Ninja flats monk, Milan Germishuizen, on his church the fabled St Brandon’s archipelago north east of Mauritius, gang warfare with bull sharks, the Springbok inside centre position and solid advice from William Shatner.
5 best things about where you guide?
- A flat called Julies on St. Brandon’s on the Neap Push. You will lose track of how many tailing permit you see.
- My phone is an IPod for six months of the year.
- The fact that at any time during a full spring tide you can walk around Raphael Island (where we live on St. Brandon’s) and have at least ten shots at tailing permit while wearing only boardies with a smoke in your mouth. Plus, all the locals are watching.
- Seeing huge golden trevally tailing in thigh deep water during a sunrise session with Russell De La Harpe. Those sunrise sessions are my favourite. The wind dies down and the light is great.
- I love the bushveld but when it comes to sheer beauty and biodiversity, St. Brandon’s has it all. Dit is die mooiste plek in die hele wêreld (“It’s the most beautiful place in the whole world”).
5 items you don’t leave home without before making a mission?
- My Van Staal pliers.
- My Costa low light sunglasses.
- A Lighter. You never know when you might need to light a braai (BBQ) on the flats. Plus, ciggies.
- That Cortland Tropic All Purpose line, WFF9
- A good rock and roll playlist
“I think that in the Gouritz, spotted grunter are tougher than a tailing permit.”
5 of the most underrated species in your book?
- Bluefin trevally. They are the tits.
- Golden trevally. They tail hard and eat flies. They make me so happy.
- Yellowspot trevally. It’s like fighting a pit-bull terrier.
- Spotted grunter. I bled for four years and finally caught my first one in December. I think that in the Gouritz, they’re tougher than a tailing permit.
- Shad/Elf. The little ones are dumb but the big ones eat aggressively and fight really hard.
For the rest of Milan’s High 5s, get stuck in to issue 15 of The Mission below. As always, it’s free…cos we’re cool like that.
