Teegan amped for world champs

AS an avid body boarder, not a day goes by without Teegan Coulonval feeling the fresh waters of the Indian ocean splashing against his skin. He is your typical ‘beach bum’, with his sun-kissed blonde hair, an even brown tan and a deep love and respect for the sea.

The 19-year-old is fresh out of high school and is on a journey of self-discovery during his gap year, recently taking on a job working with marine tanks and animals. “I am focusing on my body boarding and am pretty happy with the level I am at and feel I can now start broadening my focus,” grind the teen.

His love for the sport started in Grade 8 when he joined a group of his friends on a trip to the beach they took along their body boards and he gave it a try. What started as a hobby soon unlocked his competitive side and he began competing in events. “Being in the water is different. You never know what is going to happen, you could land a new you’ve been working on or ride a bigger wave. There is always a new target to reach, never knowing what the next wave holds,” said Teegan.

While Durban is described as South Africa’s sleepy city, the same can’t be said about its body boarders and surfers. He usually feels the cold sand crunching under his feet at 6am each morning, with the bath-like water or the sea reaching for him with each crushing wave. Three hours or a day could pass him by out in the surf, while at other times he may only fit in a one-hour session.

“You wake up every day and anticipate the conditions, grab a coffee before we hit the surf, possibly looking for the best wave. Each day when you paddle out, you aren’t comfortable until you land that first wave. To catch a wave is an indescribable feeling,” he said.

Landing moves comes with practice, messing up, watching your mistakes, pushing yourself to go back out there and try it again. “People see you mess up all the time but everyone does it but you need to be in the ocean to improve. There is a constant need to be on your peak as you never know who is better than you and it can be difficult to maintain the top spot as anything could happen in the water,” said Teegan.

His top achievement so far was taking third place in the pro division at the South African Championships. He said it was at these competitions he would receive invites to compete at other events, which he believes is a testament to his success in the sport. His ultimate goal is to compete in the Association of Professional Body Boarding World Tour, an international event with the top body boarders from across the globe. In October this year he will be going up against South Africa’s elite in the SA Champs in Durban.

Keeping physically fit is his advice to anyone wanting to get into the sport. “In the ocean you are put into a situation where anyone else would panic but you have to learn to stay calm. You have to train yourself mentally to be under the water for a longer period of time. It’s a good fear. It’s just you in the water out there and you can’t beat mother nature, you just have to stay calm and let it do its thing.”

When he isn’t body boarding, he still spends his time at the beach, either spear fishing, long boarding, surfing or just chilling with his friends. “I don’t think there is a day where I don’t see the beach,” he laughed. “I would like to thank all of my supporters, my family and sponsors, Handpicked, Piranha Surf Store and Boarding South Africa.”

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