Father and Son

HI DAD! Matt Bromley's dad John, foreground, watches his son surf Dungeons. Photo Scholtz

The 20 second west swell that bore down on the Western Cape on the weekend arrived overnight on Saturday. Deep blue lines stretched to the horizon. It was sublime. This swell was formed by a perfect storm: just far enough away, but close enough. Superlatives will struggle to describe how good it was in the brisk clean NE berg winds that blew.

John Bromley couldn’t get a spot on any of the boats to watch the crew charge Dungeons, so he arranged to go out with his son Matt, 27, and Ant Fox on the jetski. The aim was to sit on his board and watch from the channel. Like many Kom locals, John is a regular charger who is not adverse to moderately solid surf. But he had never surfed Dungeons.

"Matt said maybe I would be able to get a wave, but he has a higher estimation of my ability than I have! I have never tried to paddle it before, although I did have a nice drop at Sunset last week".

BOOM! Matt scores a smoker on what people are saying was the best day ever. Photo Scholtz

Eventually photographter Grant Scholtz took pity on John and offered to let him watch the surfing from his boat.

"The waves were beyond epic and terrifying, many bordering on unrideable. Guys were going down heavily and making some EPIC ones. Jason Hayes sat wide and hooked a few nice ones," John said.

After a few hours John started to think that perhaps he should give it a go, perhaps by sitting with Jason. "Grant and Matt urged me to try. I paddled out and the current was taking me into the break and it was scary. Jason reassured me that he had sat next to the boil all the time and not been caught inside. Next thing I was streaking for the horizon and he got caught on his safe spot."

"I was a bit rattled."

NEVER TOO OLD: John Bromley rides Dungeons. Not bad for a ballie of 64. Photo Scholtz

"Set after set poured through wide and the power was terrifying. So I was making my way to the shoulder and I heard a shout “go for it John”. I think it was from Grant on his boat and I put my head down and went."

"It was nice to catch a (small) wave and just be able to say I caught one. I went back out but I didn’t get anything more. It was a truly awe–inspiring spectacle of beautiful, raw power.

"The consensus was the best day ever at Dungeons. Superlatives do not do it justice. I felt privileged to be a part of it (albeit peripheral), and to share with Matt his amazing day in big, perfect surf and experience the fellowship, courage and skill of the big wave surfers."

BOOM 2: Matt scored some of the best waves of the day in sublime conditons. Photo Scholtz

STOKED: Matt congratulates his dad after he surfed his first wave at Dungeons. Photo Scholtz

HANGING OUT: Pretty chilled spot to hang out and have a chat some way away. Photo Scholtz