Thursday, July 31, 2014

Surf's up! Playful dolphins put pros to shame as they ride the waves during prestigious surfing competition in South Africa


  • Almost a dozen animals put on the show during the J-Bay Open earlier this month in Jeffreys Bay, South Africa

  • The Eastern Cape is famous for its dolphins and for its surfing, but it's a lucky treat to see both happen at once
  •  Photographer Stan Blumberg: 'I have surfed and scuba dived and I have never seen dolphins surf like this before'
These playful dolphins stole the show when they gatecrashed one of the world's top surfing competitions to ride the waves themselves.
The animals turned up as global surfing legends descended on Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, for the latest stop on the Association of Surfing Professionals world tour.
The 12-day J-Bay Open saw surfers compete for dominance off the shores of the Eastern Cape, famous for its dramatic waves and large numbers of bottlenose dolphins. 
But things took a surprise twist when a school of almost a dozen dolphins set out to show they were the undisputed kings of the sea in these images captured by 62-year-old Stan Blumberg.
'Two surfers were in the water at the time when a few pods of dolphins swam past and a few surfed the waves as they usually do, without breaking the surface,' he said - then they broke through and put on their show.
He added: 'In my 62 years of living at the coast, I have surfed, scuba dived, been a member of a surf lifesaving club and can honestly say that I have never before seen dolphins surf like this before.'

Surf's up! These dolphins gatecrashed one of the world's top surfing contests in Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, to put on an impressive wave-riding show of their own
Surf's up! These dolphins gatecrashed one of the world's top surfing contests in Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, to put on an impressive wave-riding show of their own
Awe: The Eastern Cape is famous for its prime surfing and schools of bottlenose dolphins, but it's a lucky treat to see both happening at the same time
Awe: The Eastern Cape is famous for its prime surfing and schools of bottlenose dolphins, but it's a lucky treat to see both happening at the same time
Breaking with convention: The dolphins swam close to the shore during the J-Bay Open, part of the Association of Surfing Professionals world championship tour
Breaking with convention: The dolphins swam close to the shore during the J-Bay Open, part of the Association of Surfing Professionals world championship tour
Preparing for their big moment: Photographer Stan Blumberg said he had lived on the coast for 62 years and never seen such an impressive dolphin surfing display
Preparing for their big moment: Photographer Stan Blumberg said he had lived on the coast for 62 years and never seen such an impressive dolphin surfing display
Build-up: Human surfers spend years honing their skills, but things came a little more naturally to these dolphins swimming off the coast of South Africa's Eastern Cape
Build-up: Human surfers spend years honing their skills, but things came a little more naturally to these dolphins swimming off the coast of South Africa's Eastern Cape
Catch them if you can! Dolphins are known for their playfulness in the wild, where they play games such as leaping as high as they can out of the water
Catch them if you can! Dolphins are known for their playfulness in the wild, where they play games such as leaping as high as they can out of the water

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