Red Bull Big Wave Africa at Hout Bay

[Ming]

The monster waves are here and soon the thrill-seekers who want to ride them will arrive as well.

Fast, huge swells thundered over the Dungeons reefs outside Hout Bay yesterday, but the conditions were too wild to hold this year's Red Bull Big Wave Africa contest, said spokesman Craig Jarvis.

"At this stage, it appears that the contest will take place on Saturday, because the swell might settle down to about 20 feet in height by then and conditions could be more favorable," Jarvis added.

"At the moment the wind is from the southwest, which is directly on-shore. At Dungeons, you want it to come from the northwest to northeast. But the wait will give us time to call those surfers, still overseas, out to the event."

The speed of the waves yesterday forced surfers who went out for a practice to do tow-in surfing, a somewhat different discipline to the more conventional paddle-in type that constitutes the event.

With tow-in surfing a surfer on a board much smaller than that used for paddling-in is towed into the face of the wave by a jet-ski.

Among the top-class surfers on the water yesterday were Grant "Twiggy" Baker from Durban and Californian Greg Long, two Dungeons veterans. They are among the official contestants lined up for this year's event.

Twenty-three of the world's top big wave surfers have already announced they will participate.

The actual window period for the event this year has been increased to seven days and the call for surfers to arrive goes out 48 hours before the event, said spokeswoman Taryn Cheadle.

"If the waves are really good we will therefore be able to have two practice sessions before the actual event, which is a bonus," she said.

At least 10 South African contenders will be competing this year. They include Chris Bertish, Andrew Marr, David Smith, Mickey Duffus, Ian Armstrong, Sean Holmes, Baker, Jason Ribbink, John Whittle and Simon Lowe.

Lowe, who will be competing for the first time, said, "If it's your day it's your day, and that's the bottom line. But you gotta be prepared."

A 24th spot is still open, to allow the organisers of the event to issue a special invitation to a surfer of their choice.

The contest is not called unless the waves reach a minimum of 15 feet in height.

Foreign contestants include Californian Grant Washburn, Jamie Sterling from Hawaii, former Big Wave Africa winner Greg Long from California and Brazilian die-hard Carlos Burle, former Quiksilver Eddie Aikau, Big Wave Event winner Ross Clarke-Jones from Australia and three-times Mavericks winner Darryl "Flea" Virostko from California.

Big wave Chilean surfer Ramon Navarro will be here for the first time this year, as will Peter Mel from California.