Luke Slijpen on His New Surf Film Surge: A Celebration of South African Waves
Llandudno’s Luke Slijpen has never been one to sit still. Between competing on the Challenger Series and chasing swells across the globe, his passion for free surfing and filmmaking has always driven him to create something of his own. His new short film, Surge, is a reflection of that drive — a raw and beautifully shot tribute to the waves and landscapes of South Africa.
“I just really like free surfing and filming, and I always want to make edits,” Slijpen says. “As soon as I got on Vans, I was amped to work on a short film.”
Surge was filmed over the past year and a half in some of South Africa’s most iconic surf zones — Cape Town, J-Bay, Durban, and the West Coast. Balancing filming with the Challenger Series schedule wasn’t easy. “It was hard because I was always traveling on the Challenger, so I didn’t have a lot of time in between to film,” he admits.
Despite the challenge, Surge stands as a visual love letter to South Africa’s coastline. Through crisp cinematography and smooth, stylish surfing, Slijpen showcases not only his skill but also the raw beauty and solitude of the waves he grew up riding. “It’s just a good way of showing the waves we have in South Africa and how lucky we are — and how uncrowded it is,” he says. “I think if these waves were anywhere else in the world, it would be another story as to the crowds.”
While Luke has made a name for himself on the competitive stage, Surge signals a potential shift in focus. “Yeah, I’ve been on the CS, but honestly I’ve been so amped on filming and traveling specifically to film towards a project that I’m not going to compete next year,” he says. “I’ll finish off at Pipeline and then just work on projects next year and hopefully do some cool trips.”
For Luke, Surge isn’t just another surf edit — it’s the beginning of a new creative chapter. A step away from competition and toward storytelling, exploration, and the kind of soulful surfing that first got him hooked.
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