Destination - Jbay Surf Retreats

There are few perfect things in life, its true. I think that if you are a surfer, you look at perfection in a different way. To simplify, a surfers standards of perfection are pretty high. It takes a lot to impress us, and maybe thats just because we see and feel a lot of cool stuff that other groups of people don't on a daily basis. As usual there is a point to this. I believe there is a place on the planet that stands out to even to our already heightened senses of perfection. I am talking about Jeffreys Bay in South Africa.

My regular-footed-self has long dreamed about tucking in to the challenging but perfect looking right hander that is Supertubes. So I sometimes get a little carried away and nearly book that ticket. That is when I stumbled apon Remi's place.

J Bay Surf Retreats is the perfect place to stay, they have everything covered. Literally everything from a 5 day Safari to the largest bunji jump in the world. Oh and then there is the surf with 10 spots that are within walking distance of the lodge and the option for organically sourced vegetarian meals as you wish. The list of things to do is seems endless so I though it would be cool to talk to Remi himself and luckily he said yes.

SB: Hey Remi, hows things in SA at the moment, how have the waves been?

Remi: Well for any one with a foreign currency its absolutely amazing at the moment... But no, it really is epic to get back here. I just spent a few months in Europe for the contest season and a couple of film trips and as fun as it was, there is nothing like Jbay. Perfect waves, friendly people, warm and cheap and away from all the worlds problems...

SB: So what is the story behind J Bay Surf Retreats, how did it come into being?

Remi:Long story short, my dad started surfing a very long time ago in north Europe and soon discovered that all he wanted to do was be with his family and surf all day. Of he went searching for this magical place and when he stumbled upon the perfection of the Jbay point breaks he knew he had found it. With prices being so cheap he bought land and after a few years build the place from 2nd hand materials into what it is to day. Nothing super fancy but it has a soul like no other... I believe that’s why people love it so much.

SB: Your place looks amazing, what age is your average guest and how long do they stay for?

Remi: Thank! It quite bizarre, we have people from all ages coming to our place and every one of them seems to find something magical about it and end up staying longer then expected. We get a lot of one nighters coming in but rarely end up staying less then a week and most surfers end up staying there whole holiday there. However after being there for 15 years + we have a lot of reacurring guest who all know well enough and book it on a monthly basis...

SB: How amazing is it to have Supertubes as your home break, it must make going to any other right hand point seem like a let down?

Remi: its great. I cant complain. As they say, Never compare good things cause you’ll never be satisfied. In saying that, Jbay is the worlds best point break without a doubt and I have it to thank for my level of surfing and confidence in my backhand (I'm a goofy). So when I travel I look for the lefts... :)

SB: What time of year would you say is the best to come for waves?

Remi: Well you have chance of scoring all year round but if you are an experienced surfer and are looking for epic Jbay then may till July are the prime months. However if you are just getting the hang of surfing and don’t need macking 8 foot barrels but rather have some perfect 3 foot peelers, then anything from March through to October is perfect. But if you never surfed before and wanna get into it with warm water and sunshine, then the summer months (November, December, January, February) are prime.

SB: How is it when the World Tour comes to town?

Remi: I love it. Personally its a great opportunity for me to learn heaps about contest surfing and a chance to catch up with the boys on tour which after all these years I know pretty well. The whole vibe in our little town changes to and its really cool to have such a buzz in a town where nothing happens all year. Loads of chicks, parties and activities pull in and every one just has a good time. The line up does get a bit chaotic but its only 2 weeks so before you go crazy they are gone again.

SB: What your favorite thing about doing what you do?

Remi: there are loads of great things about my situation but the best by far is that priority number 1 is surfing. So everyday starts with a surf and what ever needs to get done is secondary to that.... not many jobs have that benefit, never mind at a world class wave such as Jeffreys bay.

SB: All the extra activities you can do look amazing, which one would you say is the best?

Remi: Yea, people forget that there is a bunch more to do apart from just the surf. A must however, I think, is the Addo Elephant park. Its an hours driver from the Jbay Surf Retreats so its well doable on a flat day and you have an option to book a game drive or drive around the park in your own car looking for animals in the wild... you really feel like you are in Africa and they have so many animals (including the BIG 5) that you don’t get bored.

SB: Can you remember you first ever surfboard and have you still got it?

Remi: Ha, yea. Funny enough I do. I'd just turned 10 and it was an 4'10 ELS. It was 2nd hand from one of SA's top up and coming at the time. Until then I'd only surfed my dads (small) long boards and old 6'4 shortboards so this was a revelation haha. I still have it and it now hangs on my sealing... One of the few boards I still have in one piece.

SB: Great thanks to Remi for sparing us all the time. I think you can even tell from the way Remi talks that his company is a pleasure, the place amazing and, well the surf speaks for itself. Looks like its a good time of year to get a ticket to summer, beaches, sunshine and the southern hemi . Oh and perfect right handers all day long...