Hot in the city: Durban in July
1 July 2005
For the sixth year running, South African cellphone company Vodacom will offer something for everyone at the Beach Africa 10-day festival, which attracts some one million people to Durban's golden mile every year.
Running from 2 July, the festival will include action and entertainment in the surf, on the sand, on the promenade and in the skate park.
The park will be a haven of youth culture, with South Africa’s finest BMX, skateboarding and graffiti artists performing demos, running clinics and competing in lucrative competitions.
The top four National Skateboard Association stars - Alan Marola and Gavin "Moses" Adams of Cape Town, and Lloyd Hodoul and George van Blerk of Durban - will take part in the showdown on Saturday 2 July. On Sunday 3 July Durban ripper Sandile Maphumulo and Tshwane's Puddy Zwenis hope to give the established crew a run for their money in the Best Trick event, which boasts generous cash prizes.
The BMX
competition favourites include Durbanites Tyrone Bradley (Vodacom 4U award nominee) and Colin Loudon (2005 Riot Jam Winner), Cape Town's Buddy Chellan (2004 Alex Groll Cup Champion) and Gauteng's Greg Illingworth (2005 Rand Show Champion). The event takes place on Saturday 9 July. There will also be daily clinics held in a relaxed atmosphere, where riding will be open to the public and the pros will give pointers to novices.
Queen of the Surf
The richest Queen of the Surf event ever staged in the history of the series will take place on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 July, attracting the nation's top 12 surf iron-women. Vodacom has almost doubled the prize money to R15 000 for this event, which showcases the skill, fitness and determination of South Africa's fittest females.
The first 2005 event of the series consists of four gruelling disciplines: surf swimming, surf ski paddling, kneeboard paddling and soft sand running, which interlinks the
other three disciplines. Durban's Jenna Worlock, voted the World's Fittest Woman in 2003 and current Queen of the Surf, will be defending her title.
But she faces stiff competition from rising star Kendal Alford-Loots of Cape Town, who finished second in the series last year, and from veteran of the sport Stacey Bowley of Durban, who has numerous SA and world records to her name. The current world surf ski champion, Capetonian Nikki Mocke, is also expected to compete. Other competitors to watch out for will be locals Nicole O'Driscoll and Monique Dalais, who are always up front, fighting for top positions.
Ryk Neethling
One of the highlights of the festival will be the appearance of national hero and heartthrob Ryk Neethling, the swimmer of the anchor leg when the SA men's freestyle relay team won gold in record time at the Athens Olympic Games. He will participate in an autograph-signing session on Sunday 3 July on the beachfront.
Brian Capper's demos promise to thrill, with displays of crazy motorbike stunts. Capper, who won the recent Mr Price super moto national event in Durban, has an special extreme riding exhibition line-up to reveal at the 2005 Vodacom Beach Africa festival.
Vodacom will be hosting corporate rugby and soccer events on 7 and 8 July, with five-a-side teams competing for fun, glory and trophies. Penalties include fines for the worst captain and for chirping the referee.
Teams have to have a compulsory minimum of two women per side playing on the pitch at any given time. At the end of the evening the new Vodacom Corporate Beach Champions will be crowned in the hospitality tent.
Vodacom Ocean Experience clinics
The popular Vodacom Ocean Experience clinics will be run by big wave tow-in surfer and national surfing team captain Jason Ribbink and his brother Brandon, who is a former world lifesaving champion. The team will be joined by
lifesavers Prince Zungu, Donald Brierely, Andrew Campbell and Nicole O'Driscoll.
The Vodacom Ocean Experience is aimed at individuals who have never seen the ocean before or never attempted any wave-riding sports. Free lessons, open to all, will be held every day at 10am, 12 noon and 2pm at New Pier Beach for the duration of the festival.
The clinics include water safety talks, rescue demos and the opportunity to ride waves on Bilt surfboards and bodyboards. Participants will receive certificates once they have completed the lesson. On one of the days a children's home will be invited to spend the day with the Ribbink brothers, learning to surf.
Safety for beachgoers
Vodacom will provide added peace of mind for parents and beachgoers with the Vodacom surf rescue crew patrolling the waters on state-of-the-art Yamaha rescue sleds. Three of Durban's professional lifeguards, headed by Marvee Sheahan, will patrol the beachfront for extra
safety over this important holiday period.
There will be something for the whole family at this year's Vodacom Beach Africa with the anchor event, the Mr Price Pro surfing contest, attracting some of the globe's hottest surfers to the golden mile.
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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