Zigzag

Blessed with a succession of world-class left-handers and a dedicated and growing surfing community, Liberia is destined to produce some of West Africa’s finest waveriders. This year, the 10th Annual Liberian National Surfing Championship attracted c

Eli Beukes is fresh out of the grom category. After a few disappointing competitive results, he has committed himself to a free surfing future. And much like the wave stretching out in front him, that future is full of possibility. After the highs an

There’s a cool photo of Jordy Smith, holding his son Ziggy on his hip, that we were planning to run as part of our Grom Roll Call. Jordy’s basically royalty in SA surfing circles, so why not indulge in a little paparazzo snapshot of his offspring? I

From the outset, I gotta say we were called ‘gremmies’, not ‘grommets’. ‘Grommets’ came a long time later – in the 70s, and out of Australia. My Dad, who had flown in the RAF’s 12 Bomber Squadron in the Second World War, bombing the Nazis and fascist

Muizenberg is an energy point and so we always congregated here, from way back in the day. I’ve travelled across the globe throughout my surfing career, and learnt many things from the many different beaches. But Muizenberg has got that magic! That’s

The reason the Garden Route is a great nursery for producing professional surfers comes down to a few things. Firstly, accessibility: we have access to a wide variety of quality waves. We have pointbreaks and beachbreaks all in close proximity to eac

What has contributed to the Cape St. Francis and J-Bay region becoming such a hotbed of surfing talent? Is it the face-brick-flanked streets of J-Bay? The potholed roads? Or the special free-range meat the crew at Nina’s puts in their spicy lamb curr

Not all nurseries are equal. Some have better ‘toys’ than others. Better teachers. Better facilities. And when one nursery sticks out as better than any other around, it naturally attracts people, and fosters a dynamic and competitive environment tha

The first thing about East London is that it’s a raw place. It’s a raw town that’s divided into several different areas. You have Eastern Beach, which is quite a hardcore group of guys. Then you have the Nahoon crew, which could be split into two are

PE, now known as Gqeberha, is probably not top of your list for super-hot surfers; but we’ve had our fair share. World-class surfers such as Gavin Rudolph, Warren Dean, Quinton Jones, Dylan Stone, Granville West, Matthew McGillivray, Craig Anderson a

Managing the expectations of parents, teachers and peers – while still trying to have a jol, score good waves and get featured in Zag’s Big Grom Roll Call. This is tough. Because you gotta have Zigzag-quality A-grade surf photos to be included… Which

As a youngster, I grew up at Ansteys on the Bluff. When I was 12 my parents made the decision to move to town. We got a spot right on the beachfront in front of New Pier – the perfect place for a young kid to get into surfing. It’s so accessible, and

GROM ABUSE IS NOW A DIRTY MARK ON THE WHOLESOME IMAGE THAT SURFING PROJECTS, SOMEWHERE IN_BETWEEN LOCALISM AND PISSING IN YOUR WETSUIT. DYLAN MUHLENBERG AND CLAYTON TRUSCOTT DISSECT THE ROOTS OF THE PHENOMENON, AND ITS EFFECTS ON SURF CULTURE AND ETI

While the story of grom abuse stretches far back in time, the era of the 80s and 90s provides an interesting point of departure. This was the time that surfing as a subculture and surfing as a sport began to merge, becoming something resembling the t

DOUGAL PATERSON INVESTIGATES. BRRURDO is the jet fuel of big-wave riders. There’s this ‘understanding’: that those willing to risk it all will be rewarded with the biggest waves. At the time of her accident, Mercedes Maidana was one of the best big-w

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Groms, man. They’re a pain in the butt at the best of times, and now I have to write about them. Don't tell me I was also a grom once, and I should cut them some slack. Things were very different back then. Megalodon sharks cruised the lineup. Veloci

I think there’s two bits of advice. I From the age group of 12 and under, it’s more catered towards parents. I obviously see a lot of parents who really want it for the child. And I don’t know if that’s really them wanting it for themselves, secretly

The back-to-back swells that hit Skeleton Bay marched northwards, lighting up points, beachies and wedges in Angola, Sao Tome, Congo and Gabon, and eventually hitting the harbour mouth of Lagos, Nigeria. Here’s one of Tarkwa Bay’s mightiest groms, Mo

My name is Sandile Mqadi; but some people call me Cyril, because in the old days you must have an English name. It was compulsory. Surfing found me when I was 13. I’m from Umzumbe, down on the South Coast. Back then, Peter Maisch gave us black kids m