Siyanda Hewitt is the first UK-based young, black professional surfer and the latest ambassador to join the Reef UK team. Growing up in South Africa, Siyanda learnt to surf amongst some of the best breaks in the world but quickly had to readjust to immerse himself in Croyde’s cold water crew, as his family relocated to the UK.
Today, Siyanda divides his time between South Africa and the UK, working as an ambassador for the renowned Surfers Not Streetchildren during his time in Durban, and more lately, travelling the world to compete. We caught up with Siyanda during some downtime on the Durban coast, to talk favourite breaks, future plans and of course, flip-flops…welcome to the team, Siyanda!
I’ve been surfing since I was around four or five years old, just getting pushed in by my Dad, but I really fell in love with it at around seven. I never really watched much kids TV growing up, just surf edits on Youtube! I grew up in Durban, South Africa, so the guys at Surfers Not Street Children were pretty much the reason I started surfing altogether. Seeing how cool they were and how good at surfing they were just made me super psyched
2. What was it like growing up in SA and then transitioning to N.Devon?
Moving to North Devon from SA was definitely a shock - not just the change in climate, but the cultural differences were insane. Being so used to everything in Durban and having properly integrated as one of the local micro groms, it took a lot of adjusting. I got used to the cold water pretty quickly though, and thankfully the waves were good. I just had to make new friends and wear sneakers, hahaha - I’d only really ever worn flip flops!
My favourite place to surf is New Pier in Durban, but I also love my other home break, Croyde in the UK - both are superb waves. Obviously, I love JBay and have spent a few months living in San Clemente surfing Lower Trestles, not to mention a couple of secret spots I love too!
I think my surf idol now has to be Cole Houshmand or Ethan Ewing. I like Cole because his power is just insane andI try to base my surfing off of his. I am 6’2 and he is also a big guy, so it gives me plenty of inspiration, and with Ethan, his flow and style is just crazy. As a kid, I idolised John John and still do, and Mason Ho is crazy too!!!
This year I’m looking to start competing again in Europe. I took a few years off to work on my fitness, surfing and mental game, and get it to a place where I’m confident to start competing again. Last year I competed in South Africa, this year I will also add the UK and Europe to my schedule. As far as surf trips go, I am currently in South Africa for cyclone season and will then head back to the UK to compete… I also have a few surprise surf spots written in that I will share soon! Then, I plan to go to Indo and then on to Hawaii at the end of the year.
6. Tell us a bit about Surfers Not Street Children and the work you do with them
Surfers Not Street Children is an organisation that draws kids off the streets andout of gang life into surfing in Durban. It gives less fortunate kids an opportunity to find another path, and a distraction from the street life and difficulties in Durban. As an ambassador, I focus on getting a more personal friendship with the kids, being a good role model for them and encouraging them in the program. I grew up around the young members, as my father started the organisation, so we are very close.
Reef is so sick! I’ve always seen the brand around over the years, my Dad has been wearing Reef’s for as long as I can remember and my first pair of flip flops were Reef! I remember the brand sponsoring people like Mick Fanning, who I would see at JBay during the WSL JBay Open and who has been a supporter of Surfers Not Street Children for years. I always thought it would be such a sick brand to be with, the ambassador line-up is all-time and the product is great.
It’s been an absolute honour joining Reef UK. It’s always been a brand I looked at and thought I’d love to join. They just have such a good style and the surfers on the team are sick too. It’s also a brand that just has had great products right from the beginning. I’m totally stoked to be on the team!
I really like the Reef slides, they are super comfortable and are my go-to sandals at the moment. They’re also super stylish, so you can slip them on after a surf but also wear them around town. I also love the Fanning slops (South African term for flip flops) as they are super cool and authentic. To be honest, there ares so many different, cool styles that I am exploring too, like the ‘Oasis’ and ‘Tradewind’ and I can’t wait to see what new models are to come next season.
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