Adin Masencamp Dodges Seaweed To Surf South Africa's Hidden Pipeline In 'Kelp Town'

Kelp Citya new surf movie from Now Now Media starring Adin Masencampbegins with an ode to algae. A David Attenborough soundalike tells us about the different roles kelp plays in our global ecosystem, in a tone familiar to anyone who has sat and listened to hours of mesmerizing music. Planet Earth footage. But then the silent reverie comes to an abrupt halt and the voiceover declares, “but it’s a tricky thing to surf across.”

Which brings us to the real meat of the video: an exploration of one of South Africa’s hidden surf gems, buried among stalks of seaweed. “When you jump off the rocks, you land directly in a huge bed of kelp,” Adin explains. “You’re almost lifted out of the water. You have no control because the kelp is just holding you there. You just have to paddle through it. When the water drains, the kelp shoots up. They’re pretty hard and they definitely have a punch.”

But the kelp field holds a secret if you’re persistent enough, a wave that Mesencamp says comes closest to what South Africa’s Pipeline has. “When the wave comes, the kelp kind of disappears and you’re in the pipe,” he explains. As glorious as that wave is, it’s still only a fleeting moment before the kelp field comes back to get its just reward. “You come up and then you hit this dry patch of kelp and you fly away,” he concludes.

Unfortunately, there’s a darker undertone to Adin’s tale of weaving through kelp fields to catch a glimpse of barreling perfection. One reason for the sheer abundance of kelp is the widespread poaching of abalone in the region. Normally the gastropods feed on seaweed and are a limiting factor in its growth, but the missing critters, combined with changing sea temperatures, have allowed kelp fields to grow unchecked across South Africa. The ecological implications of this are not yet fully understood.

One thing is for sure: if you’re going surfing there, you better bring some sturdy fins. Watch the full video below.