Scottburgh ocean festival
The past weekend saw the return of the UGU South Coast Tourism Africa Marine Expo to the beaches of Scottburgh and the surrounding areas.
The event drew record numbers of spectators, with thousands of beachgoers making the most of the sunny weather by coming down to support the Expo. With its dual focus on fun and conservation the Expo catered to all ocean-user groups, uniting south coast residents in their love for the ocean while simultaneously emphasizing the need to protect it as a resource for the future. Event organisers were thrilled with the support the Expo received from all marine enthusiasts, from divers to surfers and conservationists to anglers.
"This event is an amazing amalgam of activities, competition and entertainment and typifies the beautiful tourism assets that the south coast has to offer. We'd like to see an event of this type get an even higher profile particularly to the benefit of the upper south coast. On a weekend like this, who would want to be anywhere else?" commented Justin Mackrory, CEO: South Coast Tourism.
Perhaps the biggest drawcard for spectators was the Scottburgh Powerplay Surf Pro supported by Lizzard. Competitors faced challenging conditions with strong onshore winds and choppy 1-1.5 metre waves. The women’s surfing final saw an interesting combination of experienced surfers and new talent, with rising stars Nicole Pallet (Durban) and Teal Hogg (Durban) going up against previous ASP World Qualifying Series competitors, Tammy Lee Smith (Ballito) and Tasha Mentasti (Cape Town). Mentasti, with her impressive past experience all over South Africa, was the most relaxed out on the water and ended up schooling her younger peers. Fittingly, the former three-time SA champion dominated the final and took home the R4 000 cash prize.
Mentasti (former Durbanite now living in Cape Town) was full of praise for the local area, saying: “I’m very proud to have won this event, especially being the second oldest woman competing and having coached some of the younger girls. Scottburgh is a lovely surf spot and an awesome town, so it’s nice to be on the south coast and back in the warm water again.”
In the men’s final, all eyes were on local competitor Casey Grant (Scottburgh) and an on-form Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga), but in the end the victory went to the most experienced surfer in the final - Dan Redman (Umdloti). Redman’s patience and imperviousness in the face of pressure led him to achieve the highest single wave score of 8.25 points and his next wave gave him the required score to take the lead. It was a close battle between Redman and De Vries from there onwards, but Redman's experience counted in his favour enabling him to clinch an excitingly narrow one-point victory and the top prize of R10 000. De Vries placed second with Grant in third and Warner Beach surfer, Klee Strachan, in fourth place.
Redman was ecstatic about his win, saying: “I wasn’t expecting a win at all so I am very excited to have made it to the final and then to take the win. Scottburgh is an amazing place to surf and it has awesome waves, so I’m really stoked.”
The Ivan Friedman Memorial KZN Bodyboarding Championships sponsored by Maniac held at Scottburgh Back Beach showcased the skills of competitors in several divisions. The Boys’ Finals saw fierce competition between Alex Nutt, Codi Butterworth, Steven Waites and Aaron Brandt, but in the end it was Butterworth who took the title. Meanwhile, in the Ladies’ event, Georgi Mckeone overcame a strong charge from Sarah Houston and Meagen Nell to take home first prize.
Mckeone said, “I am so stoked with my win and although conditions were tricky, I managed to pull through”.
The Pro Final was a showcase of bodyboarding mastery, with Michael Ostler, Storm Prestwich and Stephen Du Preez taking second, third and fourth place respectively behind ultimate winner Mark McCarthy. The Dropknee Final was equally exciting, with Terence Pieters taking first place ahead of fellow entrants Iain Campbell, Chris Green and Stuart Bradford.
Stuart Bradford, Chairman of the Central KZN Bodyboarding Association, was thrilled with the outcome of the event, saying that "the standard of riding was incredibly high with new KZN champs crowned for 2013. Big thanks to Maniac and the Africa Marine & Leisure Expo for hosting us- we look forward to the next event!”
In addition to the surfing and bodyboarding competitions, guests at the Africa Marine Expo were treated to a myriad of other exciting and varied entertainment. This included jet-ski demos that left the crowds suitably impressed by their high-octane antics and learn-to-breathe-underwater clinics run by Blue Vision in the Scottburgh swimming pool that introduced people to the wonders of scuba diving for the first time. By enabling people to experience the underwater world firsthand, it is hoped that they will be inspired to protect their newfound ocean playground.
Another exciting feature of this year’s event were the two angling competitions - the Catch & Release Deep Sea Fishing Competition that took place on the Saturday and Sunday’s Family Fun Junior Catch & Release Shore Fishing Competition. Both events were specifically designed as catch and release to underline the importance of sustainable fishing practices, therefore tying in with the conservation message of the Expo as a whole. Participants in the Saturday event had their lines in the water by first light and competed to catch and photograph as many species as possible. Team Half a Dozen consisting of team members Rob Gemmell, Chris Gemmell, Cameron Gemmell and Shaun Peacock won the event with 20 points. The children’s event on Sunday counted any species responsibly handled and released and was won by young Kelsey Pretorius. A total of 27 junior anglers entered with 73 fish caught and safely released and a total of 15 species was counted. This event, run by celebrity angler Dean Pretorius (Port Edward), was designed to instil in the fishermen of the next generation an understanding of conservation-oriented angling.
The conservation aspect of the event was ably upheld by the conservationists and scientists who participated in the Expo’s programme of talks and lectures, each one designed to educate and involve people in local and national conservation issues. The talks, which ran throughout the weekend on the Powerplay stage overlooking the ocean, focused on a wide range of topics, from shark conservation to wildlife rehabilitation. Speakers included internationally renowned underwater photographer Allen Walker, NSRI’s Deputy Station Commander for Durban Andre Fletcher and Colombian scientist Phanor Montoya-Maya, speaking about the sardine run activity spotting initiative, Hills Have Eyes.
The impact of the talks was underlined by the series of educational stalls present at the Expo, which allowed visitors to learn more about an impressive variety of organisations, all dedicated to increasing awareness and supporting marine conservation. On the Sunday, guests were treated to a thrilling show in the form of the thundering cavalcade of the Durban Harley Owner’s Group, who turned up in support of their 2013 chosen charity Shark Angels. The talks and educational stalls were intended to inspire and renew a love for the oceans and a desire to protect them.
The focus of the Expo was family fun, something that was evident in the extensive kid’s programmes that ran all weekend and truly made the event a great day out for visitors of all ages.
The purpose of the Africa Marine Expo was to bring fun and conservation awareness to the south coast and in both respects the event was a huge success. Planning for next year’s extravaganza is already underway, and with the continued support of communities both local and from further afield, the event should continue to go from strength to strength.
(File Photo:Mr Price:Kelly Cestari)
- Olivia Jones Communications
Twitter - @SportswaveAndre @ECRSportswave