Muizenberg to host Guinness World Record attempt for Earthwave Surf Challenge

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 14 August, 2007 : - - Muizenberg Beach will be the venue for the South African leg of the Earthwave Global Surf Challenge on Sunday 2 September as local surfers make another attempt on the Guinness World Record for the ‘most surfers riding one wave simultaneously’ while raising awareness of Global Warming and what can be done to reduce climate change.

Motivated by the immense interest in their record breaking attempt at the same venue in September 2006 and inspired by Al Gore’s film ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, the Kahuna Surfing Academy has created the Earthwave project and challenged selected surfing organisations worldwide to stage similar record attempts and highlight environmental issues on the same day.

The South African leg of Earthwave will run after events in Australia and Reunion Island earlier in the day and be followed by similar events in Portugal, Brazil, Argentina, England, the USA and Tahiti before the sun sets over the International Date Line on the same day.

“Surfer’s Corner at Muizenberg proved to be the ideal venue for breaking the record and a place where local surfers of every age and ability can gather to demonstrate their concerns for the issues that affect them,” said Dene Botha who ran the 2006 event and masterminded its expansion into a global initiative.

“This year we will be trying to break the Guinness World Record again and become the inaugural Earthwave champions for the most surfers on one wave, the most surfers to paddle out for the attempt and for the event that raises the most money for worthy causes,” said Botha.

Record preparation : photo courtesy SurfPix.co.za

Last year’s event saw 349 surfers paddle out with 73 successfully riding one wave for a minimum of five seconds, easily surpassing the official record of 44 set in Ireland, as more than a thousand spectators roared encouragement from the beach. The record attempt was combined with an open debate on the shark situation around the Peninsula and raised more than R10 000 for the Shark Spotters Program.

“There’ll be plenty of fun for everyone at the beach again this year with displays and talks on environmental concerns, a Surfboard Art Challenge and thousands of Rands worth of prizes and give-aways kindly donated by local businesses and the surfing industry that will be up for grabs in the Dig for Gold, raffles, an auction and as give-aways,” added Botha.

The Surfboard Art Challenge presents a unique opportunity to own a beautiful artwork painted on a surfboard by the country’s best surf artists. Dutchie, Clayton, Dean Geraghty and Hugh Thompson have already pledged boards and more than dozen decorated surfboards boards will be on display during the event.

All the boards will be auctioned off to the highest bidder by Steve Pike from Wavescape after the record attempt has been completed and the board attracting the highest bid will be featured on the Earthwave website and in the national surf magazines.

Other prizes up for grabs include surfing accessories, sunglasses, hotel accommodation and meal vouchers for some of the South Peninsula’s favourite restaurants, with the Empire Café overlooking Muizenberg Corner setting the ball rolling by issuing a challenge to all other establishments to equal or better their contribution of a R250 voucher and a R250 donation towards the fund-raising efforts.

“Alongside the record attempt and a fun day at the beach, Earthwave is designed to motivate the global surfing community to become more aware of the threat posed by Global Warming and the many small lifestyle changes that we can make to reduce our impact on the environment,” said veteran watersports promoter Paul Botha who convened the debate on the shark situation last year.

“The marquee tent on the beach will be set up for talks, displays and demonstrations by exerts on climate change and environmental conservation and we’ll be raising funds for the Shark Spotters, the Supertubes Surfing Foundation who do so much to preserve the prime surf location of Jeffreys Bay and other organisations who protect and conserve our oceans and beaches,” added Botha Snr.

The attempt on the Guinness World Record will run between 1pm and 2pm with multiple attempts to get the most surfers riding one wave. The event is open to anyone who can stand up on a surfboard and ride for at least five seconds, but registration and signing an indemnity form is compulsory before entering the surf.

The first 500 registered surfers will receive an official Earthwave certificate of participation and will be in line for valuable prizes in the lucky number draw. Those who intend to join in the fun are advised to register in advance by contacting the Kahuna Surfing Academy via email at info@kahunasurf.co.za  Participants are requested to donate a minimum of R50 and it is hoped that sponsors will again fund the travel and participation of surfers from historically disadvantaged communities, more than 50 of whom were sponsored last year.

So bookmark Sunday 2 September for a fun day at Muizenberg beach and let’s prove to the world that the Cape Town has the most proactive surfing community on the planet by setting records for all three categories in the inaugural edition of the Earthwave Global Surf Challenge.

For further information on the Guinness World Record attempt at Muizenberg last year, see http://www.kahunasurf.co.za/record.htm