2005 Red Bull Big Wave Africa- Dungeons Contest

[Shawn Alladio]

Phase one of Red Bull Big Wave Africa 2005 has just closed.


I'll be sending daily journal digest via the 'ethernet' about the happenings of the Red Bull Culture in the Rainbow Country. (land of many people).

The ominous mountain, the Sentinel has been waiting for one year now for the BWA to return. And its returning with a vengeance, the invite list is growing, Flea is returning, Anthony Tashnick is coming down to dance at Dungeons and Ross Clarke Jones is going crack it down there.

And if that is one standard, then there is the local dominance wich certainly will slay and slander the swells. That would be the Komm and Sunset Krews. Chris Bertish is coming down from the UK to notch his quiver with heavy drops as usual. The big wave rider Jason Ribbink who won the Oakley 04' contest for sure has a strategy to win. There is a local PWC ban now that went into effect on the Cape, so I think we will be busy with some organizing and education while I'm on standby.

I got an email from the Contest Director, our beloved Gary Linden, he's already in Cape Town for this event.

Looks like he 'GOT GOOD WAVES' already and Pierre from Linden Surfboards said that he forgot his PFD, booties and gloves. Isn't the internet fascinating? Not a problem as I'm swinging by to pick up our new Team Liquid Militia towsurfing board that Gary shaped, been hungry for that board all season...so I'll stuff Gary's stuff in my bags and he'll have it before any ground shipping can sneeze.

This is my annual pilgrimage. I have family there. In fact my daughter is almost South Africa, I worked the contest pregnant carrying her, not letting the word out until the final event party. Nobody believed that I was pregnant, so that was pretty comical. Picture me trying to convince big wave surfers et al., who just laughed at me, but things do change and my body followed suit quickly, no denying the humor as nine months came and went.

Last year, Shaniah Oceania made her 4 month debut at the BWA. She went out on Grant Spooners Marine Scene boats during a few storms and definetly had her sea legs as she slept through each adventure. Here in 2005, Shaniah will be over a year old and she has all the leadership skills of a presiding doctorate and I think she can write a novel on her travels already, she is certainly good at making pesonal tatoos via ink pens I haven't found in time. She's covered over 50,000 miles for the first 6 months of her life, this trip is just another passport stamp in her travel log. We leave behind my 23 year old daughter, Kyla and her boyfriend Ryan whom we will miss terribly, the family being scattered to the southern hemisphere. Life will not be the same without them.

I'm packed, but the 2 bag limit isn't enough for woman power, the diapers are stowed, a rescue board, baby stroller, rescue gear, water safety team gear, and extra bags will make this part of the trip the adventure of a lifetime. Kim is bringing her towboard, a 9' and 10' guns and her spiritual convictions all wrapped up in a 45 year old dynamo, and yes, a mother.

Kim Hamrock arrives tomorrow for another pre event check, we have our 3rd meeting scheduled. Kim has already taken a K38 Open Water Rescue Boat Course, but she came up last week to Morro Bay and jumped in for a refresher. I went to the Billabong XXL awards to cheer her and Jamilah on, as well as the men, she took second place on the podium for her shot at Waimea. We've already shopped for lifejackets and other gear for training for towsurfing, and tomorrow we finalize what all women do rather well, the shopping list.

Only thing is, we don't have a 'girly girl' list, but a 'Good to Go' list. Please take note.

I just found the best gloves for towsurfing...the bomb...these wakeboard gloves are flick..they are the route. Handholds are a clinch, wind chill, and moving in the water, just like a mermaid - thank you.

Red Bull has been putting this gig together I think since last year's event, so the energy never quits. The first meeting was held for the water safety team on May 9th, RB takes this serious. So does the team. And for that I tip my hat off the boys of business: Nico Johansen, Ross Lindsay, Kerry Motherwell, Grant Spooner (fearless leader) Pierre du Plessis and Glenn Bee. There are others too. We'll be naming names shortly.

Liquid Militia has stepped up to the battlefield. They are sponsoring my team digs, and the trip to the land of many colors, the Rainbow Country. You'll be hearing about them as I plug each eventful day into the Ethernet. I can't wait to see my friend Fawzia Collier, and to look out at night over Hout Bay and watch and listen for the sound of the waves hitting the rugged South African continent alerting my senses to the potent day of surfing that everyone is so hungry for. And of course the crazy sounds coming from World Of Birds right down from our home, the perch of squwaky birds is music to my soul.

Looks like this year the event is sponsored by Sea Doo, so waiting to time underway with the new craft and get the rescue boards rigged. Billabong is sponsoring our Water Safety team with their wetsuits, that is just way cool. Well, that's it for today.

