Where did you surf today ?

[el rancho]

you don't need to duck dive in indo much

[steve shearer]

exactly, duck-diving in cold water is for those a few sandwiches short of a picnic.

[Nick Carroll]

swell fluctuated all over the shop here today.

this morning it was pumping. squared up 4-6' ne semi groundswell off the front edge of that low, clean with a light offshore.

around 10.30 am the southerly moved in and ripped all that to bits. By 4pm though it had run its course and swung back to the sw. Nobody seemed to notice. The swell kicked hard from the sth for a while, it was around 8' plus and steel grey clean.

I surfed by myself from about 4.30 til a quarter to 6 in those conditions. It was very strange. The east swell was still kind of dominant but the sth swell was up and down like a yo-yo. I got sand dredged a couple of times then got a really good barrel. Very dark grey then sandy, spitting, a bit wild. I love that shit. I feel like as surfers we are captured between the sky and the ocean surface, and on days like today, when the sky lowers and the wind fashions the ocean surface into something jagged and unpredictable, it's a day to be out amongst it no matter what.

[OddaP]

you've got to surf shorter sessions with more rest between Vic.

concentrate on quality and recovery between sessions, building capacity in the shoulder supporting muscles and avoiding over-use.

you've got shit-tons of surfing left in you.

get away from those beachies onto some quality points and reefs and think seriously about a shift to warmer water.

Too true, i am currently on 1/2 hour surfs twice to 3 times a week with physio, stretching and stablilisng exercise, short term program with hopefully long term results allowing me to surf more and longer again. 4 weeks with NO surf at all did do wonders initially.

[ctd]

I'm only talking one surf (3 hrs) a day too.

Ok, I'm hardly anyones idea of a surfer to emulate (no ones frankly), but I doubt I've surfed a 3 hour session more than a handful of times and I still have a lot of fun (usually). I also mostly surf a pretty big 7ft4 board that I cannot duck dive with any adequacy (probably some people can but I can't).

It can be done. Whether its for you I dont know, probably will be hard to come down to my sort of surfing when you are used to something different.

[swvic]

A lot of the surfing I do requires quite the mission to get there. A good example was my last surf which was Saturday. In the water for about 2.5 hrs, but from the time I left home to when I got back, over 6 hrs had passed. Can't do that stuff more than once so I stay in the water as long as I can. I understand it's not ideal and I'll soon need to pass on a few of those missions surf closer to home. The quality of waves I surf will consequently be diminished as will the stoke of doing it with a mate or 2

AS for moving to warmer climes, my wife and I have a fair bit invested here and what's the trade-off? Warm water quality points and reefs with way too many people

And steve, I agree with you about duck-diving in cold water. I don't necessarily think I'm too bright, but I occasionally get very good waves when I do

[steve shearer]

swell fluctuated all over the shop here today.

this morning it was pumping. squared up 4-6' ne semi groundswell off the front edge of that low, clean with a light offshore.

around 10.30 am the southerly moved in and ripped all that to bits. By 4pm though it had run its course and swung back to the sw. Nobody seemed to notice. The swell kicked hard from the sth for a while, it was around 8' plus and steel grey clean.

I surfed by myself from about 4.30 til a quarter to 6 in those conditions. It was very strange. The east swell was still kind of dominant but the sth swell was up and down like a yo-yo. I got sand dredged a couple of times then got a really good barrel. Very dark grey then sandy, spitting, a bit wild. I love that shit. I feel like as surfers we are captured between the sky and the ocean surface, and on days like today, when the sky lowers and the wind fashions the ocean surface into something jagged and unpredictable, it's a day to be out amongst it no matter what.

I love it. Absolutely love it.

Now tell me, did that feel like spring/august or more like the May we never had?

[Nick Carroll]

I kind of think it's hard to separate these events from their context and from your own mood, like the days are starting to stretch out a bit and that always feels to me like some air is being blown back into the world - a sense of expansion that grows very slightly with each day or week, and that I associate with August/September more than any other time.

So to me this looks exactly like a late May ECL thing yet doesn't feel like late May, if that makes sense?

[Hatchnam]

2-3 foot soupy peak stuff. mostly burgers, but the odd bowl section here and there. took the 6'2 webber 'the one' shortboard out. it lit up ok on some of the more bowly waves. managed to get one good satifying backhand vertical belt out of it. felt the fins punch thru the lip, saw a fair wack of spray out the corner of my eye. but for the rest of it, on the sluggish waves, it felt a bit boggy and doggy and lacking drive. it was a bit hit and miss, but putting that down to the conditions. so it's to be expected i guess. looking forward to getting it into some faster throatier more groundswell type waves.

