Bodyboarder Dune Barker storms to victory – four times!
The improvement in his riding has been remarkable.
DUNE Barker could have done with a trailer to get his trophies home after the South African Bodyboarding Champs in Richards Bay last week.
He won the men’s and drop-knee divisions. On top of that, he also won the SABA Tour men’s and drop-knee titles as well.
This year has been the 24-year-old’s most successful season to date.
He turned 24 at the SA Champs, on October 7 to be exact. “I rode three heats that day,” he said.
He’s from Ramsgate and has been riding waves for as long as he can remember.
At Richards Bay it was hot. Very hot.
“There were 30 in the men’s division. It was a big division, very competitive,” he said.
The drop-knee win came as a slight surprise, a bonus.
“Derek Footit has always inspired me. I remember when he won SA Champs. I’ve learnt from the best,” he said.
Last year Dune was second in the men’s division. That motivated him.
“I wanted to come back in full force, so put my head down and really focused,” he said.
Dune, sometimes nicknamed Buggy, hit the road.
He took part in four events on the SABA Tour, which saw him compete firstly in the West Coast Classic.
He won the men’s division and was second in drop-knee. “It was very cold,” he laughed.
Then it was on to the Cape Classic, where he won men’s again and finished third in the drop-knee.
The next event was at Plettenberg Bay, where he won both divisions.
It was at that point that some real belief began to set in. Fellow competitors had noticed the improvement.
“I think having a sponsor gave me confidence,” he said.
At West Beach it was the same scenario, more Dune dominance, and another clean sweep.
Back home, he and Storm Prestwich did their best to get the Southern KZN team prepared for the SA Champs.
Unfortunately, SKZN battled and finished fifth, disappointed not to win the coveted Fishman Cup.
The team shrugged off the disappointment and got behind supporting Dune.
“I could hear the guys shouting from the beach. Duu-Dune,” he said.
During the final, Dune was focused. Intensely so.
“The waves were smaller than back home, but we had a nice, contestable right-hand break. I kept saying ‘this is mine’. I wanted it badly, to bring it home for SKZN,” he said.
There was some serious pressure, too, after one of his opponents produced a huge backflip.
He knew it was ‘game on’ but produced what he called ‘show stopper’ waves to turn things in his favour.
It took a while for his victory to sink in. “They picked me up out of the water at the end. It was quite something,” he said.
His victories were well deserved. And his preparation paid off. “I went up the week before and spent up to four hours a day in the water,” he said.
He thanked his teammates, friends and sponsors (Reef SA and Len Bradford) for their support.
In November, Dune will be heading off to the Bahamas for a stint of lifesaving but aims to be back next year to defend his titles.
