Surfing in South Africa is a story that should be told. Not just the mainstream portion but every moment of every surfer and groups of surfers’ lives. I think the term “rainbow nation” is truly one of the best ways to describe South Africa.

We truly are the proverbial melting pot and we are proof that variety is the spice of life. As a result, the many stories that make up our history are as diverse as they are similar.

With this in mind I’d like to share a small piece of that history with you. Faeez’s story started long before he began surfing but it’s his time as a surfer that we want to share with you.

HIS STORY is a piece of our HISTORY.

1983. One of the craziest times in South Africa’s history for students. Tertiary education back then comprised of more than just the standard curriculum. Survival 101 was one of those classes you signed up for without even knowing it. Rallies and marches to oppose the apartheid government were a regular occurrence and if you participated you soon learnt valuable new skills. Dodging rubber bullets and tear gas canisters were right at the top of the list.

At Peninsula Technicon there was one student who was building up an impressive list of skills. His name: Faeez Abrahams. Faeez however was getting extra lessons. It was at this time that he was introduced to surfing. A few of his friends at Pen Tech surfed and I guess it was just a matter of time before they took him along to the beach.

Faeez remembers his first surf as if it happened yesterday, telling me what they spoke about and where they ended up surfing. From there things grew. New friends were made and good times were had. Life back then wasn’t all rosy like it is today and Faeez had to take the bad times too.

A typical day would consist of a mass rally, a mass march, getting shot at by the cops, getting chased by the cops and then when the tide started pushing, they went for a surf. Blue Waters and 9 Miles on the False Bay was home for these guys.

They were pretty much limited to these spots and never got to explore all of Cape Town’s waves. Despite all these challenges, their stoke for surfing and love of the ocean kept growing. Nothing was going to keep them away from the waves.

A life changing acquaintance 

During this time they met Davey Stolk. One of the top surfers of his time, Davey made quite an impression on them.

Faeez recalls seeing him surf for the first time. “...and then along comes Davey Stolk and he paddles out with us… and the ou rips it up at 9miles...” Stolk then started hanging out with the 9miles crew and eventually took them on their first trip to J-Bay.

I’ve had some hectic trips up the coast with all kinds of hassles but back then things were really tough for Faeez and friends. Their first surf in Jeffs was at Magnatubes. Faeez recalls that they barely paddled out when the cops rocked up and ordered them out of the water with a loud hailer.

It was at that point that Stolk and a few of the older guys went to negotiate with the cops. As luck would have it, Cheron from Billabong happened to come across the situation and being friends with Stolk she politely got the cops to give it up and leave the guys to surf.

We truly are blessed today not to have to deal with these kinds of things. The only one who has a say in whether or not we belong is Mother Nature. This inaugural trip to J-Bay opened up these surfers’ eyes to what they were missing out on. Seeing new levels of surfing and new surf spots made them want to spread their wings.

Unfortunately South Africa wasn’t ready for them. Faeez and friends however couldn’t care less. Every time they wanted to surf away from Blue Waters and 9miles they literally had to fight for their right to surf.

Muizenberg, Long Beach and Sea Point were but a few of the places they didn’t have access to. As Faeez put it: “Basically we had to kick a path open”. Police with loud hailers and fights on the beach became part and parcel of surfing. The fact that they didn’t just give up is surely a sign that surfing and the ocean became an integral part of their lives.

If I were to describe Faeez and his friends in a word it would be as simple as calling them FAMILY. They had the bonds of a family, looked out for each other, backed each other up when there was trouble, taught each other and always surfed together.

More good than bad 

As I mentioned earlier, there was good as well as bad. The Wynberg Surf Club era was one of those good things. The guys got organised and when they realised that there were similar clubs in places like Port Elizabeth and Durban, contests were the next likely step.

However, with the end of apartheid and it’s laws and the beginning of our new found democracy, certain things, no matter how good, had to come to an end.

What was called non-racial surfing events and clubs, like the Wynberg Surf Club, now had to merge with the clubs and associations which were recognised as ‘official’. Big change was on the way and surfing was not going to get left out. From being a small, close-knit surfing community, the 9miles surfers now made the transition to being part of the larger surfing community of South Africa.

Faeez recalls how contests went from surfing against friends like Cass Collier and the rest of the 9miles guys to drawing the likes of Alan Robb, Mark Fine and Micky Duffus in a heat.

From there Faeez joined Surfing South Africa as a member of management and got involved with the Development team as well. One of the highlights for Faeez was an international contest held in Morocco in 1993 which saw countries like America, France and Portugal competing.

Standing the test of time 

Faeez has been surfing all this time since and has not only stayed stoked but has passed that stoke onto his family. A far cry from his life as a young surfer, he’s now a father to four great boys and husband to wife Shanaaz.

I think his life and experiences as a surfer have shaped him into the successful family man he is today. The tough times have kept him humble, the difficulties he overcame has made him strong and his faith in God has seen him through it all.

In Conclusion 

I would like to thank Faeez for sharing his story and time with me. I’d also like to say that what I have written is but a brief and compressed version of his life as a surfer. The time spent talking and knowledge I gained is by no means completely reflected in this article.

I don’t think that it is at all possible to tell any person’s story completely and justifiably in such a small medium. Who knows, maybe one day there’ll be a book written by many to tell the one story.

By Darryl Brandreth