My feeble attempt at a photo story....DJ's Crocs will never fit me....












Nelson Mandela birthday paddle - 18th of July is our beloved Madiba's birthday and I hadn't really planned anything particular other than going to work and grinding away as per usual. By lunchtime I realized we had one of those rare days where the ocean was complete glass – unfortunately without swell, so a surf was out of the question.

Then it struck me, why not paddle solo to Robben Island, Nelson Mandela's time-share, as we jokingly refer to it – conditions where perfect, always wanted to do it and what better day than on his birthday?

I set off on the 17' Naish Javelin just after 3pm thinking its about 7km each way so I should be good as sun sets around 6pm. Cellphone, flares, spare wetsuit top and a leash + notification of next of kin were my safety precautions.

It took me over 1hr 20min to reach the island so I realized it was obviously longer from Sunset Beach where I set off, than it is from Blouberg, which is where the 7km is measured from. You are not allowed to set foot on the island without permission, so I paddled to the kelp surrounding the Southern tip of the Island and headed back.

Distance from Sunset Beach is 10.8km so I had a bit of a grind getting back. Caught a great wave in to complete 21.6km in 2hr49min – just as the sun had set. It felt great having done the paddle and even better thinking about Madiba and all the greetings and love he so deservingly has been receiving from all over the world.

Happy birthday Madiba!