Tamarin Bay on the island if Mauritius is one of surfing’s original fantasy waves, famously romanticized by the 1974 surf film The Forgotten Island of Santosha.
However, while the wave may be every bit as spectacular as its reputation suggests, the idealised Tamarin experience can quickly turn into a nightmare at the hands of a staunch group of locals known somewhat comically as The White Shorts.
Stories of encounters with the White Shorts abound in surfing folklore, but this clip of South African surfer, Kyle Kahn, is the most graphic representation of the scale of violence unleashed in the Tamarin lineup.
Kyle claims he was merely speaking up in defence of his teenage son who had suffered the wrath of the White Shorts for riding a pink foamie too far up the point.
Sporting two, bare-knuckled black eyes, Kyle presents himself as an unlikely face for Mauritius tourism, and with the power of the internet ensures that his experience on the mythical ‘Santosha’ will not be forgotten.
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