FP and Nat – two old friends, taking on the Mauritius Ocean Classic 2012 challenge together
It’s been just over a week now since the 2012 Mauritius Ocean Classic and I’ve had some time to think about the event and what it meant to me. What started out as an almost insurmountable physical and mental challenge, ended up being a magical event on a beautiful tropical island that brought together amazing people from around the world who competed against each other whilst also sharing advice, stories and importantly, friendship.
New friends – Rob Mousley (www.surfski.info) and Barry Lewin (www.barrylewin.co.za)
There aren’t many events where a complete numpty paddler like myself can rub shoulders with and line up against the very best in the world. Not only could I share the same space, but the world’s best were happy to share a laugh and a joke, and later even a beer or two. I had such an amazing time surrounded by positive, happy and healthy people that I almost forgot about the sheer terror I felt at the mountainous waves that I’d be facing each day off the reefs of southern Mauritius.
Fellow Aussie paddler Adam Fahey – a bloody big unit, but a top bloke all round
A reliance on self-mounted wide-angle cameras doesn’t do justice to the awesome sea conditions we got to see. 3+ metre swell building up to and finally breaking over exposed coral reef is truly a sight to behold…. and when you know you’ll be in an egg-shell thin boat in that zone later that day, it becomes even more tense to look at. Of course we took wide lines where possible and avoided most of the dangerous spots, but that didn’t stop us from wandering too close from time to time. I can’t explain what it’s like to turn your boat back away from a reef, facing waves bigger than houses that are steepening on approach, when you’re still 2-3 km out at sea. Incredible!
The proof is in the medal. We actually took part in this event!
The day of the actual Island Shamaal was probably the calmest day we had there – both of our previous paddles had been far scarier than the major race. Of course, the only hint in the video below is around the two minute mark when the Le Morne mountain behind me disappears behind a wave, but there were many times when I almost couldn’t believe the size of the swell we faced.
Conditions aside, I walked away with many things to think about. Health and fitness for one, as I was inspired a great deal by conversations I had with top athletes on how to overcome challenges to fitness. I also got to see a paddling environment teeming with positivity and optimism. I came thinking that Mauritius could possibly be the end of my surfski days, and walked away amazed and thrilled by the opportunities and camaraderie that the world of surfski had shared with me. Far from feeling it an end of days, I came away filled with even more enthusiasm about my future in downwind paddling. Add that to the incredible friendships made, and the Mauritius Ocean Classic became one of the most memorable events I’ve ever been involved with. Cheers – FP
Extra Special Thanks to: Above and Beyond Holidays, LUX* Tamassa Resort, Stellar Surfskis, Slipstream Surf, Carbonology Australia, MyKayakCoach and Benefit Active for their incredible support. Also an extra shout-out to pro South African paddler Barry Lewin for his idea of comparing how the Le Morne channel should be paddled vs the way Nat and I actually paddled it, and for kindly giving me some of his own footage to use. Check out his great paddling website here.
Here’s the vid – if you have the bandwidth, make it fullscreen and enjoy!
Nicely done – Looks like a grand time FP! You and Nat on the world tour next?
You never know Kuk! 😉
Nice work boys. Shallow reef!!! Very entertaining.
Excellent account of the event and the video is fantastic – goodness the Reef!!! Kind of glad you came off otherwise we would have missed out on the underwater footage!
Haha, glad to have been of service! Always happy to put my body on the line. 😉
how did you get your skis over there? how much was the ski transport? id imagine it would be a struggle as carryon luggage
Luv ya work! :-0
Boys Boys Boys tumble turns on ocean skis you leave no boundary unchallenged. I love the clip I bet there is loads more expeditions to come. Did you get your FP cap back from the reefmaid??
spectacular effort mate. And loved the video. Thanks for the sharing and effort you put into letting us taste a bit of it.
Well done boys !
Jacques Cousteau would’ve been proud of your underwater footage.
Any bandaids required after dancing with the coral ?
FP, fantastic effort, your an inspiration for us all.
Hat sacrificed to the Reef Gods and yes, needed a few bandaids afterwards! Thanks for the positive words everyone.
Awesome effort guys & great video yet again.
great stuff and well done, surfskis are just taking off here in Israel, maybe we will send a team next year too. maybe a helmet would be better than a hat
Do it Steve, it’s such a fun event. My wife also says to say she agrees on the helmet part! 😉
Hi FP, magnificent footage, more impressive is your conversion from kayak to surfski paddling. I’m from Mauritius myself and Sydney has been my home .for the last 24 years. The Island Shamaal is on my bucket but I must admit that the size of the swell and the Le Morne reef are daunting to me : well done for your achievement. I noticed on your video that you mostly paddle with your arms, when your technique improves and you’re able to use your core muscle and do more hip & shoulder rotation, your enjoyment of offshore paddling will hit another dimension. Happy to help… for free. I am no expert or professional trainer but I learnt the ropes with some help from one of the local legends and went away and praticed and watched many Rambo videos and learnt heaps from there and am still refining my technique as surfski paddling requires is more technical than it looks. Wonder if you had a chance to explore the island and sample the hospitality of Mauritians? I make a wicked curry but that may not be good for your waistline… 😉
Thank-you for sharing (part of) your inspirational story.