Stand by.


http://www.towsurfingtoday.com/viewtopic.php?t=60

[Shawn Alladio]

Anthony
Last Name: Tashnick
Age: 20
Highlights: 1st place 2005 Mavericks Big Wave Event
3rd place in the NSSA '99 season
4th at the Amateur US Open Air Show
California State Paddling Junior Lifeguard Champion
Profile:


We don’t know much about Mr Tashnick apart from the fact that he won the 2004 Mavericks Big Wave contest and is not so good at answering his emails. But he makes up for that by charging big waves and being a precocious talent in thick surf. A quick trawl through the internet shows that the 20 year old West Side Santa Cruz local is the youngest surf instructor at the Richard Schmidt surf school. Anthony was introduced to surfing by his father and excelled at junior and amateur levels. He burst into the big time this year with his win at Mavs, pipping some big wave legends to the podium and the prize money. Experienced big wave illuminati like Peter Mel, Brock Little and Matt Ambrose. He also squeezed past Red Bull BWA regular and 2003 champion, Greg Long, who took second place and scored two perfect 10 rides during the event.

‘I was just lucky today,’ said Tashnick from the podium. ‘I feel really fortunate I was able to be out there with all of my heroes. On a different day, it might have been a different scenario. But I felt really amped out, and I wanted it really bad.’
Then apparently he put his cell phone to his ear and called his gran, to tell her about his $25,000. Anthony has been surfing Mavericks since he was 16, and he has been mentored by big wave stalwarts like Flea Virsotko and Peter Mel.

We look forward to sticking Anthony Tashnick into the dark blue Dungeon and seeing how well the young talent fares.

[Shawn Alladio]

Grant
Last Name: Washburn
Nick Name: Gentle Giant
Age: 37
Height: 6'5ft
Weight: 220lbs
Sponsors: Jeff Clark Surfboards, Xcel Wetsuits, H2Odyssey
Highlights: Semi-finalist Maverick's Contest 2000

Red Bull BWA Biggest Wave Ridden 2000, 2002.
Profile:


'There's this moment that's not actually surfing,' explains Grant Washburn, the elder statesman, Mavericks local and determined paddle-in purist. 'It's just waiting and hunting for the right spot. And then you see 'em comin' and you think, should I run away, because that's what you wanna do, just run away, but you won't catch one if you run. You have to sit in there and let them come and pick you up. Only thing you can do is to concentrate on that moment, when it's all coming together. And when the wave comes and you're in the right spot, and you make this decision to do it, and you commit and you're in there.... ‘
As he speaks his eyes grow wider, reliving the adrenal squeeze. ‘That is something so primal and so pure. It's not about ripping waves or dominating your opponents or anything like that. It's about catching the biggest one you can.'

Grant Washburn is a big wave surfing legend, both in his home town of Half Moon Bay, California and here in South Africa. One of Mavericks’ locals he has cemented his place on the roll of big wave luminaries. In fact it’s difficult to mention the word Mavericks without using his name in the same sentence. One of the most committed international invitees to the Red Bull BWA, this is his fifth trip to the Dungeon, and the 37 year old film-maker is keen to catch up on old times.
‘I can't wait to get back down to the Cape and see all the boys... and to have another go at Dungeons. This could be the year we get to see what this break can REALLY produce. I had the fortune of riding 20' plus Dungeons on my first session, and have been waiting to see a truly ideal day,’ he says, hoping that Cape Town’s big wave pressure-cooker is set on high.

Like the rest of the Red Bull BWA vets, Grant knows all too well the unpredictable nature of the Dungeon. ’Dungeons is really a group of spots, not just one. If it were on the North Shore, it would have about six or seven names, one for each zone. It's certainly one of the more difficult big waves to line-up, but much of the "wildness" of the break is due to the types of swells we have been riding. I suspect that a clean swell from a particular angle may look more orderly than most people realize,’ he explains judiciously.

‘There's just the plain fact that I like big waves,’ he says. ‘So I love to get out there when people say, “I think it's cleaner around the corner?, I still go in the wind. You know because I just like riding the biggest waves. At home when I was a kid growing up in New Jersey I always wanted it to be bigger and It was never big, so I was constantly hungering for the big day that never came, but every session I wanted the biggest one.’

A guru of the paddle-in school, Grant explains his preference: ‘I am not against tow surfing, and have either driven a ski or tow surfed every season since 1994. My favorite part of big wave surfing is the feeling of being absolutely over powered by natural forces. This is easily achieved, even by experienced riders, when paddling into 15-20 foot surf. Unfortunately, for me, the thrill is almost entirely absent if I tow those same waves. I have experienced the same thrill with a ski - when the waves are 30-40 feet (60-80 foot faces), and it's there in abundance... but those swells are not. We haven't had a 30 foot day at Maverick's for several years, and so I haven't done much tow surfing.’

When it comes to the contest down south, Grant’s philosophical. ‘The ocean will pick it,’ is his mantra. ‘It's not about winning,’ he confirms with a nod. ‘If you're there and someone else is in the right place, you know, you just got to let them go. It's their moment. You just line yourself up and hope that the moment comes to you.’
‘The ultimate thrill is just being a part of something this special,’ he adds. ‘Sure I want to land a huge bomb, but flying to the far side of the planet, jumping off a continent and surfing with this lot, is as thrilling as any ride.’

