Cash Flow

Intercepting a swell from afar is no easy task, and this particular strike mission was no exception. Neither is traveling from Maui to South Africa, on the opposite side of the world. Was it worth it though? Well, this is Cash Berzolla we’re talking about. Of course it was.

Photos: Gumby & Slater Neborsky 

Cash Berzolla – Rider

Being able to experience a place I’d only seen in iconic surf films was something incredibly special. From J-Bay, a place where some of the best surfers in the world have flocked for decades, to Cape St. Francis which starred in The Endless Summer, it was not only incredible to visit these spots but to also be in the water there was pretty special. Speaking of the water, I somehow burned the most calories every day putting that wetsuit on and taking it off (it’s a work in progress – I’m from Maui). At least the waves were absolutely insane to make up for it. Look in one direction and you’d find a peeling right hander, then to the inside there would be a hucking beach break spitting now and then. Glance a little up the coast and a playful slab would jack up out of nowhere and throw a solid barrel. It was truly baffling. So many options, yet only so many hours in a day. How to ride it all…

The slab was a particularly memorable session. I had never foiled a proper slab before and was keen to see how this unique wave shape would affect the foil. It turns out that foiling a slab sounds a lot better written down on a napkin than in reality, but we made it work. Actually, the foil handled pretty well considering all the boils and fast water moving up the wave. Getting out was fairly easy, just a little head high shorebreak which required good timing and then I was out heading up the coast a few hundred meters to chase this C shaped wave. The challenge with the slab was keeping the foil in the water. With such an abrupt change in slope, the foil would go from being deep in the water to almost breaching in a matter of seconds. It required planning ahead to not over foil. Another challenge that came to my attention when first looking “over the edge” was the incredibly shallow water depth. The foil needed an extra few feet from the bottom, so shallow water was a no go. A lot of the smaller waves would swing too far inside and basically go dry. This meant either clearing the slab entirely, kicking out early, or going for a bigger set wave that broke further out and allowed for carving turns and more flowy riding. My mind is now definitely open to the potential of wing foiling slabs.

The next few days leading up to “the” J-Bay session were a calm before the storm where we had the chance to explore more of what South Africa has to offer outside the water. We saw some amazing animals including elephants that seemed to mow just about anything down in their paths as well as zebras that were, unbelievably, actually not painted black
and white?! Other than the land creatures, we found some mental landscapes. Long stretches of coast mixed with the beautiful terrain of the countryside as well as sand dunes
that melted into the sea (and my socks) was a great break from the storm that was the ocean.

“It turns out that foiling a slab sounds a lot better written down on a napkin than in reality, but we made it work. “

R&R didn’t last long, and before I knew it, we were enroute to J-Bay to check out a massive incoming swell. I’ve seen a few point breaks from traveling around the world, but this
was something else. Swell lines stretched as far as the eye could see in both directions. The iconic Super Tubes was too crowded to foil from morning to midday, so we just watched from the beach in hopes the swell would pick up and start to thin out the crowd. By mid-afternoon, the swell had indeed grown enough to create some space on the water, and we decided to give it a shot. The wind was an absolutely nuking 30+ knots and the 8ft swell that was forecasted had filled in and was wrapping into the bay with all its might.

There was no hope of launching off the rocks at Jeffrey’s, so we headed up the coast about a mile to an overhead beach break, which was still bombing but at least it was sand! With a quick downwinder to Jeffrey’s Bay, I was out the back in a few minutes rolling with the swells and looking in towards the houses that lined the inside of this world class wave. Within five minutes of being outside of Magnas, the biggest and darkest squall I’ve ever seen rolled out from inland and pushed right over me. Rain pelted down so hard it felt as if hundreds of BBs were being shot into my face and eyes. The wind picked up to at least 45+ knots and even my tiny 2.6m A-Wing XPS was just too much. I sat down in the murky water – which looking back was probably not my best idea – and had a think. “What am I doing here? How did this happen?” raced through my head as I sat in the scariest conditions I’ve ever encountered in the ocean. Soon enough, the squall passed, the wind backed off, and the rain stopped, revealing a yellow glow that shone through the houses and onto an almost empty lineup at Super Tubes. “It’s now or never” I thought to myself as I headed over to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. With about four surfers still in the lineup getting washed around by rogue sets, I thought it would be possible to foil while respecting the distance of the couple guys fighting to stay somewhat in position. The next hour or so would end up being some of the best wingfoiling I’ve ever had. Perfectly groomed walls of water that went forever, big faces that had plenty of canvas to work with, and fast sections that wouldn’t have been makeable on a surfboard. This session was definitely the most memorable and exciting of the trip because of how much it pushed the boundaries of wingfoiling for me. I think being able to ride such an iconic surf wave shows what can be done on a foil and begs the question: what’s next?

