“It’s perfectly logical to me that surfing is the spiritual, aesthetic style of the liberated self, It’s the metaphor of life to me: the highly conscious life. Think of the tube as being the past – and I’m an evolutionary agent – and what I try to do is to be at that point where you’re going into the future, but you have to keep in touch with the past,” -Timothy Leary
Towards the South of Durban, lies a hazardous sea of trucks and menacing factories and warehouses, bellowing smoke of noxious venom. A dirty harbour can be seen just after these views of the apocalypse, and just when it seems to end, a knot of endless unused train tracks traverse over roads, sugar silos and industrial containers, which slowly turn into labyrinths . Once you have made it through the madness, one will find The Bluff, a place known for various idiosyncrasies, and for being somewhat of an oasis right on the edge of all the chaos.
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Besides for the much needed respite from the remnants of Durban’s “industrial revolution”. The Bluff also has some of the best waves in the country. As far as surfing goes this small seaside suburb of eThekwini needs no introduction and neither does Ricky “Bobby’” Basnett, one of the areas most well-known and interesting surfing personalities. In recent years, Ricky has made the transition from being one of South Africa’s leading international surfers to becoming one of the countries’ most interesting free surfers. Aweh, caught up with Ricky to see what he’s presently up to.
1. Firstly can you give me your name, age and what you do for a living?
Ricky Bobby , 33 , freesurfer
2. Tell us about how you got into surfing and when you started surfing?
Shit I think I started surfing at like 6 years old, my dad would take us down to Addington and we would just jol in the foamies. I hated having to get pushed into waves though so I kinda gave up for a year or two. Played tennis and cricket and all types of other shit until I took it up again at about 8… been on a board ever since!
3. You live on the bluff, which seems to be a very fiercely local place, what was it like growing up there and still living there today?
Ah man I fuckin love the place! It’s so close to town but feels like its own little island, full different breed of people here. It might not have the insane localism that it used to, but I think the wave has always been its own protection. When the Rock is over 4 feet there’s few people who can handle it properly. We’ve always been the siff little stepchild of Durban, and its just the way i like it. You hang out here and its just people going about their own shit, no pretentious bullshit or cliques you know?
4. You’re now a free surfer, yet spent a number of years on the tour, what was that like? How does it compare to free surfing professionally and what do you prefer?
Yeah I spent the better part of my teens and twenties competing and traveling , it was a pretty crazy ride! I started competing internationally from like 13 years old, and back in the day the tour was just a wild jol. It was like being shoved into adulthood. I grew up pretty quickly, you really had to hustle with the weak rand. Sleeping in some of the worst spots imaginable and eating what you could afford. I loved it! But the tour isn’t just traveling to exotic locales, you’ve obviously gotta compete too, and that’s the part that caught me in the end. It kinda just sucked the fun out of it, the whole reason I started surfing in the first place you know? It really fucked me up, I was earning amazing money and travelling the world but I hated it all because it all just felt so fake. I became an alcoholic and addict because I was so depressed doing what I was doing. I had this constant need to mask what I was really feeling inside. I couldn’t stand the pressure, I hated having to surf to a certain criteria. I was just looking for some freedom from it all. I ended up drinking and jolling in a bad way for like ten years until i came right. Nowadays it all just feels right, the color is back in my life and i get to do what i love! Surfing, drawing, tattooing, shaping some boards. Creativity saved me in the end!
5. So you also are a Durban/KZN boy, what is the city like? Any interesting stories and how does it compare to the rest of South Africa and the world?
Real African energy! That’s KZN to me… there’s nowhere else that has the same buzz, the rawness of it all. It’s colorful and vibrant and hot and everyone is pretty chilled out. I reckon Rio comes the closest .. they also both have this dark underbelly, which keeps you on your toes. I don’t know man, where else can you surf ten foot pits all morning then go smash an incredible chow for like R20 bucks? Its heaven!
6. Give us a little more insight on life as a professional surfer and how it can sometimes take it’s toll?
I think the toughest part of being a pro surfer is trying to stay relevant .. I’ve seen so so many incredible surfers just fall by the way side cause they couldn’t keep up with the times. Social media has completely changed the game. Nowadays entire contracts are based purely off online stats, so yeah, my life revolves around content creation and shredding. You really gotta be constantly pushing to find something new and exciting for viewers.
7. You have quite a number of tattoos and you are now getting into a more creative side in hand poke tattoos and drawing, how does that compare to surfing? Surely there is a link due to the fact that they are both art forms in a way? Are you considering a career in art and tattoos?
Ja, its that freedom of expression that I love about both surfing and art, you can literally do whatever you want! From the beginning I’ve always wanted to be the guy drawing different lines in the water, keeping people guessing you know? And I think that just naturally evolved into drawing real lines on paper haha.
8. Are there any other creative outlets that you are pursuing at the moment?
I’m super into photography and film too, I’ve been doing a bunch of work with Justin Mcgee lately . Street photography is my fav, just cruising and finding moments amongst the chaos? Would dig to get more into documentary style clips, there’s so many different cultures here, each with their own unique stories. I would also dig to start doing more cross genre clips, getting guys together from skate, art, bmx, music etc. I love seeing and hearing different perspectives on creativity.
9. What do you think makes Durban and The Bluff unique and what has kept you attracted to the city for so long?
There’s just so much going on here, and I’m not talking about the nightlife.. The north and south coast, the mountains, so many different cultures, you can travel an hour in any direction and feel like you are in a different country!
10. You’ve lived in a few other places besides Durban, how do those places compare and how do the waves compare to Durban and The Bluff?
I’ll say this straight up, The Bluff has the most consistent waves anywhere I’ve been, and I can surf in front of my house , by myself, every day of the week. It’s fuckin paradise man! You can eat the best food ever on a shoestring budget, warm clear water and the place is just real as fuck. I lived in St Francis for a couple of years, and although its one of the most beautiful places in South Africa, I just always felt kinda out of place there. When i’m here on The Bluff I just feel like I’m with my people, like I can go to the shops with no shoes on and its totally chilled haha! Hawaii is amazing but crowded as fuck, Oz is super similar to here but its always felt too policed to me. You need to be a millionaire to live in Europe. So ja it all works perfectly fine for me this side of our planet.
11. Any other interesting stories from being on the road and from pursuing a career in surfing?
Fuck, surfing has taken me to some pretty wild places. One that always sticks out is a trip we did to Nigeria to surf this insane little wedge right off the harbour mouth of Lagos. Our first day there this guy put an AK47 to this lady’s head like 5 metres behind us. Thank god our fixer managed to calm the situation down but it was pretty fuckin scary. Same trip while at the airport on the way home we had to take our board bags downstairs to oversize. This big ass dude was behind me trying to hurry us up and when i got to the bottom there was this big pool of blood with drag marks into this dodgy little room and some other guy coming with a mop to clean it up. I didn’t ask questions and just got the fuck outta there as fast as possible.
12. Who are the people who have inspired you in life and surfing?
My parents for their insatiable work ethic, my daughter cause she keeps me fighting to be a better human. As far as surfing goes, Christian and Nathan Fletcher, Archy, Bruce and Andy Irons, Wardo , Frankie O , Dre Botha…I guess the common thread between these guys is that they all didn’t give a fuck and did it their own way…and they all did it with STYLE !!!
13. Anything else you would like to add?
Shit I think the best thing I’ve ever learnt is to always try approach anything you do from a place of LOVE and not FEAR. Also, you can always fail at something you hate doing, so you might as well go for what you love…
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