Dungeons Opening Day

FIJI on Friday probably will not get this big but everyone is amping, down here the Saffa boys were disappointed that it wasn't bigger. But even at this size Dungeons' shifty nature can easily catch the experienced unawares. Author: Jeremy Johnson Dungeons came to life for the first time this winter and all the usual suspects were out there to take advantage. Even though the swell was not as big as we were all hoping for, it was still a great day of big wave surfing, a perfect excuse to get the skis back on the water and for all the guys and girl to get out there in amongst it. Besides from the usual faces in the line up, Caitlin Moir joined the boys and became the first South African girl to catch a proper wave at Dungeons! It was awesome to see her sit amongst the boys and get herself some big waves. She has had a few attempts in the past, both at Dungeons and Sunset and has ended up paying the band on more than one occasion. It was great to see perseverance and hard work pay off. Before dawn I had a moment alone on the mountain, waiting for the first sign of life on the reef and was quickly joined by Twiggy, Kate, Ant Fox and Andrew 'Roosta' Langa. After watching a few sets we decided it was time to get out there, so we headed down to the harbour and launched the jetskis. Alan van Gysen and my new tow partner Matt Bromley joined me on my jetski; before we knew it we were ridding some amazing 12 to 15 ft waves. After a while the teams from Kommetjie (near Sunset Reef) arrived and we all had a great day of big waves with some of the guys surfing until sunset and just making it back in time before lights out. Dungeons once again proved how hard it is to surf, with shifty peaks and long steamtrain closeouts. But at the end of the day any wave you catch at Dungeons is a good big wave and it makes a lot of the other big wave breaks around the world look easy. © 2013 Alan van Gysen

Grant Twiggy Baker and I (Jeremy Johnson) share a bomb early on in the day.

Chapmans Peak watches over both Sunset and Dungeons

This time Frank Soloman was a bit too relaxed and got collared - still it makes for a great photo so well done Frank.

The Slab going mental.

A massive barrel at the Slab.

A few of the boys dealing with a wide set. There were some long waits but the moment you let your guard down out at Dungeons, you end up in the Dungeon and you might never be up for parole.

An amazing looking wave goes unridden.

Every now and then you get a perfect barreling wave that explodes over the 2.5. The 2.5 is the shallowest place on the reef, it basically comes up to 2.5 metres below sea level on a low tide and can create a huge unpredictable barrel.

We use an anchor to tie all the spare boards to. For one or two of the guys their spare boards came in handy.

Another epic barrel over the 2.5.

There are some big boats that use the harbour but even they stay well clear of Dungeons when there is a big swell running.

Frank Solomon about to deal with the 2.5.

Frank again, looking nice and relaxed.

There are actually some lefts out at Dungeons, this is me again trying my luck. Its not recommended though.

This is myself on my smaller board, shaped by DVG, later on in the day. We had been on the water for eight hours at this point.

This is myself coming into the harbour on my new Yamaha FX jetski, stoked after a long day of surfing.

This is my tow partner Matt Bromley, dealing with the end bowl. Matt had a great surf and was one of the standouts of the day.

Matt and Twiggy about to check into the Dungeon.

Neil Zietsman on one of the waves of the day. Neil is a great all round surfer and it shows in the bigger stuff.

Neil has started a new career as a fitness instructor as well as running specialized surf fitness classes. It seems to be paying off.

Roosta enjoying the view of what we like to call the photo bowl.

After the long waits some guys get restless, here is Roosta, Matt and Barry Futter having some fun.

Andrew Marr and Simon Lowe two of the most dedicated guys around. They know the place better than anyone and it shows in their surfing, they surfed until sunset.