Chasing Cyclones

Chasing swells is always risky. You never quite know what you’re going to get until it’s right in front of you. Taking these risks require time and money and often times what you hoped for doesn’t arrive. However, surfers tend to take that risk more times than not. The hope of scoring waved almost always overrides the fear of getting ‘skunked’. 

We caught up with Dale on his recent cyclone experiences, “You never know what you’re going to get and so we always pack foils, fishing rods and other things to keep us entertained and make the most of the trip regardless of whether the waves turn up or not.

We got skunked on the first cyclone we chased this year. We had a few waves but nothing amazing. When a second cyclone popped up on the charts I knew I had to give it a go after the first trip wasn’t what I had hoped.

I flew in to Durban and ended up scoring some crazy waves! It definitely made up for the first trip. The best day was actually the last day of the trip which wasn’t supposed to be good. It just shows that you nerve know what you’re going to get and it’s always worth pulling the trigger.”

Dale Staples is one of those surfers that puts it all on the line and makes the most of it regardless of what arrives. Follow Dale as he chases down storms in the hopes of finding perfect tropical barrels on the East coast of Africa. Last minute flights and shifting conditions made this an interesting trip, and when the waves weren’t on, the local scenery did not disappoint…