[Shawn Alladio]

Darryl
Last Name: Virostko
Nick Name: Flea
Age: 33
Height: 5'10
Weight: 68kg's
Sponsors: Rusty, Oakley, DVS, Hotline
Highlights: Hat trick winner of The Mavericks, Men Who Ride Mountains Event
Profile:


Darrel Flea Virostko heads back to Dungeons in 2005 with a point to prove. He’s been touted far and wide as the planet’s most successful big wave contest surfer after winning the big wave event at Mavericks, just outside of San Francisco, three times in a row. He’s also a regular invitee to the Eddie as well as surfing big wave events from Mexico to Hawaii and beyond. But last year Flea got a bit skunked at the Dungeon, only surfing it a few times because of the fickle wave conditions. Then at last year’s Eddie, he made front page news with a horrific over-the-falls bail on a 25 footer. A wipe out that tweaked all over and damaged some of the ligaments in his hip. By now he’s back on the mend and looking forward to getting another crack at the Dungeon.

‘Right on man. I do both. It’s two to twenty. Nah, two to ninety.’ He laughs. ‘Whatever. I tow but I don’t really focus on it. Paddling is the root of surfing. I care more about paddling. What the man can do to get in the wave. Not just some machine that can pull you into waves wherever you want.’

Flea is almost as accomplished in big waves as he is in small. He has a reputation as a 'complete' surfer, winning events in both big and small surf, with a serious fondness for kicking huge aerials. We’re talking about hu-u-ge, snowboard style aerials. The freak was born in 1971 and grew up in Santa Cruz, California, where he still lives. He got the nickname 'Flea' from charging big waves as a laaitie, where he looked so small on the side of such big walls of water. As nicknames do, it stuck. On returning to surf the big sick blue fwump on the Southern tip of the African continent, Flea is stoked:
‘I want to come here because I think it’ll be good for South Africa and America. You know I’m a Mavericks surfer and I come here and challenge South Africans, Brazilians, Mexicans… a lot of different people. And I get to surf a new wave. It means something. It’s good for the whole surf community. It’s crip.
‘It's the full experience. I am really curious about Dungeons, I’ve only caught a handful of waves out there. So I’m ready for the challenge. I want to get to know the place better.’

The people who surf Dungeons regularly are also keen to throw Flea back in the Dungeon and see how he handles the extremely technical, deep water wave, with it’s shifting peaks, swell directions, take-off points, bowls, warps and close-out sets. Not to mention the wildlife. Simply put, Dungeons is a lot more shifty than Mavericks.

[Shawn Alladio]

Countdown

I don't have enough bags.

I have been on mission impossible, whittling down my luggage to exactly 72lbs each bag. It's just not enough, even with 3 extra bags, including check in. I have a hectic time ahead hustling all this luggage and a baby. I can do it, I tell myself. Well, I have to anyhow! No excuse for being female, bags, baby, trains, cars, planes and 24 hours of Hell wait ahead.

Nobody can appreciate that but me. Can I complain?

Gary Linden our beloved contest director sent out a mass email to the competitors asking everyone for their travel itineraries. Red Bull will be waiting for us at the airport with our rental cars branded with the Big Wave Africa emblems. And of course the courtesy can of Red Bull! If not a case of it.

I was driving today and already getting my mind set for driving on the wrong side of the street, sitting in the wrong seat and doing everything opposite of normal. Reminding myself not to get killed in head on traffic because I made a big mistake. Don't laugh, a few times in the past I ceremoniously pulled out into the streets in South Africa customarily in my US driving style....much to my horror.

Chris Bertish has his mind made up on training, so he's bringing down his gear, I think we will have a lot of on water time.

Carlos Burle already checked in, he's already got his groovy vibes in order, but when doesn't he? He's got soul. Enough to permeate an entire contest.

I just hope I can connect all of my business dots while I am gone. Thank God that Doug Phillips is covering, he's got the USMC training course this week at Camp Pendleton, then he's jumping on a plane and hitting San Francisco for the NASAR summit. Well, he's playing on the K38 team, he's pinch hitting for the cars, trains and planes insanity also.

That's all for now, just getting the gear together and finishing business. Soon, the mountains of South Africa and the smell of the ocean will beckon. I can't wait to see our water safety team, the best in the business is only getting better.
Bye for now.
http://www.towsurfingtoday.com/viewtopic.php?t=60

[Admin]

The waves & conditions never came together this year for the contest, but everyone scored some good (although not huge) surf and had a good time.

[Shawn Alladio]

http://www.towsurfingtoday.com/viewforum.php?f=25

Well, I'm still posting photos on here and story updates, as part of the digest of this event...lots of cool things happened while there, no contest, but 2 significant practice sessions. After the waiting period ended, 3 days of swell and hectic winds followed....

[Shawn Alladio]

Homeboy favorites from Mav's down at the Cape of Storms in June

http://www.towsurfingtoday.com/viewtopic.php?t=137
A few tidbit about Flea

http://www.towsurfingtoday.com/viewtopic.php?t=140
A few more for Grant Washburn