THE NEXT GENERATION OF DUNGEONS SURFERS

A Lineup That Doesn’t Come Easy

Dungeons has never been an easy place to enter. Sitting offshore from Hout Bay beneath the Sentinel, it is cold, fickle, difficult to access, and only comes alive when serious Atlantic energy lines up with the reef. It is the kind of wave that demands more than talent — it asks for patience, judgement, local knowledge, and years spent earning trust in heavy water.

Learning From the Old Guard

The Cape’s big wave story has always been carried by small crews. From the early pioneers who first hiked over the mountain and paddled into The Sentinel in the 1980s, to the generations that followed through Dungeons, Sunset Reef, and other heavy-water zones, knowledge has been passed down through experience rather than instruction.

A Gap Worth Noticing

In recent years, that handover has become even more important. After a Dungeons session in 2023, Wavescape noted how many of the surfers in the water were part of the older guard, with Dougal Paterson joking that at 48 he was, at one point, the youngest surfer in the lineup. The same report also pointed to 19-year-old Sam Warren as a young charger pushing into the wave, a reminder that the next generation is there — but the path into Dungeons is still narrow.

More Than Just Riding Big Waves

For young Cape surfers, stepping into Dungeons is not only about catching the biggest wave. It means understanding forecasts, safety, positioning, boats, skis, photographers, crew dynamics, and the weight of the place itself. Grant “Twiggy” Baker has spoken about the logistical difficulty of surfing Dungeons today, especially without a regular contest acting as a stepping stone for younger surfers entering the big wave world.

The Future Beneath the Sentinel

The next generation of Dungeons surfers will not be built overnight. They will come through slowly — watching winters, learning from older watermen, charging smaller big-wave days, and earning their place when the Cape finally turns on. That is what makes this moment important. The legacy is already there. The challenge now is making sure the knowledge, courage, and culture of Cape big wave surfing continues to move forward.