“Even though foiling is an amazing sport and unlocks the entire ocean, it doesn’t mean you can go flying in between people that are trying to surf. “

This trip was one to remember for sure. Between the wildlife, landscapes, and perfect waves, I couldn’t have asked for much more. When foiling waves like Jeffrey’s Bay (and any wave in general, especially with other surfers in the water), it's very important to understand the risks as well as your personal limits. That day, we watched J-Bay for almost eight hours – and for each of those eight hours, there was no way I would have been seen within 500 feet of that crowded lineup. Even though foiling is an amazing sport and unlocks the entire ocean, it doesn’t mean you can go flying in between people that are trying to surf. There are unspoken rules, and understanding those rules is imperative to keeping foiling from being highly regulated. Every precaution and safety measure was thought of for this trip in order to make it a success. That said, it was an absolute miracle to foil J-Bay, wave I grew up watching my idols surf. To say I got lucky with this trip would be an understatement. Special thanks to Gumby and the family for all the hospitality as well as all the local knowledge that was shared. This trip wouldn’t have been possible without you guys. I look forward to hopefully coming back someday whether that be for the waves or just for the pure stoke that was spread to me and the team.

“As we discussed the options, it started to become clear to me that Cash was keen to throw himself at anything and everything, so we started adding some heavier, shallower places to our list.”

Gumby – Photographer & Guide

When the Armstrong team first contacted me about Cash potentially coming down to South Africa, the brief was pretty simple: Cash wanted to ride some big, fast, long point breaks. This was before the infamous GWA “Cash Show” in Cape Verde, so I had not yet heard of him and had no idea that my take on what was possible on a wingfoil was about to be shattered, buried, and never to be the same again.

His team were interested in the possibility of riding a really long one through the entire point of J-Bay but were cautious about the crowded lineup. On top of the crowds, J-Bay is far from ideal for foiling. The wind runs right up the face, which to most mortal wingers is an impossible variable. Also, there is a big wind shadow across the spot which makes it great to surf in all but the most extreme conditions. There’s basically a one in a million chance that conditions get so big and windy that it washes through and becomes basically unrideable for surfers. Only then could Cash maybe snag a ride through that fabled lineup, the freight train that is Super Tubes.

We made a shortlist of spots to focus on and then started watching the weather charts. This part of the world is littered with long reef/point break type waves where getting a very long and intense ride is possible. Some are established surf breaks, but there are plenty that go unridden with favorable wind conditions. Certainly with the evolution of wingfoiling, these spots have become amazing options. As we discussed the options, it started to become clear to me that Cash was keen to throw himself at anything and everything, so we started adding some heavier, shallower places to our list. I was still unaware of how my mind was about to be blown. It became clear just how much of our coastline was about to be unlocked, all these opportunities just sitting there waiting for wingfoiling to come along.

South Africa has a deep and strong surfing heritage, and foiling is part of that. We are adventurous people with a real love for the ocean playground, and while most people remain open minded, there are concerns about foiling in crowded lineups. The two sports are related, but they don’t necessarily fit together in the same space. Cash showed us that foiling can happen in spots we never thought were rideable, and in conditions that we never dreamed of. The bottom line is that Super Tubes is never going to be a foiling wave – it’s just too crowded and frankly too difficult to ride on a foil. A guy like Cash made it work in conditions that cleared the lineup, but he is that rare athlete that could make the wave and keep himself on that swell in head-on, 50 knot winds and stay critical enough to ride it all the way without falling.

Before this unicorn swell materialized, we stuck to our list of heavy slabs and unridden reefs in the vicinity. Winds were never ideal with more west-northwest then the usual southwest. This did not slow Cash down, he just attacked everything. Never any excuses, just sending. He rode heavy, unpredictable waves effortlessly. He did things on every wave that I never thought possible. His catlike nature got him in and out of situations that would be nightmarish for anyone else I can think of. Cash is truly busting down the door, and he’s doing it with style, humility, and grace.

When the big swell hit, we moved our focus to a lesser-known point break in J-Bay called Magnas. This has always been where the windsurfers and kiters prefer to ride. The wind is better, and when it’s big and windy, there is usually no one out there. Cash had a great session there in 50 knot winds and overhead swell. As the swell built through the day, he watched it with a keen eye and silently resolved to get back out there and blow all our minds. A huge squall came through just before dark and some massive sets started rolling through. Cash snagged a massive wave and did the unthinkable: he made a wave from wide Magnas through Boneyards and raced all the way down the point to the last name on the list, Albatross. This has never been done before. People have had rides that ended in the same place, but never from as deep as Cash. He did it! He got his moment, that rare window where all the conditions aligned and he made it work.

Foiling is in safe hands. Cash is an infectious character with a work ethic and determination beyond his years. He is humble, respectful and just an all-around good kid. I look forward to seeing where he takes this sport and am happy to be able to call him a friend. Don’t think I’ll be 20 feet in the air upside down over a slabbing 8ft wave anytime soon, but I will be looking at the ocean with new eyes and a new outlook on what’s possible. I might even go check out that mystical reef up the road where it’s believed a 3km ride is possible… Thanks Cash!