Surf Media Lifeline

BIT BY BIT: A wave of change lies ahead for the surf industry. Photo Supplied

"I'll be getting R3,2 million out of the deal over two years and I'm pretty chuffed," said Nopaid Jarwitz, who currently works in a pizzeria in Cape St Francis packing leftovers into doggie bags for patrons.

Sturgeon Bile from Wax Knuip, speaking from beneath the unfinished highway in Cape Town, said the deal, which included an advertising campaign, a series of competitions and paid content, would bring the surf media back from the brink of ruin.

He said he was incredibly grateful that Ripaquickbong, the holding company for a number of surfing brands, include Zip Curl, Bigger Bong and Quick Slide, had recognised the work that the surfing media did to popularise the sport that sustains them.

"Like Jarwi, I am so chuffed. Stoked really. Ecstatic even!" he said. "It's really great getting the occasional handout in the form of a surfboard or wetsuit, and latterly nothing at all except a cursory wave from a guy wearing figher pilot sunnies sitting in the back of a limo, but this is proper support, and totally unexpected!"

According to a marketing exective from Ripaquickbong, Tank Evans, known mainly for his 10 years on the WSL Qualifying Series where he once placed 124th, the deal was extended to other media in the country after they toed his lineup.

Bandy Navel from Zip Ads magazine said he was relieved to have received the two-year deal across all his Cody Maverick from Bigger Bong had decided to fund the deal by donating SA surf media with part of his Pacific islandchannels. "I must say there was some concern about commercial interests interfering with editorial after we ran a special feature on how Tank once travelled to the Transkei to try get a righthand point named after him but got chased away by locals for throwing his weight around."

Navel, gazing into the distance, said they could reveal that Cody Maverick - the founder of Bigger Bong and former winner of the Big Z Memorial Surf Off - had decided to fund the deal by donating SA surf media with part of his Pacific island, which he originally purchased from profits made off surf media. However, he would only part with a small portion of the windward side of the island.

"Look, I have an island near Fiji with 16 beaches. I thought, 'what the heck', for those poor bastards back in South Africa, I am sure I can let them have one third of the windward side. Okay, so the waves are crap, but at least the relentless onshore keeps the mosquitoes at bay," he said from his super yacht Oligarch III.

However, not all surf brands were in favour of the deal.

Reggie Belafonte of Zip Curl said: "Due to algorithms and Covid, our online sales are doing tremendously well. Why should we support starving journalists dressed in rags? Berg winds make for nice barrel imagery. But begging by bergies is bad for business bru."