Nick Pike ~ East London’s very own Springbok Surfer

With East London being well-known for its vast selection of incredible surfing spots, it comes as no surprise that some serious surfing talent is also very much home-grown.  One such talent is East Londoner and veteran Springbok Surfer, Nick Pike.

Born in 1962, Nick attended Stirling Primary School and after that Selborne College. He says that he started surfing late in life, at the age of 15, and claims that he is by no means a natural (according to him he is “low on the natural talent, high on the energy levels!”).  But Nick absolutely loved surfing and became successful at it through not only blood, sweat and tears but also guts and enthusiasm! Nick explains that back when he started to surf, there was no such thing as schools or coaches, and that he simply got into the water and hacked away.  He discovered that surfing suited his character perfectly…the overall vitality of the sport matched Nick’s vitality for life and he is passionate about surfing’s health aspect.

The journey to earning his surfing ‘colours’ began at Rhodes University, followed by his national defense colours in the Military and then, a colossal achievement for him, his Eastern Cape provincial colours.  He won his first national title at Nahoon Reef in 1993 and earned his green and gold Springbok blazer representing the country at the World Masters Surfing Championships in Peru in 2008. He achieved his personal best at the age of 46, proving that it’s never too late to achieve world class status.

In May of this year, Nick came second in the South African Championships as part of the Border Masters team and he absolutely loves competing and being a part of the sport. Comprised of older surfers, the Border Masters team has been the defending champions for eight years now.

While chatting to Nick at a coffee shop in Gonubie, his eyes wander out the window to the ocean and, just for a second, I am allowed a glimpse into his world, to see the emotion of sheer joy that water brings him. Nick tells me that for him, Nahoon Reef is the queen of all local breaks:

“She is the beloved… a God-given piece of geography and a unique angle of Coastline.”

I ask Nick about sharks and the reality of them for somebody who spends so much time in the water and he falls quiet for a moment. He tells me that he was with Bruce Corby during the double shark attack at Nahoon Reef in the 1990’s.  When Bruce tragically lost his leg, Nick and a team of others carried him out of the water, tied a tourniquet around his leg and then gave him mouth to mouth when he stopped breathing.  Together they did everything they could, engaged everything they knew about life-saving skills but Bruce sadly passed away 48 hours later. Nick, at that stage in his life, was at a high point in his faith in God and was understandably devastated.  He tells me how if anything could have broken his faith, losing Bruce was very nearly it.

Nick is fully aware that sharks are a reality, but the way he sees it, taxis are a reality too… he believes that when you get to the beach and open your car door, you’re already safer!  Nick does, however, have a lot of respect for sharks and tries not to jeopardise his safety while in the water and his experience has given him knowledge of the different oceans, currents, waves and venues.

As well as being a world-class Surfer, Nick is an excellent fisherman, explaining that fishing was always his first love but that the two pastimes have combined well over the years.  Nick is also a devoted father to Daniel aged 12 and Amy aged 11 and explains how they both do him so proud in both attitude and sport (Daniel plays Squash and Amy plays Hockey). Nick is also husband to gorgeous wife Nicola and describes her as a “fabulous lady with angelic levels of tolerance!”

When he’s not busy being a great dad and husband, surfing or fishing, Nick works as a rep, selling concrete products.  This occupation is perfect for him and his extrovert nature as it is primarily outdoor sales and involves meeting people constantly.

With a positive outlook on life, Nick emphasises the importance of trying to leave the world a better place for others… be it cleaning up after himself and not leaving litter when fishing or passing on his experience and knowledge to the youngsters that he coaches in surfing (Nick also teaches surfing on a part-time basis with Christian Surfers South Africa).

Nick doesn’t own a television and hasn’t for almost twenty years – he tells me that he has no interest in owning one and that he would much rather engage in conversation. He feels that television subtracts from life and is certain that his children wouldn’t be doing so well academically if they had been exposed to television constantly.

He also loves to read and is very fond of music and all its genres, from Abba to Zappa (but tells me that actually, Abba makes him feel nauseous!). Nick is also a fan of YouTube, regularly viewing material by Evangelical Christian Author and Speaker John Ortberg and TED Talks (TED is a non-profit organisation dedicated to spreading ideas which are generally in the form of short, powerful talks).

An incredibly vibrant man, Nick Pike is an asset to East London.  He has worked hard to get to where he is today and he is eager to pass on his knowledge and experience, be it to his own children or the kids that he teaches through Christian Surfers SA.  He stresses the importance of learning to love the grind, the necessity of building a foundation that will carry you through when times are tough… “After all,” Nick tells me, “Laurels rested upon tend to wilt fast.”