Surfin Coffee Bay

A damp start to the day, as our tent has completely filled with rainwater. There's a swamp in and around our tent. No time to dry out everything though, as we've signed up for surfing lessons. They are advertised as the cheapest surfing lessons in South Africa, and at 70 Rand (3 quid), it's probably the truth.

We hit the beach with our group, and the conditions for learning look fantastic. Lots of small waves, consistently breaking across the length of the beach. We have the entire place to ourselves, perhaps helped by the fact that the storm is still raging, and we're surfing in a downpour.

That's not the only difference from our Tofo surfing lesson. This time, our instructor teaches a completely new, easier method of surfing, and we pick it up a lot easier. We still don't pick it up immediately- getting stuck in a deeper section of the tide doesn't help. The rain storm, and the rugged coastline, with huge cliffs looming over us, makes us feel like we are surfing the apocalypse. After a couple of hours catching waves, we head back to the hostel. Only problem is that the rain has caused the river separating the beach from the road to burst its banks. What was a small stream a few hours prior is now a raging torrent. It gets worse and worse, so we make the decision to cross before it engulfs the beach. In order to cross, we take it in turns to take a surfboard and cross in pairs, using the board to push against the current. We all make it safely across, with a few nervous stumbles.

After changing out of our wetsuits, we make the decision to take down the tent and move into a room, as the storm is only getting worse. It's a relief, and we're finally able to get dry.

We spend the evening drinking beers with an English couple- Luke and Tay- who are travelling the world. South Africa is their first stop and they're heading to Sri Lanka next. It's strange how it's possible to get travel envy even though we've crossed most of Africa.Read more