Surfer Profile: Peter Mel

Highlights:
Every session in big waves is a highlight.fourth place Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational 2000, fourth place Quiksilver Mavericks Men Who Ride Mountains event 2000. 4th Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational 2004

Peter Mel came down to Cape Town a few years ago with Ross Clarke-Jones, Gary Kong Elkerton and Tommy Carrol to name a few, and liked what he saw. The ruggedness and fierce Cape Town waves were to his liking, and he expressed an interest in returning.
Mel, who grew up surfing Steamer Lane along with the likes of Vince Collier and big wave maestro Richard Schmidt, has been well recognised for the good part of a decade now as one of the world’s best big wave surfers. He evolved from a professional surfer chasing points to a big wave charger in the winter of ’97 – ’98, when he was winning the K2 Big Wave Challenge for paddling into the biggest wave, but was pipped at the post. Not fazed, Mel saw his popularity and fame spread widely, and was soon in the top 10 in the Surfer Magazine Reader Poll. After this he went on to compete in both the Waimea and Mavs events, earning those afore-mentioned places.
Mel is a surfboard shaper by trade, and the family business is the Freeline Design Surf Shop, which he helps to run. When it comes to big waves, he loves to compete. He is currently invited to surf in the Red Bull Big Wave Africa, the Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational in honour of Eddie Aikau, the Mavericks Big Wave Contest, the Jaws Tow-in contest, the Nelscott Reff Big Wave Contest and the El Gigante Puerto Escondido.  And let’s not forget the movies. Mel has alwso been featured in the movies Step Into Liquid and Riding Giants. So all in all not a bad resumé.
Mel is also an environmentally-aware surfer and does his bit to keep the oceans clean, something that he is doing his best to teach the next generation of surfers. Both globally and locally, he is teaching other how surfers can look after the environment.

This will be the first time that Mel gets a slot in to the Red Bull Big Wave Africa, and for an accomplished big wave surfer this must be a great yet challenging situation. Most surfers who have no experience out at Dungeons have great difficulty in reading the waves, with the shifting line-up, tricky outside sets and the ridiculously steep take-offs. It normally takes a good few sessions and events to start getting a feel for the wave. Mel will have to step up to the plate pretty quickly. His reputation says that he will, but will Dungeons allow him in? As a pioneer of Cortes I’m sure he’ll be up for it.