SPOT ON SPOT:
A Revisionist Glance at Historic Surfing Locales: J Bay

Jeffrey's is known as one of the world's best right-handers - and for good reason

For the first couple of years, no surfers dared challenge Supertubes, but in 1968, two Aussies known only as ‘Morrey’ and ‘The Animal’ had a go, and opened up that section of the wave to the future. That same year, Shaun Tomson and his cousin Mike made their first surfari to J-Bay, and, like Casablanca, it was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

In 1970, Wayne Lynch, Nat Young and Ted Spencer have a bash at Supertubes on their modern machines and the word is out: Believe the hype. Two years later, local landowner Prof Oosthuizen has had enough of the pot-smoking hippie surfers invading his farmland and he sells it all from The Point all the way to Supertubes to Wavecrest Development. A plot of land now selling for over R500,000 sold then for R2000.

In 1975, Bunker Spreckles surfs a 5’7 Skip Frye ‘Fish’ from the top of the point at Boneyards to Impossibles, still considered a groundbreaking feat, especially at the time. In 1976, Cheron Habib starts the Country Feeling label on the beach at Supers with one sewing machine, making a few boardshorts for top Durban surfer Mike Larmont. Country Feeling goes on to become the backbone of the surf industry in J-Bay. Cheron Kraak is now at the helm of Billabong South Africa, and considered the unofficial mayor of J-Bay.

In 1977, J Bay turns on for the cameras of Dick Hoole, who records an all-start cast of international pros, including Terry Fitzgerald, Randy Rarick, Chris Byrne and Mark Warren. The footage features in Hoole’s surf classic, ‘Tubular Swells’ and screens around the world. J-Bay becomes the wave to surf before you die.

The Billabong Pro begins as the Beach Hotel Classic in 1981 with sponsorship totaling R850 and organized by Rupert Chadwick. Shaun Tomson beats the field of 27 surfers in epic five-foot conditions. The effect of visiting surfers on the economics of the town slowly unfurls the welcome mat, as conservative village people mix with a never-ending menagerie of traveling surfers.

The Beach Hotel Classic is upgraded to an ASP World Tour event as the Country Feeling Surf Classic. Mark ‘Occy’ Occhilupo wins the first event with a redline, pedal to the metal brand of backside surfing that is still considered the gold standard from The point to Supertubes. A lot of the pro surfers of the 80s and 90s were torn about surfing J Bay, as they did not want to visit the country with its apartheid policies. Tom Curren did not surf the place until 1993, but on his third or fourth wave, he blazed it from Boneyards to beyond Supertubes and raised the Gold Standard a little higher for the frontside attack.