JBay Here we come!
Wednesday 09 July 2014 So what does a surf widow do when the circus is in town? Hop on and enjoy the ride of course! Jodi Leza has joined her man, photographer Ian Thurtell on the mission to J-Bay and will be covering the J-Bay Open in her own unique way.
I'm in Jeffrey's Bay for the J-Bay Open, it's been a good ten years since I stared out at the aloes along Supertubes while begging my already modest parents to take my brother and I shopping at the Billabong Factory Shop... honestly it doesn't look like much has changed since then, the vibe is still awesome and the architecture remains an ode to the seventies.
In true Surf Widow style I am riding on the coat tails of my infinitely more talented and better half, Ian Thurtell, who is photographing the event.
I'll be here for 10 days, nodding vigorously when media dudes talk about wind directions and analyse contests from years gone by, comparing rival pro surfers talents and tales while I try not to say stupid girl stuff like, "Uggs are so 2005 guys" and "that okes abs are gnarly".
I promise to keep you entertained and informed (within the confines of my limited surf knowledge) so follow me on Instagram at surf_widow_diaries and look out for my updates and posts on wavescape.co.za
And for those of you who'd like to know it is 4/5 ft, waves are cooking and the contest is still in set up mode.
It also happens to be a ball-aching and boob-numbing 11 degrees which translates into four layers of clothing per limb and if you're on your way up here I suggest dudes pack beanies (Ian is deeply bummed that he forgot his and chicks need not pack light, you're going to need two sets of wardrobes for the myriad of seasons we'll be experiencing over the next ten days.
ANDÂ I already spotted Gabriel Medina.... he's one hot Brazil nut.
