Hout Bay, Cape Town, South Africa. Sentinel Ocean Alliance founded by Frank Solomon in 2017 to create ocean-based opportunities and environmental education for the youth of South Africa, is pleased to announce the partnership with Parley for the Oceans for the opening of a new Parley Ocean School.
"We started with the Waves for Change program here in Hout Bay," said Solomon. "It started off with a few kids, and now we have 5 or 6 permanent employees, and a couple of hundred kids a week kids doing the program."
Parley Ocean School takes an immersive approach to environmental education with the goal of inspiring marine conservation and empowering its next generation of leaders: Ocean Guardians. Parley Ocean School youth programs simplify complex marine threats through engaging materials developed with a global network of educators.
“Parley is committed to inspire, educate, and empower the next generation of Ocean Guardians. We are grateful for the partnership with Sentinel Ocean Alliance, and the strong network of community in Cape Town that will create a true impact with our Ocean School,” said Mike Long - Director of Operations, Parley for the Oceans. “By providing access to the tools and equipment necessary to learn and immerse these future leaders of our planet, and the skills and inspiration to act on their learnings, to help them use their power to create change.”
There was more to do, though. "Before long we embarked on establishing the Hout Bay Life Saving Club," said Solomon, chatting about the early development of the Sentinel Ocean Alliance. "The club went on to win an award as the Best Development Club in the Western Cape and created 10 jobs for people who were previously unemployed."
The Parley Ocean School would then be the third step in educating the youth on ocean-based opportunities and environmental education.
"After these first two programs, they would come up the stairs to the Parley Ocean School and learn more about the ocean and why we need to protect it," said Solomon.
"Some of the people who go through the Waves For Change program and go onto possibly become lifeguards still don't understand pollution and waste management and looking after the environment. This is the central pillar of the Parley Ocean School."
“The Parley Ocean School in Hout Bay is a critical step as Parley continues its programs and initiatives throughout South Africa.” - Mike Long, Director of Operations, Parley for the Oceans
Solomon has his eyes set further than just those people graduating from his learn to surf and lifeguard academy.
"It's not just for surfers and lifeguards though," said Solomon.
"I am going to approach local restaurants and offer to get their staff to go through a program as well. This will help them also understand more about pollution and littering and what these things do the environment."
The main Sentinel Ocean Alliance site is on Hout Bay Beach, on the Chapman's Peak side. There are two containers and the Parley Ocean School will be the third forty-foot container.
"There are a lot of opportunities in the ocean economy," said Solomon. "If you're not from an ocean environment, maybe from Hangberg or from a different township, you might not know how to access the ocean economy. The biggest hurdle we have found thus far is actually swimming. So the school is firstly teaching every kid to swim, to give them a possible entry into the ocean economy.'
In Solomon's world, an ideal situation pans out something like this. A young kid, from a township, joins the Sentinel Ocean Alliance as a nipper, around 5 to 7 years old. He or she learns to swim with the Sentinel Ocean Alliance, then enters the Waves For Change program and learns to surf and gains confidence in the ocean.
They could then become lifeguards, and get a job as a lifeguard anywhere in the world. At Waves For Change, they can become a surf instructor. This person could then go on to get classes at the Parley Ocean School to learn further about the ocean and the environment from the school. This whole program is all about that kid."
The Parley Ocean School is set to open by the end of November.
Another big month in Monster Combo land. The best surfers in the country have been dropping their primo clips in a hunt for the big prizes. Davey Van Zyl is in the mix with a cracker combo, along with Chad Du Toit, Dale Staples and Luke Thompson, to name a few.
Entries must show a single ride with variation, with at least two completed manoeuvres to qualify. Wave size, length of ride, flow between manoeuvres and technical difficulty will all be assessed by the judges. Each month, the judging panel will choose a monthly winner and a local hero. The winning monthly entries will be considered for the grand prize.
The prizes are pretty huge and are a combined effort from Monster, Pollywog, Zigzag, Channels Islands Surfboards and Billabong. For more on the prizes, including the grand prize, check it out here - https://zigzag.co.za/monstercombo/prizes/
If you're holding a mad clip and want to let the world see it, and possibly win a free Zigzag editorial surf trip and R20k cash, then go and check out the rules of entry here - https://zigzag.co.za/monstercombo/rules/
It was a big win for Matt McGillivray last year, and he went on a sick trip to Asu in Indonesia. Watch his winning rides here - https://zigzag.co.za/monstercombo/2019-entries/ along with the rest of the 2019 entries.
North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii: After a year of COVID-related stops and starts, specialty events and controlled environment scenarios, the World Surf League is set to restart again in Hawaii in less than a month.
The first event is a Women’s Championship Tour event in Maui, November 25, before proceeding directly to Oahu for the Pipe Masters for the men. There might also be a Qualifying Series event at Sunset Beach, although no details are available.
After this start, the professional contingent will need to remain in Hawaii before heading over to the next event in Portugal. New protocols also mean each surfer’s entourage will be restricted to one member only.
