Good Luck for Earthwave!

Despite the near gale-force southeast winds that have been turning thesurf into a churning mass of whitewater at Muizenberg, the venue forthe Earthwave beach festival on Sunday, Cape Town surfers and theorganisers are confident of breaking the Guinness World Record for the‘most surfers riding the same wave’.

“Surf prediction guru, Steve Pike of Wavescape.co.za, tells us that the wind will drop on Saturday and Sunday will have very light winds, sunshine and small waves,” says Dene Botha of Kahuna Promotions, the founders of Earthwave. “This will provide ideal conditions for us to break the Guinness World Record of 100 surfers on the same wave set at Earthwave Brazil last year.”

With unprecedented interest in the record breaking attempt from the Cape Town surfing community, the organisers are expecting more than 350 surfers to lineup at 12.30 on Sunday before taking to the water between 1 and 2pm to try and reclaim the record they set with 73 surfers on the same wave in 2006.

“While the record attempt is the highlight of the day, there is an exciting program of events scheduled including talks and demonstrations on sustainable lifestyle choices to reduce our impact on climate change, Longboard and SUP events, a Diski Dancing demonstration, Miss Earth SA in attendance, thousands of Rands of prizes to be given away and a great after-party at the Brass Bell where the official results will be announced,” Botha said.

The day’s activities start at 8.30am with the Earthwave Longboard Classic run by the WP Longboard Club while displays and presentations on sharks by Save our Seas and the Shark Spotters program and on preserving our waterways by Ocean Minded, demos of SUP equipment with free lessons by Coreban and beach competitions are staged.

Environmental initiatives include a talk on “Climate Change – how can you help” by Augustine J Morkel, Estate Manager : Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens scheduled for 11.30 and Kirstenbosch is also donating packs of indigenous plant seeds for all who participate. Ocean Minded will coordinate a beach cleanup and refuse at the event will be collected in specially demarcated bins that separate paper, plastic, glass and organic waste for recycling.

To further reduce the carbon footprint of Earthwave and to relieve traffic congestion and parking problems, Metrorail will allow anyone with a surfboard to travel free on the trains to and from Muizenberg on the day and have instituted ‘buy-one-get-one-free’ tickets for spectators. Metrorail also will be bringing a group of youngsters from disadvantaged communities to the event to participate in the free surfing lessons from the Roxy and Surf Shack surf schools.

And another 40 disadvantaged youngsters who are proficient surfers will have their participation in the Guinness World Record attempt sponsored by attorneys Bowman Gilfillan, Rafikis Restaurant and Cape Town Tourism, who will also be staging a demonstration of the Diski Dance as part of their ‘Live it! Love it! LOUDER!’ campaign to promote the City’s hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Children can participate in the Dig for Gold, where prizes exceeding R20 000 will be buried in the sand, and there will be give-aways and raffles with great prizes from the likes of Billabong; Excel Wetsuits; Von Zipper; Derevko; O’Neill; Empire Café; Palmers; Natural Curve; The Academy; Loumill Laundry; Oxbow; True Blue Travel and many, many more!

Registration for the GWR attempt will open at 10am and participants are urged to come early to avoid the rush before everyone lines up with their surfboards at 12.30. The finals of the Longboard event will be run after the record attempt and then all over-18’s will move to the Brass Bell in Kalk Bay for the after party which is being held in conjunction with the Cape Town celebration of the 200th issue of Zigzag, SA’s longest running surfing magazine.

The party will include a comedy spot by Mark Sampson, SA’s funniest surfer, and an auction of unique items including a stay for four in a five-star villa valued at R10 000 donated by Cape Villa Collection. The official numbers on the same wave will be announced after consulting photographic evidence and everyone will await the announcement of the numbers achieved at the Earthwave events in Brazil and Argentina that are expected around 9pm that evening to find out if the world record has been broken.

Earthwave is sanctioned by Surfing South Africa (SSA), the national controlling body for the sport and endorsed by the International Surfing Association (ISA) and Surfrider Foundation whose Argentina Chapter will be running the Earthwave event in that country.

Contact kahunasurf@mweb.co.za for further information on the Earthwave global surfing and sustainable lifestyles event and how to become part of this global movement.

PROGRAM OF EVENTS

Sunday 4 October
08.30 – 12.00 : Earthwave Longboard Classic
10.00 : Registration opens for Guinness World Record attempt
1.00 : Free surf lessons by Roxy Surf Club & Surf Shack
11.30 : Talk on “Climate Change – How can you help” by Augustine J Morkel, Estate Manager : Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
12.00 – 12.30 : SUP Expression Session by Coreban
12.00 : Dig For Gold – Over R20 000 in prizes buried in sand
12.30 – 13.00 : Line-up for Guinness World Record attempt
12.15 – 12.30 : Diski Dance by CODA and Cape Town Tourism
13.00 – 14.00 : Guinness World Record attempt
14.00 – 16.30 : Semis & Finals of Earthwave Longboard Classic

17.30 : After-party at Brass Bell in conjunction with Zigzag
19.00 : Official numbers at Earthwave SA announced – Brass Bell
19.30 : Comedy spot by Mark Sampson – Brass Bell
21.00 Official numbers at Earthwave Brazil & Argentina announced

All day Activities
Miss Earth South Africa – Chanel Grantham
Presentations on preserving waterways + beach cleanups by Ocean Minded
Displays by Save Our Seas and Shark Spotters
Exhibition of SUP equipment and free lessons by Coreban
Sticker showers and Give-Aways

Raffles and fund-raising for worthy causes