Former SA women’s surfing champion Olivia Brand was recently named Ballito Surfer of the Year. The young Umdloti teacher has overcome major health setbacks caused by Long Covid and is now hoping to nab a spot at The Ballito Pro again this year.
You would never say, watching the bubbly, smiling, 25-year-old blonde surfer paddle out, that Oly spent more than a year almost completely bedridden, fighting the debilitating effects of Long Covid. Her strong will, incredible faith and sheer passion for surfing are what got Oly back into the water, and now she has her heart set on proving she can win the SA championships once more.
Born in the small town of Magaliesburg, Oly spent the first few years of her life on a dairy farm, before moving to Johannesburg with her family. When she was 11 years old, her hotelier father sold his hotels and decided to take the family on an around-the-world sailing trip.
“He bought a 58ft catamaran and we sailed around the world, starting in the Galapagos and ending in Singapore two years later. It was an incredible experience,” says Oly, “although I do wish we’d gone when I was a bit older because I don’t think I truly understood what an amazing opportunity it was at the time.”
Oly remembers the trip fondly, regaling us with stories of being attacked by pirates in the Caribbean (and sleeping through the whole ordeal) and being chased by a deadly barracuda while snorkelling in Bora Bora. Returning to real life after the trip ended was an extremely difficult adjustment, she says.
“We knew we couldn’t go back to Johannesburg because we needed to live close to the ocean, so we settled in Umdloti. It was only then that I began surfing. I fell in love with it, and wanted to spend every moment in the water.”
With five generations of women in her family having attended St Anne’s College, Oly tried boarding school for a year, but says it didn’t suit her. “I persuaded my parents to let me go to Crawford North Coast where I was given a scholarship for surfing.”
But with various learning difficulties and spending more time competing and travelling for surfing, Oly struggled with academics and, having done home schooling during most of her younger years, she decided in Grade 10 to complete the last two years of school the same way.
Her first big surfing achievement was finishing third in SA champs in the under 15 category. “That was when the competitive bug bit,” she says. Oly won a variety of smaller comps, but it wasn’t until after school that she began to stand out in bigger contests (like winning the SA women’s open championships in 2019).
Then, towards the end of 2020, disaster struck. “My mom got Covid and nearly died and then I got really ill, too. Both of us were treated by nurses at home. I had oxygen and a drip, and ended up being completely bedridden for months on end.”
Diagnosed with Long Covid, Oly suffered from severe blood clotting, lung and heart damage, debilitating vertigo and nausea, brain fog, speech impediments and recurring blackouts.
She had to undergo hyperbaric chamber therapy and was put on various medications as part of a Long Covid medical trial.
By the beginning of 2022, Oly’s mental health was taking severe strain. Not only was she unable to surf, but the illness was affecting her ability to do her job as a special needs teacher as well.
“Then something remarkable happened,” she says. “It was New Year’s Eve and I had another bad blackout. I was devastated. I spent the entire evening on my knees praying. The next day I felt a shift in my health and decided to go for a surf – even though that was a dangerous thing for me to do. My parents are strong believers as well, and they encouraged me to go for it.”
Oly was thrilled to find that she could surf once more and, since then, says she has started to feel herself returning to her old self again.
“I am thrilled to be able to surf again. The progress has been slow, but I can feel myself getting stronger and healthier every day. I haven’t had a single blackout since that New Year’s Eve.”
This year, Oly competed in the iLembe championships and then claimed third place in the SA women’s champs. “That contest was the first time since having Covid that I felt like I was really surfing to my true potential again,” she says, smiling broadly.
Asked what her ultimate surfing dream is, Oly says she would love to travel the world making surf clips – and get paid to do what she loves! “One day though, I’d like to move somewhere really beautiful and remote, perhaps Indonesia, where I can teach special needs kids and just surf for fun.”
Details: @olybrand
Text: Leah Shone Photographs: Chris Allan Photo
