Beach-life & Big Surf - South Africa

Having grown up surfing in the West Coast of South Africa as a child there were always one or two spots we kept secret. Funnily enough one of the sports was called Secrets and the other Heaven. Mainly locals in a magical setting.

I moved to London in 2002 and lived there for 10 years. Since I got back my belly is too big to fit into my old wetsuit but I still try to get down to the beach to fish or photograph. Here is a snapshot of my local surf spot called Heaven. It is close to St Helena Bay in the west coast of South Africa (North of Cape Town)

The wave is fierce! It starts breaking at around 6ft but cooks around 10ft. For it to work you need storm swell and a very light easterly wind. You can only handle 1 or 2 wipeouts because you'll be getting smashed in the impact zone until you hit the rocks. I have seen many a broken board and even a broken leg and dislocated shoulder.

On this day it wasn't massive but a decent size. You should be able to see how the swell picked up from the morning sessions to the evening. The waters around the West Coast are quite cold, around 10 – 14 ‘C.

I hope you enjoy the selection of photos of Heaven.

This is Steven.... Steven Seagull

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