[marauding mullet]

Ulu today, small but fun, plenty of waves.
Balangan last few days around 4 foot.
Meant to be massive tomorrow and dropping to 10' or so Monday! Yikes.

[Drailed]

Anyone hit snapper up.... looks fun http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/n ... 7037988298

I just dont think I could find the pleasure in that...

[ctd]

Anyone hit snapper up.... looks fun http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/n ... 7037988298

I just dont think I could find the pleasure in that...

fcuk. Have to laugh

[alakaboo]

If you couldn't get barreled on the Gold Coast this morning, you should probably give up surfing.
I got possibly the best wave of my life.

I hate crowds so I tried a somewhat protected beachbreak first. That should garner some tard votes. Relentless short period swell over a shallow mid bank. 20 minutes later I was back in the car heading to a point to join my 300 best friends.

Did 2 donut laps (more points), mistimed rockoffs combined with the short period, fierce currents and hectic crowds. I was feeling my abject lack of paddle fitness, but I was in good spirits and accepting of my capabilities. Drew on my aerobic fitness, muscle memory and stubbornness. Had a new board to try out and I was damned if I was going to have a waveless first surf. I'd forced myself to take it rather than a longer faster paddler as I had to get this one wet. A 6' thruster, tweaked for a weekend warrior.


3rd lap and I relaxed a bit, took my time on the rocks. Got out fairly high up the point. Was amping to scratch into the first set that came through but I forced myself to watch and position myself relative to the waves and develop a strategy to deal with the humanity.

Grabbed one a bit too deep, drove around the first section to see a bloke shamelessly burn me, kicked out and managed to get through the back.
Being that bit further in meant I was right on the button for the next set that came more from the Sth and hugged the bank. Coasted in, little high line, hearing the chatter. Dropped down, bottom turn, mid face setup. The turning board sounded like a sharpened scythe through long grass, the board and fins just so predictable and surefooted. I was more relaxed than I've ever felt on a big backhand wall, the lines of the the wave seemed to be speaking to me.
I slowed slightly and set up for the inevitable coverage as the bottom drained out on the inside bowl, I wasn't deep but it was so round and crisp, so makeable that you could just look around and enjoy the moment, notice the weed in the lip, practice weighting and opening your shoulders.
It felt like an age but was really about 4 seconds. Less than half of what the good surfers were getting up the top. In anticipation of the open face I started to get excited about trying out some turns, shifting some weight backwards. Then out of the top right quadrant I saw it. The tail of a board, slicing down the face. I remember thinking "That's a nice D'arcy". The offender came into focus, I thought "I should yell something" but the damage was done, and I was too rapt to contemplate anger and violence
I don't even remember the wipeout but soon I was 50m shoreward in the whitewater, somehow riding in on my gut. My watch told me I had just enough time for another lap, so I legged it past all the lollygaggers and walkers. Running through the park I felt like grabbing a couple of boot camp soldiers by the shoulders and shaking them "Do you understand what is happening out there?" I knew they wouldn't.
I wasted time trying to find a better jumping off point, amped to get a bigger one from further round. Got out cleanly, still jiving on the adrenalin and smiling at seagulls.
A set came through as soon as I was in position, clear water around me. A local WQS bloke took the first one, it looked unmakeable but everyone let him go. The next went to a Mad Huey. Third one was mine. I put everything into the paddle, consciously stroking down the face as the bowl roared at me. I got to my feet but lost contact with the wave halfway down as it drained. Straight to the bottom arms outstretched, but the short period finally worked in my favour. No contact with board, rocks or sand. Popped up laughing, retrieved my board and rode the whitewater all the way in.

Back on land the mums were agitated, trying to find a parking space for their playdates "Are you leaving?" No, I shook my head. "Why not?" I just laughed.
The WQS bloke walked by, I asked him if he made his last one and he said "Nah, not even close". He seemed unfazed, like it was just a normal day.

[crabmeat thompson]

that is one sweet looking board boo ... woulda been great for today. How thick, looks a beast, but with with plenty of rocker? paddle good?

did you happen to see what burleigh was doing?

[alakaboo]

It's 2 1/2 thick but carries it out to the rails and nose. I think it is 19 3/4 wide, not a HPS by any stretch. Replacing the one I snapped surfing with Legion last year.

Fair bit of volume, up about 10% in paddle from my daily driver. Tail reasonably refined. Fair bit of rocker.

I had a very good look at Burleigh...

[crabmeat thompson]

best burleigh since the last time, huh?

[alakaboo]

I'm looking at real estate

[steve shearer]

looks ducksnutz boo. so was that burleigh?

asking for a friend