BRANDON’S
The swell is diminishing day by day, and after checking out plenty of the local spots, one morning we decide to take the south coast road to find some different waves. Not only that, it gives a chance to go and see Jason and Sarah who work mostly on the south-west coast, 40 minutes’ drive away. The beach at Pebbles, their base, is an enormous contrast to the beaches on the south-east, totally flat calm to make learning stand up easy, and a cool little wave over on the left of the bay. “What a great spot for your SUP centre, it’s brilliant here” says Alexis, watching a group of tourists having their first taste of the joys of paddling on the water. “You understand why we chose to be here? It’s a total buzz to teach here and see all these people having so much fun” Jason replies, before adding “Why don’t you stay and have some lunch here with us next door, and if you’re going surfing later, it may be worth your while going and having a look at Brandon’s while the tide’s going out. It’s close to here and I can tell you exactly how to get there.”
We leave Jason at his school after a delicious beach-side lunch, and hit the road filled with curiosity to see what kind of magic trick our host has played on us with his latest idea. Before we’ve even arrived at the end of the track leading to the spot, we’re totally blown away by the beauty and tranquillity of the place. Hidden behind all the dense vegetation of palms and other big tufted trees and plants is a magnificent beach of fine sand. Some nice waves are forming off-shore on the reef, the tide’s still on its way out but there’s already plenty to keep us amused. Without a second thought, Alexis is off to grab his gear and paddle out to the peak. In the crystal-clear water he can see an enormous variety of fish swimming under his board, and carefully checks out the contours of the coral reef just under the surface. Somewhat distracted by the underwater show, he misses out on a great set rising up just in front of him, but manages to get himself on the next right that rolls in. The surprisingly well-formed wall sets a perfect rhythm for some pretty explosive moves without needing too much impetus. Alexis gets his take-off speed up, looking to get the fins out of the water as soon as possible on the more closed sections. A few of the locals, seeing him having that much fun in the small but perfectly-formed conditions going left from the peak, paddle out to join him and we finish another sunny day in paradise in fine style. Looking further from the shore where the sets first appear, your eyes are drawn magnetically to the big red sun glittering its way down to the horizon, and the stunning beauty of the reflections it makes on the palm trees lining the edge of the beach.
