Summer lines

by Roger Smith DAWN PATROL website; page 6 ; page 8


When spring comes to an end at the south eastern tip of Africa, the swell doesn’t stop coming. Whereas in winter swell tends to come from the southwest, with the onset of summer, swell lines tend to come more from the south and east.
This change means that they hit our coast more directly.



Warm water and clean summer lines!

Summer waves are not as intense, but the lines are still there. Our swell producing engine in the Roaring Forties works throughout the summer holiday, with the assistance of it’s cousins to the east in the southern Indian Ocean, the tropical cyclones.



Misty warm morning lines, and empty lineups.

In November, the sun beats down, and the water is warm. Cold fronts are not cold, and their scouts, the coastal lows bring warm south westerly offshores.
The onshores are gentle and lazy, tending to wake up late, and rather speed the waves up by making the lips crumble a little.



Summer lines are good enough for me.



Light offshore, bit of swell, say no more!

This is our wild coast.


Louis and Roger run Dawnpatrol, a surf tour operator based in East London on South Africa’s south east coast.
They and their support team move up and down the coast, surfing the best waves on offer between Jeffrey’s Bay and the Natal South Coast. Check out their site on www.dawnpatrol.co.za.