South African's big wave quest begins
30 October 2009
South African big wave charger Chris Bertish began his quest to conquer three of the planet's most prestigious giant surf events with a strong third-place finish in the Liquid Militia Paddle-in Exhibition at Nelscott Reef in Oregon, USA last week.
The 35-year-old Capetonian faced a helter-skelter schedule of tying up loose ends at home and travelling for 36 hours, and getting just three hours of sleep, before taking to the classic 30-foot (10-metre) waves.
Despite all the travel and lack of sleep, Bertish finished just 0.6 of a point behind the winner Anthony Tashnick.
"I was just stoked to have made it over in time for my heat,” Bertish said. "After travelling for over 36 hours, I just wanted to catch a couple waves to make the long journey worthwhile and I ended up third, which was an added bonus.
Proudly South African
"As long as I make South Africa proud, I'm happy."
Notified last Sunday that the event had been confirmed to run on Thursday, Bertish had to cancel the tickets he had booked for the end of the month, get new ones issued, wrap up his business commitments and a fund-raising function he had organised for Monday evening, attend meetings on Tuesday, and then head for the airport, while packing along the way.
After over 30 hours of travel, including a three-hour delay in London due to engine problems, he arrived in San Francisco, only to face a 30-minute interrogation by customs agents who would not let him into the USA until they were convinced to check his website on the Internet!
After missing his connecting flight to Portland, Bertish managed to snag a seat on the last flight, arriving at 22:00 on Wednesday. From there, he organised a rental car and then faced a four-hour drive to Lincoln City, arriving at 03:00. Up at 06:00, he was elated to find his equipment was still in one piece and headed for the contest site.
The conditions
Fortunately for Bertish, the event started with the Nelscott Reef Tow-in Classic, which was won by the Californian team of Adam Replogle and Alistair Craft for the second year in a row. It allowed Bertish to orientate himself and suss out the conditions at the venue, which were epic with the surface of the water like silk at the break over a kilometre from the beach.
"As I jumped off the back of the sled and paddled into the line-up, I knew it was going to be a good heat, everything just felt right. I paddled deeper into the line-up, deeper than anyone else, and the waves came to me. I was late and deep, but the waves came and there was no going back!" Bertish explained.
He caught five rides, with just one wipe-out, when he tried to pull into a tube that did not open up as expected, and then it was all over.
Many spectators thought the South African had won, but when the judges' scores were tallied Bertish was in third place, in an incredibly close finish, with which he was well satisfied.
Stand Up Paddleboarding
Back on the shore he still had enough energy to borrow a Naish Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) and, despite the fact that the board was missing one fin, he set out through the two-to-three metre high shore-break to become the first person to ride Nelscott Reef on a SUP!
"I only ended up getting one wave, as it grew dark, but got caught inside by the biggest wave I have ever faced while on a SUP. Every now and again you deserve a good beating, it's character-building. I'm glad that one is now done and ticked off the list," he laughed.
Bertish has since headed down the west coast of the USA to the notorious break at Mavericks, just south of San Francisco, where he is one of the 24 invitees to the Mavericks Surf Contest. The event has a waiting period that runs for three months, starting on 1 November.
Hawaii
While the pioneering big wave rider is in California, he will be keeping an eye on what the surf is doing in Hawaii as he is one of just 16 invitees in the inaugural edition of the Stand Up World Tour event to be staged at Makaha on the west coast of the island of Oahu.
The SUP event also has a holding period while organisers wait for minimum 15-foot (five-metre) waves in which to crown the first Stand Up World Champion.
Bertish, a savvy marketer, brand ambassador and agent for O'Neill South Africa, and new media marketer for True Blue Surf Travel, has created a Website where full details of his exploits can be followed via a twice weekly blog, pictures and video.
Liquid Militia Paddle In Exhibition at Nelscott Reef
Results
- Anthony Tashnick - California
- Kealii Mamala - Hawaii
- Chris Bertish - South Africa
- Travis Payne - Oregon
- Greg Long - California
- Gary Linden - California
- Mark Visser - Australia
- Shane Desmond - California
- Mike Parsons-California
SAinfo reporter
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