Arnie (US):
I can hardly say enough ! I had an
excellent surfari with Dawnpatrol .. I
have surfed
around the world in the past few years, and, have been on a
few
guided tours as well (peru july 2001 &
maldives july 1999) and, this trip is
the best for
many reasons .. i dont mind saying so because i
know
fortunately S. Africa will never get too crowded
or spoiled, as far as a
surf destination goes
..
Dawnpatrol is run by Roger Smith & Louis Siebert
.. they are seasoned
surfers, excellent operators,
and great guys .. mature, conscientious,
and
responsible .. when they are not surfing/guiding,
Roger is a lawyer & Louis
is a trader/merchant ..
these guys are total professionals, in and out of
the
water .. they know the country and they know the surf .. you
can have
TOTAL confidence in these guys ..
In
21 days, my buddy Andy and i surfed 16 different top breaks
over 19 days
.. (we got surfed out and went to a game
reserve for 2 days) .. many days
were double sessions
and a few triple sessions, if we wanted them .. (we
did
the 3-week durban-east london-capetown tour but
next time i will spend even
more time in East London
.. Capetown is an awesome city but the surf spots
are
more spread out and more crowded ) .. average wave height was
4-6 foot
with many 6-8 foot days as well .. the
smallest day was 3-foot and we
welcomed it ! i had
the best waves of my life in East London .. we
also
caught jeffreys & cape st. francis in epic
6-foot perfection and a few other
semi-secret spots
closer to Capetown .. I had a 6'9 & 7'3 shaped by Lampeez
an East London shaper .. great boards .. i rode the 7'3 ninety
percent of the time .. Andy rides a longboard exclusively and
he had a 9'0 slider shaped by Lampeez as well ..
East
London has great weather even in mid-winter .. very much like
Santa Barbara/central coast of california .. its a wave mecca
.. picks up multi-directional swell and no matter the wind
direction, there is always a spot firing within 30 miles .. it
really sustains amazing surfing conditions all year around ..
i dont know
where you surf, but its a combination of
san diego & central coast surfing
with no crowds
.. literally no crowds !! we were in spring suits mostly ..
a
few days in a 3.2 .. nice clean, clear &
temperate water .. the locals are
completely cool and
welcomed us enthusiastically, the few times we saw
them
that is ! they surf mostly at the main break
Nahoon Reef, where Roger &
Louis ARE THE locals..
a really awesome wave ..
i guess thats about it .. it
was an all-time surf trip .. one that i will do
many
more times hopefully .. im planning for next spring/summer
with my
amigos already .. out of the water you can
expect an equally good time in
style .. great
accomodations, regular braais & beers with the boys,
and
loads of nice looking chicas .. S. Africa is
truly a stunning country .. it
is still safe, clean
and 1st world, but im not sure if it will remain
that
way 10+ years from now ..
let me know if you
have any questions, and in the words of wise old WM,
"if
you do it next year, youll just be a year older
when you do it .." .. GO NOW
!!
Ken
(US):
Roger and Louis the owner, operators of
Dawnpatrol have truly found a niche that makes the most of a
sustainable resource in SA. The waves, and man do they have
them, consistent and uncrowded, a novelty on both counts for
two guys from the east coast of America. I've wanted to visit
SA since I saw the movie The Endless Summer back in the 60's.
I stumbled across the Dawnpatrol website quite by chance and
little did I realize that the dialog I opened with Roger would
lead to fulfillment of this ambition. But it did and I can't
say enough about Roger, Louie and the whole Dawnpatrol
crew.Individually and collectively they make the whole African
experience happen. I got a Mate interested and we bought our
tickets.From beginning to end the Dawnpatrol crew were there,
tailoring the whole trip to whatever we wanted. Roger picked
us up at the airport and dropped us off at our completely
stocked, comfortable rooms to clean up a bit and then out to
dinner to meet our guide, Nick, for the next day. We discussed
our expectations and arranged to be met the next morning, at
our rooms for a dawn patrol at Nahoon reef. Since Matt and I
are both in our 50's and maybe a bit past our prime and riding
9'+ longboards, we were a little anxious to be tackling a
rocky point wave of some notoriety. Nick and Roger showed us
where to paddle out and addressed all our concerns. We had a
great first session in great waves and it really set the stage
for our two-week trip. There were waves everyday at a variety
of breaks and we thoroughly enjoyed all of them, always with
our guide for the day watching and surfing with us, offering
tips and local knowledge to maximize each session. After surf,
chows were first class, giving us plenty of fuel for the next
session. If the waves got blown out or we were just too surfed
out, we saw the sights around the East Cape or visited friends
and family of our guides. We were welcomed everywhere we went.
These guys really know how to make you feel at home. One of
the highlights of our journey had to be an excursion down to
Jeffrey's Bay with Louis, where we caught 3'perfectly shaped
waves. An awe-inspiring sight to see, the way they wrap around
the point and peel down the coast. After a morning session at
Jeffrey's, we traveled further out Cape St. Francis to Seal
Point, where the waves were a little bigger and still
perfectly shaped peelers. Some of the longest rides we've ever
gotten and at the spot that captured my imagination so many
years ago. We surfed until we couldn't paddle any longer. Then
back to our beautiful accommodations for the night at Cape St.
Francis, with a view of the point from our upstairs balcony.
All this arranged by our intrepid guide Louis. The swell
dropped the next morning so we did some exploring around St.
Francis and decided to return to East London, where we knew
there were waves thanks to Roger's constant telephone weather
and surf condition reports. Halfway back we changed our plans
and made a side trip to Addo Elephant Park, which seemed like
a good idea. But after an hour driving around lost in the
park, looking for elephants, we were beginning to have our
doubts. Louis got us sorted out on the right track and the
elephants came right to us, a whole herd. Great stuff and we
got pictures to prove it. This was the only day we didn't surf
and it was by choice. The rest of our trip we spent in and
around East London surfing, sightseeing, and making friends.
Two weeks wasn't enough time but it was all we could spend.
And it flew by. Louis, Roger and his family dropped us back at
the airport for our flight home. I had a 9'6" custom longboard
made by Lampeez, a local shaper and good surfer in his own
right and it performed admirably in a variety of conditions. I
brought it home as my souvenir from SA. To avoid the risk of
getting too windy I think I'll end my rambling discourse here.
Roger, Louis, the rest of the Dawnpatrol crew does a bang up
job in all facets of their operation. I wholeheartedly
recommend them to anyone interested in surfing, adventure or
Africa and I hope to utilize their services again in the
future myself.
Keep surfing
Ken
M.
Matt (UK):
Hi.
Well, my impression of SA as a
Surf trip destination; it has to be one of the best. I had the
longest waves of my life, the best hold down ever! Roger and
Louis will totally look after you and will defiantly find you
surf somewhere! The country is absolutely amazing and the Dawn
Patrol trip is probably one of the best ways to experience
South Africa. you Haven't surfed until you have checked out
the "Reef"Re sharks: I went in peak season and IM still here.
They aren't waiting for you to jump off the end of the
pier! where ever you go in the world you run the risk of
danger and SA is well worth the trip so Dont be put off by
what you hear. Take my advice: pack your bag, board, get on a
plane and get there as soon as you can and I promise you that
you will have the surf trip of your life!
Yours in
surfing (wave starved Brit)
Matt (The Doo Doo
Monster)
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