JBay surfer Matt McGillivray qualified for the 2020 Championship Tour after an excellent run of competitive surfing during the 2019 season, including a scintillating finish in Hawaii. Matt showed great skill and Big Match Temperament when it counted most, at events at Haleiwa and Sunset Beach. The waves were huge, and Matt’s hard-earned experience from surfing all those solid, cold days at Boneyards in JBay paid off.
The only difference is that he will be surfing the Pipe Masters this year, at the most dangerous wave in the world – the Banzai Pipeline.
Surfers who are highly skilled at Pipe have a massive advantage over lesser experienced surfers out there, as the wave itself is so scary. Matt is no slouch at Pipe. He might have grown up on the perfect right-hand point-break waves of Supertubes in Jeffreys Bay, but he knows what he wants in life and is a determined surfer and competitor.
At the beginning of this year, before the pandemic hit, Matt competed in the Volcom Pipe Pro, a QS event, and surfed all the way to the semi-finals. The waves were heavy water, and Matt showed utter conviction and courage to beat many local and visiting surfers en route to his semi-final berth. The event was eventually won by Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) from Joao Chianca (BRA).
So Matt goes into the Pipe Masters as a surfer who knows his way around the Pipe lineup, who is not scared, and who knows how to get through big heats. Our local JBay surfer might be that one guy turning heads as the Championship Tour starts again.
Distributed by Truth Collective
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The Monster Combo is an online campaign celebrating progressive, high-performance surfing. We’re looking for rides that link up a succession of moves in quality surf.
It has been a winter for the record books in sunny South Africa, and we know you’re all sitting on dynamite clips. Time to cash in!
For the first time in 2020, the Monster Combo introduces the Local Heroes division to celebrate and reward high-quality progressive surfing from the average Joe’s and Josephine’s in the general public.
Each month along with the best entry, we’ll be hooking up these local legends with a brand new Billabong wetsuit, a custom-built Channel Islands surfboard and a case of Monster Energy. So if you’re sitting on a clip, send it in and win!
Entries must show a single ride with variation, with at least two completed manoeuvres to qualify. Wave size, length of ride, flow between manoeuvres and technical difficulty will all be assessed by the judges. Each month, our judging panel will choose a monthly winner and a local hero. The winning monthly entries will be considered for the grand prize.
The prizes are off the charts. R20k in cash for the winner plus a free spot on an international Zigzag and Monster editorial surf trip, Channel Islands surfboards, Pollywog hampers, cold hard cash, plenty cases of Monster Energy and even more prizes still to be announced!
The event runs over 3 months, with 3 x monthly winners and the overall Champion crowned in December.
How To Enter:
To enter your videos, please send the raw video footage to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. via WeTransfer.com
Entry Must Include
Name of the surfer Name of the videographer Date surfed Location / Region
Rules:
Only video submissions will be accepted
Open to Southern African citizens of all ages inclusive of Mozambique & Namibia
Submissions must be surfed in 2020
Any footage submitted as an entry to the Monster Combo and which is subsequently uploaded to the surfer’s personal social media platform (Facebook or Instagram) must tag both @zigzagsurf & @monsterenergy as well as use the #monstercombo2020 tag.
Public votes will be open for the last 3 days of each month.
Cabarita, New South Wales, Australia – JBay's top professional surfer Matt McGillivray ended up a very impressive runner up in the first of the Australian Grand Slam of Surfing events, the Tweed Coast Pro. McGillivray was on a roll in the competition, eliminating highly rated surfers like Mikey Wright and Jack Robinson along the way, before eventually succumbing to Ethan Ewing in the final.
In the final heat, Ewing found a few rare bombs at Cabarita Beach. Despite a solid performance from McGillivray, Ewing defeated him with relative ease.
McGillivray has been in Australia for most of this year, choosing to remain there when the lockdown kicked in, as opposed to coming home to South Africa. The decision did him well, with an intense training program, a coach/trainer in his corner, and an invite into the Australian Grand Slam.
Back at home, however, JBay has had an epic season of waves, and McGillivray has found himself missing family, friends and waves. Still, a second-place finish is a good consolation, and entry into the entire Australian Grand Slam also will help to ease his homesickness.
"It was a big decision to stay here and not to go home when everything started locking down earlier this year, in March," said Rip Curl surfer McGillivray. "I miss my friends and my family and everyone back in JBay. I know everyone has been getting cooking waves, and it has been incredible watching it all on social media. It has been making me a bit homesick."
Next up in the Australian Grand Slam is the Boost Mobile Pro Gold Coast, and then the Margaret River Pro.
"Although it has been tough, it was all made worth it when I was awarded a spot in the Australian Grand Slam of Surfing," said McGillivray. "It has been a good decision for my career."
The Australian Grand Slam of Surfing, part of The WSL Countdown, will see 24 of Australia's best surfers (12 men and 12 women) go head to head in their respective divisions. 11 male CT competitors and 8 female CT competitors will be on standby for each stop, some looking to compete for the first time in 2020. The remaining spots in each field will be allocated to the highest ranked 2019 non-qualifying Australian surfers or selected wildcard surfers.
The broadcast-only 'strike mission' style events are not designed for spectators due to COVID. They will see competitors given just four days' notice within the competition window, to travel to each location to compete over two days. Surf conditions will determine which location is surfed and when to make sure surfers compete in the best conditions possible.
