“Go to Mozambique NOW. It's too small for Skeleton Bay and there's nothing of interest at J-Bay.”

It was the first email Taylor Steele opened in the morning and it altered the course of his travel from one side of the African continent to the other.

The night before, Steele, along with Mick Fanning and two cameramen, bunked down in a Nairobi hotel room. Mick's blindfolded global odyssey, Missing, was underway and the team were in central Africa sharing space and avoiding eye contact with wild gorillas of the Rwandan jungle. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience - enlightening, humbling - but the African coast beckoned.

Was the swell large enough for Skeleton Bay? Howsabout J'Bay..? It was a novelty to have the star of the movie unaware of his next move but having the crew in a similar state of doubt was creating bedlam. At late notice Rip Curl called in Swellnet forecaster, Ben Matson, and it was he who issued the Mozambique memo.

As the team awoke Steele informed them of the change of plans: "We're not going to Skeleton Bay, we're going to Mozambique NOW."

A small cut off low had developed immediately south of the Mozambique Channel - the body of water separating Mozambique and Madagascar. The low was expected to intensify over the next 24 hours - while the team were in transit - and generate a short range southerly swell for Mozambique.

They flew to Durban where they picked up Matt Wilkinson and then trucked it up the coast deep into the heart of the former Portuguese colony where a series of sand points were perfectly aligned for the coming south swell.

Before they left Mozambique Taylor sent Swellnet an email: "Ireland gonna have any waves..?