“My dad would freak if he saw me doing this.” So says Dana (played by Sasha Jackson, whoever that is), a late-teens surf girl from California, bouncing down a road.

Dana on top of an open-top truck with a variety of African women, children and livestock

Dana has flown to South Africa to honour her mother, a true South African surf sister who died when Dana was little after following her heart to the States.

Armed with photographs of her mother posing by famous breaks along the east coast—New Pier, Hole in the Wall to mention a few—Dana (herself quite the surf ace, needless to say) sets out on her “odyssey”. However, it being South Africa, she is robbed during her first paddle out in Durban and has to put her trust in a ragtag bunch of locals to realise her dream: Surfing her way down the coast to the legendary swell of J-Bay, posing in the same spots that her mother did two decades before.

Blue Crush 2 may not be the most well-crafted surf movie ever made. Unlike its prequel, it’s being released straight to video on Monday 6 June in ther US. The low budget shows in everything from the intermittently cringe-worthy acting and script to the cheap special effects. That said, the movie is replete with girls who rip. Its depiction of the country we all love may be cliché and laughable at times, nevertheless it’s a fun way to spend an evening with friends and some wine.

Dana at Hole in the wall

What’s wrong with it?
The B-movie qualities may disappoint fans of Blue Crush, which was slick by comparison. The dialogue and acting is bad, and there are plenty of laughable scenes—the girls running into a herd of elephants during a trek on foot to a surf spot being one that instantly springs to mind.

What’s right with it?
It’s set here, and many South African actors and surfers have bit parts in it. Spotting them makes for a good distraction when the storyline gets too cheesy.

Blue Crush 2 was launched on DVD in USA today.

Watch Blue Crush 2 – official trailer