.
I had such a stunning time in JBay, and despite the cold weather, and often gale force winds, we still managed to watch the surfing all day (with Vida Coffees in hand) and then burn holes on the dance floor at 'The Mexican' by night. I made some great friends, enjoyed relaxing and watching top class surfing, and remembering all the trips to Jeffrey's as a kid.

Night Market

There are many reasons why I love my home town, Ballito, and this is one of them:

This friday night there will be a night market/picnic under the stars at the Litchi Orchard in Salt Rock. My friends Chloe, Josh and Majozi will be entertaining us with their lovely voices and musical talents. 

Oh, and I'd better warn you that there are foods of the most decadent kind that lurk around this market, so come armed with an empty stomach and eat your fill!

Friday is going to be divine, I can't wait. 

For more info, visit the Litchi Orchard's website