Freedom Fun

The festival saw teams from Waves for Change Monwabisi (Khayelitsha) and Masiphumelele (South Peninsula) programmes compete in a tag team format in the False Bay waves. There were nearly 100 surfers in all who took to the waves. Six teams of U11’s were in the water in the morning on the lower tide which provided small, fun shore-break waves for the surfers. The top three teams from the first heat surfed a finals heat. Local knowledge of Monwabisi waves gave the Khayelitsha surfers the edge, with the top three teams all Monwabisi riders. As the tide came in towards lunchtime, and the 2-3 foot left-hand in the middle of beach began firing, it was the turn the U15s tag teams. The nine team surfed off in two heats, with four teams going through to the finals. In this age division, the Masiphumelele surfers were not letting the local crew get it all their own way, but in the end the Masi team came in second to the Monwa team, with the Monwabisi teams also taking third and fourth.

A guest appearance by Cape Town surf star Mike February in the waves wowed the surfers and onlookers on the beach. February’s aerial antics may have been the first ever at Monwabisi Beach, getting loud hoots and applause from all.

This was the second Waves for Change surf event to be held at Monwabisi Beach, the first took place in September last year. This year there were more surfers in the water and some of these kids’ are showing promising surfing talent. If this Freedom Day Surf Festival is an indicator of hard won freedoms in our country, then there is a place for fun and stoke at the beach for a born-free generation of surfers who have found in surfing a sense of community that opens up the possibilities of personal and social change.

Waves for Change aims at building safer communities and brighter futures for the most excluded youth - by riding waves. For more about this non-profit programme’s work with vulnerable township youth, check out http://www.waves-for-change.org.

Freedom Day Surf Festival Tag Team Results

U11s

1st - Red Team (Monwabisi)
2nd - Blue Team (Monwabisi)
3rd - White Team (Monwabisi)

U15s

1st - White Team (Monwabisi)
2nd - Blue Team (Masiphumelele)
3rd - Red Team (Monwabisi)
4th - Black Team (Monwabisi)