The discovery of „Dongwe Doughnuts“
Twas a misty morning after a few days of epic wind. The swell had kicked up to overhead with 8-10 seconds on the forecast. I had seen the potential of this spot before but for some reason or another, i had always surfed down the reef next to the pass.
This day was different, the pass looked good but quite messy and heavy. The fact that i had a newbie surfer with me meant that i needed to make another choice.
We hiked down the beach about a kilometer where i noticed a sandy section on the reef with waist high waves. Thought this was good idea especially with Steffi.
The reef in Zanzi is about a kilometer out which makes it difficult to tell what the waves are really like. Crossed the channel and now i can see the point of this little reef bay and its firing.. Zanzibar is not known to be a surf destination but i’ve surfed and had some pretty surprizing sessions here over the past 4 yrs. This day, was different…
We got to the sandbar and even that was breaking like a dream. Waist high clean little waves breaking over beautiful white sand and pealing for about 30m. I got steffi into a few waves with my eye on the point the whole time. Once she was comfortable on the spot i patted her on the shoulder and told her she was on her own. I paddled myself out which was super easy cause of the current. The rip dropped me off in the line-up with hardly an effort. I arrived just in time for the first set to appear on the horizon. This day i had my little 5″8 retro fish which has a lot of buoyancy but no rocker. A great board for most conditions but can struggle if it’s a late take off. The set arrives, and a wall of water spans the spot and it’s steeper than most waves i’ve seen along the reef. I was literally in the perfect spot, and paddled into what i thought was the bigger wave of the set. The take off was steep and powerful but easily makable. I dropped down and set my line only to see the cleanest, steepest wall racing in front of me. I started to pump to get in front of the section but I was a touch late. I tucked my head and crouched up in anticipation of an unmakable barrel. The lip threw perfectly and as planned I got worked. The few seconds I did have covered up I saw the potential of makable barrels. After getting my sinus cleaned out i grabbed my board and turned to paddle back out. This was the moment I realized the excellence of this spot. The next 3 and much bigger waves of the set each broke perfectly in the same place. A clean wave with a top to bottom lip exposing great barrels. The rip once again took me to the line-up where I sat in anticipation and excitement for the next set. Didn’t take long before it arrived. I held back the urge to catch the first waves even tho they looked incredible. My instinct was right, and the last waves were bombs. I had to paddle a bit to find the right position but made it in time. The drop was not as steep as my first wave which was easy on my fish. Instint speed as the face jacked up like the ones before. I took a higher line this time to try draw some more speed through the section. I watched this wave wall up in perfection and start to peal perfectly down the reef. I tucked my head and crouched into a snug tube as i hit top speed. 4 seconds of shady time later i came bursting out from under the lip. A slower section of the wave now and time for some turns. Big carving cutback into the white water and a re set the of the driving line opens up another racey section. Couple more turns and ending with a re-entry finished my wave. I was more than stoked. The rest of my session was very vocal as i sang and surfed the next hours alone and in heaven. I now go to this spot regularly and run my beginner surf lessons there too. It constantly surprises me and works well even with some wind on it. My new favorite spot on the island. Have done a couple of boat trips out with some cool people and every day on the spot is always lots of fun.
