wakeboarding
Kevin Dry – School is in Session
Aug 31st
Kevin’s been one of the standouts in South Africa’s wakeboard scene for over a decade. Even though he’s old enough to ride in the Veteran’s division he’s still able to mix it up with the best in the country. Kevin took his riding in a new direction when he opened an amazing riding school in Port Edward, teaching beginners the basics and helping top riders hone their skills. When he’s not coaching or riding himself he’s exploring the multitude of surf breaks in the surrounding areas. Yeah, he’s got a pretty sweet deal.
O’Neill: Ok, for the people, lets start with the basics: Name, age, where you’re from and what you do.
Kevin: Kevin Dry, I’m 36, from Port Elizabeth, married to Nix, a father to 2 groms Ashton and Cody and we run Umtamvuna River Lodge as well as Boardalign Wakeboarding.
O’Neill: How’d a boy from PE end up running a wake school on KZN’s South Coast?
Kevin: Well the plan was to open the school in Italy. I had the boat sponsors, permits for the lakes, everything organized. Then I blew my knee out, which ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me (although it didn’t feel like it at the time). I hooked up with Nix, did the rehab full time and started scouting cool places to run a wakeboard school from. It was a toss up between Knysna and the South Coast. I managed to obtain my life long dream… a place on a river where I could ride and be near to good uncrowded surf spots. Umtamvuna River Lodge is that and much more. The water is always flat no matter which way the wind blows and the Transkei became my new playground for waves. It’s mad how you can leave your place by jetski and get to surf spots only a handful of locals know about.
O’Neill: We’re guessing you’re not gonna be telling us where those spots are. You’ve got a lot going on here to keep you busy.
Kevin: Too much! It’s cool to be kept busy in paradise. We built the lodge up from scratch, it was in quite a state. Now we focus mainly on weddings and functions at the lodge as well as running the wakeboarding school.
O’Neill: It must have been pretty crazy this close to the water when that big swell came through a couple years back.
Kevin: It was insane. It was the biggest surf I had ever seen. There wasn’t even a sandbar left between the river and sea, the mouth was wide open.. Then four months later the river came down in flood and washed my boat out to sea. I found it about 10km south on the beach stripped of everything! Just a fibre glass shell left. Obviously the locals needed it more than us, haha!
O’Neill: You’ve had a lot of top pros come out and film here.
Kevin: It’s so tropical, you feel like you’re on some island. The cliffs and vegetation make a perfect backdrop for videos and photo shoots and it’s a perfect place for them to spend their winter riding before they head back to the US for the pro tour.
O’Neill: Is the surf around here really that good?
Kevin: The surfing is insane. Crowded is 10 peeps out. T.O’s is my local break but I surf Southbroom quite often too. T.O’s is a powerful right that peels around the point. It generally picks up more swell than the other breaks. The locals can be gnarly but it’s more of a respect thing than anything else. You will get dealt with if you bring the Durban shuffle to the party. You know what I mean.
O’Neill: Surfing and wakeboarding are pretty different but they also have a lot in common. Can surfers and wakeboarders learn and progress by mixing it up?
Kevin: For sure. I find wakeskating the best cross-over for surfers as they aren’t restricted by bindings. It really helps by forcing you to keep your weight over the board at all times, making for more powerful turns and it also helps progressive surfing by getting more air awareness. For wakeboarders, surfing helps with your style and also gives a release on competitive wakeboarding by applying your skills to other canvases. But still the best thing for your surfing is surfing and for your wakeboarding is wakeboarding. Time on the water for both sports is the only answer.
O’Neill: You’ve got a pretty sweet boat. How long do you reckon it would take for you to get a total beginner to the point where they’re clearing its wake?
Kevin: Mastercraft have it dialed, the X-star has a sick wake. It’s like having J-bay firing compared to a beach break with the onshore howling. Getting going on a wakeboard is easy, it’s all technique. Once you understand the basics it depends on the person how long it takes them to progress. Jumping the wake could take about a week or two for most beginners but I’ve had pro surfers come ride with me and get a wake to wake jump in a couple tries. Going upside down is easier than you think. Once you have all your basics down (180º’s, grabs etc) you can learn an invert in one session.
O’Neill: Are there any local guys killing it?
Kevin: I’ve taught my main maintenance guy George to ride. I had to teach him to swim first, haha. George drives for me pretty much every day in the winter. In summer there are always other pros staying and riding with me. I love riding with George as he is always amped and he builds sick rails. My best student also rides for O’Neill. He’s David O’Caiomh, from Ireland, 16 years old and been riding with me for about 2 years. He comes over at least twice a year and I also go over to Ireland to coach him. He is cleaning up Europe in the Junior Men division and making a lot of the top pros a little nervous. The goal for next year is to ride the Junior Men (under 19) Pro tour in the states. Another local kid from Cape Town, Dylan Mitchell also comes down often to ride and is starting to turn heads. The first contest we had here back in 2007 was the first wakeboarding event he ever went to. I remember him learning his first back roll back then. Now he’s got sick style, mobes and a variety of 7’s. You should see David and Dylan riding together! Both very humble kids but not to be outdone by each other. It’s so much fun helping shape the future of wakeboarding!
O’Neill: You’ve hosted a few contests here. What are the plans for the coming summer?
Kevin: PC from O’Neill and Andrew from DC have been working closely with us on progressing wakeboarding in South Africa. We have started a free ride contest called Sessions on an invite only basis. It’s been a huge success by getting the public involved not just in wakeboarding but in the pro wakeboarder’s lifestyle. The next Sessions will be on the weekend of the 4-5 December.
O’Neill: What have you got in store for this place?
Kevin: Definitely more rails. We’re designing more progressive rails for the next Sessions. Another boat would be awesome but I think that’s still a few years off. I really want a cable. Let me rephrase that: I need one! We got some sick plans for a rail park and the System 2.0 Sesitec would make this place even more insane!
