JEFFREYS BAY– A decade-long passion project has culminated in the release of The Oom, which tells the remarkable story of the late John Whitmore, who discovered some of South Africa’s most iconic surf breaks, including the world-famous waves of Jeffreys Bay and St Francis Bay.
Cape Town-based author, Miles Masterson, himself an avid surfer and former editor of Blunt magazine, has self-published this tribute to the man widely regarded as the founder of South African surfing.
The book reveals how Whitmore’s discoveries along the Eastern Cape coast directly influenced one of surfing’s most iconic films and helped establish the region as a global surfing destination.
Most significantly for local surf enthusiasts, the book details how Whitmore’s discovery of quality waves in St Francis Bay in the late 1950s led directly to the filming of The Endless Summer in the area.
“John’s discovery of good surf in St Francis in the late 50s led directly to Bruce Brown travelling there at John’s insistence when he came to South Africa to film The Endless Summer in 1963,” said Masterson.
“They, of course, discovered Bruce’s Beauties and the segment Bruce filmed is one of the most iconic in all of surf cinema.”
Masterson said that Whitmore didn’t just discover these breaks by accident; instead, his insatiable curiosity to discover new surf spots in the 1950s led to what would become some of the most celebrated waves in the world.
He said that Whitmore discovered countless South African surf spots that today have thriving surf scenes and surf tourism-dependent local economies, including Kommetjie, Jeffreys Bay, Mossel Bay, Elands Bay and St Francis Bay.
The book is even available locally at Bargain Books, Jeffreys Bay, bringing the story full circle to where much of it began.
Masterson’s commitment to the project was extraordinary, consisting of countless hours of research and writing.
“Writing the book was always a sideline passion project that took me 10 years of working for an hour in the morning before my day job and a couple of hours each weekend to get there,” said Masterson.
He said that the effort involved interviewing over 120 people, including legendary filmmaker, Bruce Brown, and world champion surfer, Shaun Tomson.
While surfing forms the core of Whitmore’s legacy, Masterson discovered his influence extended far beyond just riding waves.
“To call John a major South African water or ocean sports pioneer is really a bit of an understatement. In one way or another, he had a profound effect on the foundation of six water sports in the country: skin diving, spearfishing, open ocean swimming, surfing, Hobie Cat sailing and bodyboarding,” said Masterson.
Further elaborating on the book, he said that it serves a crucial purpose in preserving South African surfing heritage.
“Another big part of my motivation to write this book was to document surfing history for posterity as accurately as possible,” said Masterson.
“Several of the approximately 120 people whom I eventually interviewed for the book have passed away since, but fortunately, their stories have not been lost.”
Masterson said that he hopes the book will appeal not only to the surfing community but also to general readers.
When asked about Whitmore’s most important legacy, Masterson emphasised the pioneer’s adventurous spirit and quoted one of his favourite phrases, “What you put in is what you get out.”
The Oom is available online at www.johnwhitmorebook.com, at select surf shops in the Western and Eastern Cape, Exclusive Books Cavendish, and Bargain Books Jeffreys Bay.
An eBook version is expected by the end of September, and work is underway to expand distribution to major book chains in time for Christmas.
