Twig Takes High Road

Jeez Twig, talk about making name. Congratulations on the win in Spain (news story here) but also well done on the cover, and then hey, there was that movie clip as well.

Thanks. It’s been a good late season run ha ha.

Do you think that losing your sponsor was what got this all in motion?

Well, losing your sponsor is the same as losing your job. It comes from not doing your job well enough. It definitely gave me a kick in the arse and made me take a long hard look at what I was doing and what I was delivering. I had to figure a few things out.

That cover was sick.

I was so proud of the cover. To have the cover of an international surfing magazine while surfing Dungeons is good for South African surfing and good for big wave surfing. Dungeons has dropped off the radar a bit recently, and to bring it back to the fore did make me very stoked. Surfing Magazine cover is a prestigious spot, and it’s definitely one of the highlights of my career. The clip by Derek Dunfee was pretty solid as well. I didn’t even know he was doing it, as he was working so quietly and the end result was really cool. He put something good together.

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Then the win! Big ups!

Thanks. Since I lost my sponsor I have been working so hard at my surfing, working on my equipment and my fitness, concentrating on the events, doing what I need to do to be on top of my game, so this is nice payback.

What, like payback on your ex sponsors?

No, not at all. Payback for training so hard. I’m putting in the time and the effort so it’s nice to see the rewards coming through.

Are you still running on a bit of anger?

No. No more anger from the past. At the time when I lost my sponsor it was upsetting, but I’m over that now and am moving forward. I feel sorry for the people who are working hard and who are having a shit time of it. Billabong is a great company and I enjoyed 20 awesome years with them, but it’s a different world now. I probably do have a bit of residual anger towards certain individuals but that’s not really very important in the big picture. For me it’s just onwards and upwards.

So how was it at Punta Galea?

I spent a lot of time under water. We all spent a lot of time under water and the rescue team was so busy. It looks like a point break but it’s not. It’s super shifty and it pushes you towards the rocks really quickly. It was 15 to 18ft all day with some way bigger sets, but the wave surprised me in its quality. It’s a genuine big wave spot. It reminded me a bit of a north swell Sunset Beach in Hawaii when the waves are so good, but you’re always getting caught. There were some big, open faces and I felt the wave really suited my surfing. It’s like the waves we surf all year in Cape Town.

Who’s looking on the money right now?

I was checking out the local dudes because they know the local spot and they obviously have the hunger but then it turned out to be Nic Lamb and Kenny Collins from Santa Cruz who turned on the heat. Aritz Aranburu was also looking good and I thought he was going to go all the way to the final but he got knocked out in the semis. It looks like Nic Lamb is the next charger, the next Santa Cruz dude coming through. He’s putting in the time and the effort. Frank (Solomon) was invited but he didn’t make it, which I found a bit surprising, but Nic is looking good right now.

Tell us about the winning wave.

It was down to wire, with about 10 minutes to go. I was in front and I knew what the scores were and what I needed to do to win. Skinny went and sat out way out back, and Nic was inside of me. If Kenny were to get a big one out the back then he had a chance of beating me. Nic was also close, so I needed to keep an eye out for both of them. Then the wave came and it was a big one. Kenny just missed it, and I managed to scrape into it, blocking Nic. It was one of the best waves on the best set of the day. I was so deep and I did this long bottom turn and managed to get around the peak and onto the wall. That bottom turn was the sort of stuff that I have been working on, and it worked for me and got me going on the best wave of the final.

Hectic wave this spot?

Every single time you wiped out it felt like you were heading straight for the rocks. One ski got destroyed on the rocks; it was pretty hectic. The wave pushes onto the rocks as opposed to running away and down the point, as you would expect a point wave to do. The safety crew was busy.

You’re 40. What keeps you motivated to surf big waves?

I want to keep traveling and surfing, and this is the route I have chosen. If I keep on top of my game and stay motivated I can do this for another 5 to 10 years.  That what motivates me. I was a bit bummed that I couldn’t get to hang around and stay in the hood after the contest because I dig to do that, but that was just a timing thing. I like to hang out and immerse myself around a contest when I can. I like to really get into the swing of things in foreign cultures and have a good time with the local crew.

Congrats again and good luck for whatever might be coming

Thanks.