East London’s Dan Emslie and, Zoe Steyn and Anastasia Venter and Lorenzo Perels of Jeffrey’s Bay have put the Eastern Cape on the surfing map by excelling in international competitions for Team SA on Reunion Island last week.
Emslie who won the RipCurl Open final at the Port Alfred Easter Festival earlier this year at East Beach, tamed the clear blue waters of Reunion Island by winning The 2024 Indian Ocean Cup surfing tournament on Wednesday last week. In fact, the SA surfing contingent performed to a high standard in the Indian Ocean Cup with Venter and Steyn securing second and third places in the women’s division, respectively.
Emslie is also an active member of Port Alfred-based Kowie Boardriders Club (KBC).
Come Sunday, powerful goofy-footer, Steyn, pulled out all the stops in the follow up event – Coup De Surf Francophonie International Cup – also on Reunion Island, but was unlucky in the final being defeated by eventual winner, Aelan Vaast of New Aquitaine, in to second place.
Emslie, however, following that earlier success on Thursday had to settle for third place in the International Cup on the waves of Trois-Bassins on Reunion Island.
The Indian Ocean Cup, won by Emslie, was a thrilling international tournament, featuring competitors from among them South Africa, India, Mauritius, Reunion Island,. In the men’s final, Emslie outperformed Anbarasu Kishore from India, Dhanasekaran Srikanth (India), and Eliott Royer from La Reunion, and secured the top spot.
“Super stoked to win the Indian Ocean Cup here in Reunion”, said Emslie.
“It was a great confidence booster, and it helped me see where my backhand surfing is, coming from Nahoon (East London). It has been great working with Liam, (Wood) with his coaching and strategies, and he has been a major asset to the South African team.”
Emslie who is known for putting emphasis on his fitness regimen, said his preparation in the build-up with local coach, Greg Emslie, had boosted his chances.
“I was really happy … I was working super hard back home, training with my coach (Greg Emslie) and going to gym and testing my boards … and I felt very very good coming in to competition.”
Emslie speaking to Talk of the Town while in transit back to South Africa, said the standard of surfing was exceptional in Reunion.
“Each international team sent there top two U21 surfers … so the level was really high and to have to compete against top international surfers was super sick (great).
“The conditions for surfing on Reunion Island was a left reef break and it was just incredible. “The water was 26 degrees Celsius … it was crystal clear and you could actually see the coral reefs beneath you … it was unreal, such an amazing experience compared to wetsuits back home. To be in boy shorts surfing in clear water was quite an experience.”
Emslie said the reason for the Eastern Cape surfers’s excellent showing was down to “our positive mindset”.
“The Eastern Capers were really on fire .. Zoe, Anastasia and Lorenzo are all Eastern Capers and I think our success comes down to our mindset … leading up to the competition we were very optimistic and working with our coach Liam Wood and our manager, Danielle Powis, got our confidence levels up and they instilled belief in us we are good enough,” added Emslie..
The women’s division at the Indian Ocean Cup competition was equally diverse, with Vaast (Nouvelle-Aquitaine) claiming the top spot. Venter (JBay) and Steyn (EL) showcased their skills, with their second and third places, while Simon Kahili from Tahiti finished in 4th place.
From there Emslie, Venter, Steyn, and Perels headed off to compete in the International Cup where Emslie’s third placing was a highlight among the SA team perfomances.
“It has been an absolute pleasure to coach such a talented South African team at the Coupe de Surf Francophonie and Indian Ocean Cup,” said team coach, Wood.
“Reunion and the French federation opened their arms to South Africa. The standard of surfing was truly high, and the future of surfing from the Pacific and Indian Ocean countries will be a force to be reckoned with in the future.
“Zoe, Dan, Anastasia and Lorenzo stood out throughout the competition. I am genuinely proud of their professionalism and standard of surfing. They flew the SA flag high. Thank you, Surfing South Africa, The French Surfing Federation and the Reunion Surf League for a genuinely unforgettable competition. We can’t wait to be part of more series like this in the future.”
Additional Reporting by Craig Jarvis
- This article was first published in Talk of the Town, November 28, 2024. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.
