Riptide Magazine

Spex Hits the GC

Friday, 12 March 2010 17:07

This shot directly follows the shot on the front page. Spex lovin' it on the knee.
Photos // aophoto.com.au

Here's a little chat that Riptide had with the talented South African.

How have you found your time on the Gold Coast and what brought you here?
The Goldie has been good fun. I've had a couple fun waves at Kirra, D-bah and Straddie, so no complaints. My visit to the Gold Coast is thanks to the Quiksilver Pro at Snapper, as my girlfriend (Rosy Hodge) is on the Womens Wold Tour and was competing in this, the first event of 2010 Tour (she came equal ninth).

From all the photos we’ve received from Hawaii, it seems as though the South Africans were pushing it pretty hard. What do you think was pushing you guys?
It's hard to say. It seems that in the past few years there's been a younger crew of South Africans traveling to the North Shore, pushing each other and working together to better their riding. Another influence may be related to the huge financial outlay of going there and the difficulty in obtaining American visas. I guess it's a lot harder for South Africans to make the pilgrimage to Hawaii, so by the time we get there, we've sacrificed too much to let any opportunities slip by.

Could you briefly describe the state of bodyboarding in South Africa at the moment and how’d you think the future of the sport is looking over there?
For the size of industry, the sport is looking very healthy. We have plenty of talented young riders that are well calculated competitors and chargers alike. The only thing holding back the state of bodyboarding in SA would be the economy; our guys are good enough to make a name for themselves on the international scene, but they lack the financial backing.

You’re a talented photographer, prone rider and DK demon. Which do you prefer or do you love crossing over amongst them all?
There are moments when I'm torn between the three, but I feel that's a good thing, as I love them all. I prefer shooting when I'm with a bunch of riders that know how to work with a photographer and will very rarely shoot when there's another photographer at work. (Sacha also said that he shot a lot when the other bodyboarders all started rocking up to Hawaii because by the time they got there, he'd already had plenty of uncrowded Pipe days. Nice!)

Finally, do you know of any more waves like the Devils Horn in South Africa? Come on, you can tell us!
There are a couple, but that's all I can say. (Laughs)

To see the waves Sacha scored during his time on the Coast, click through to the Riptide Exclusive's Gallery. The Riptide Forum also has a great interview of Spex from last year - well worth a read.