Cyclone Dineo - Internet loses shit over Snake Wave and forgets about African Kirra

The world has lost it’s shit over Mick Fanning’s snake wave and meanwhile a cyclone has all but destroyed the town at African Kirra and no-one cares because African tragedy is just not news anymore.

Cyclone Dineo hit the coast of Mozambique with unbridled ferociousness on Feb 15, it made landfall in the idyllic province of Inhambane – the home of that not-a-drop-out-of-place tube that Jordy fed out that time and many a surfer have gone searching for. Also home to the bright blue point break you might have seen Beyrick De Vries skittering above, as well as Mini, the grom with the startling talent I have mentioned on here before.

The official statistics are 750 000 people affected, 20 000 homes destroyed and seven people dead. The stories slowly feeding out are of people witnessing children killed by falling trees, reed huts crumpled under collapsing palms and entire buildings almost disappeared. For a few days the village had no power or water, but now word on the street is that in the usual way of the ever-resilient Mozambican people, spirits are high and rebuilding is under way.

The waves though, are still there. Marine researcher Katie Reeve-Arnold put it well “ The coast generally looks fine, nature can take a beating in a way people will never be able.”

And all the while people are crying as to the location of Mick’s right-hander and its revelation – yet, when one of these so called ‘surf ghettos’ that results from the exposure of wave discoveries, is torn down by natural disaster, it seems that’s no call for attention.

So, if you would like to help, fundraisers are under way (yay for the internet), this one in particular is going toward the rebuilding of schools. Mozambique is the 14th poorest country in the world and right now it needs us. Any surfer who has ever gone looking for perfect empty waves knows why.

Click HERE to empty your pockets. Muito Obrigada.

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