J-Bay decided to pop off, just in time for Ballito Pro surfers to make an appearance. Photo: Down The Line // YouTube
J-Bay got left off of the Championship Tour this year, but that didn’t stop the break from putting on a show last week. Fresh off the nearby Ballito Pro, where Bella Kenworthy and Ian Gouveia were crowned champions, the storied South African wave went absolutely mental for locals and pros who stuck around after the competition.
“J-Bay rolled out the green carpet for the surfing elite,” wrote Down The Line in the caption for a YouTube video documenting the madness on July 8. “Fresh off the Ballito Pro, you could tell that the talent in the water had decided to hang around and catch a glimpse of J-Bay at its best, rising to the challenge of a day they’ll have seared into their memories forever.” The videographer reported seeing Jordy Smith, Stevie Sawyer and possibly Lakey Peterson in a lineup where the waves tripled in size over the course of the day.
In a followup video with more raw footage, Down The Line provided a bit of explanation as to the alchemy that went into J-Bay’s latest fireworks show. “Usually, J-Bay could become too unruly at this size (seven out of 10 times), but on this occasion, I think the strong wind in the morning cleaned things up and groomed the conditions for the swell that was pressing in for the latter part of the day.”
While we know the 2025 Championship Tour season will be ending at Cloudbreak, the rest is still up in the air. Maybe it’s time Jeffrey’s Bay snuck it’s way back into the rotation.
