Where did you surf today ?

[petulance]

First ever crack at Deadmans this morning. Super thick 6ft plus. Not quite big enough to link thru the inside step section, which look horrendous as you'd kick off just before it. Crew of a half dozen young chargers and couple of boogs.

Did you take the bonzer or the new Webber?

[Hatchnam]

Neither. But I reckon the ideal board for me out there would've been something like a 6'6 hi-perf rounded pin.

Ended up out there on my 8ft pintail gun. Didn't exactly plan it that way. The intent was to hit up some deep water stuff. First scoped Wedding Cake but nothing doing. Then had a look at Q'Bombie, but it looked like there was already a dozen on it.

So I opted to go check out Deadmans. The gun was a bit of overkill. But it was great for paddling in early, then holding a clean steady line. Even managed a few slicing top turns on it out on the shoulder before carving back down into the bowl. User friendly given the conditions, but if it had've been linking thru the ugly inside step section, then I'd have been wanting something very responsive and nimble under foot for any freaky split second shit.

[philw]

^^ there's a vid of deadmans Saturday morning on swellnet....

[Hatchnam]

yeah i saw it. i think it was shot a little earlier on before i got there. as when i paddled out, the camera dudes shooting from the water were on their way off, just finishing up. when i got out there, there were a few less crew on it. the guy surfing that red gun wasn't out there. so it must have been earlier on. but the young charger on the yellow board was still out there giving it his all.

It's such a tetchy wave. full committal and highly unpredictable. i was surfing it like captain sensible out there, paying it much respect and sitting a little wide, survival mode and all that, as there was as many if not more hidings out there, than barrels being made. freaky fun stuff but. it'd be nightmarish much bigger than that. it feels like the sort of wave that will literally just "do what it wishes" with you. slabby stuff is fun, but deadmans is really a roll of the dice type wave. the bottom's gotta be full of all sorts of steps and potholes.

[Davros]

Super sketchy picking the drop zone with that mutant lip, looks powerful and could be deceptive as well, speaking of is the bloke with the red board still alive I wonder?

[Hatchnam]

The footage shows it up to be bigger than I'd thought. Prob the rail length of the gun helped to quell it a little for me. Looking again at that footage the wipeout to barrel ratio is pretty fkn high.

[petulance]

Super sketchy picking the drop zone with that mutant lip, looks powerful and could be deceptive as well, speaking of is the bloke with the red board still alive I wonder?

Jeebus. The guy on the red board sure copped a flogging. I opted for the safety and boringness of surfing Club Med on the weekend. Not my favourite spot but beggars ... choosers ...

[Hatchnam]

I found it to be a LOT more daunting than Voodoo (which is for the most part, a very well formed wave, albeit a menacing slab). Whereas, Deadmans seems to be a very irregular wave full of warts (which probably adds to the excitement for the core nutters that surf it regularly).

It feels like a game of "blindmans bluff". Throw salt over the shoulder, wave garlic in the air, a few hail marys etc. I just made sure that any waves I took on, were draining and forming properly (as best possible) and looked like they had "some" predictability about them on the first critical take-off section.

[Hatchnam]

one of the punters out there mentioned to be a serious 2 wave hold down that was dished out prior to a booger. apparently he got completely done over. wonder if there was any footage of this?

[SAsurfa]

As Iggs has explained, Deadies is a beast and unpredictable.

I've watched it on so many swells/different moods/tides, and the one thing that stands out is that it's never easy.

I've seen it super playful 6-8ft on a high tide with no ugly step, going from the outside reef right through to the end section, but then other times a no entry mutant that'll nail you no matter how good.

Thing is some waves will totally miss sucking that fang section and you'll be sweet, then others will go absolutely mutant and if you're on the wrong side or above that double lip section your gone.

I haven't given it a crack yet, and don't know if I will, seen too many ugly beat downs, haha and that video makes it all the more menacing.

[philw]

First scoped Wedding Cake

I'm intrigued. You mean the left off south of the island? I've only seen it break a few times, and it looks unpredictable and scary in a way that Deadmans doesn't to me (disclaimer - i've surfed neither, and I'm unlikely to). It might have a deep water channel and no obvious step but it's shifty and you'd be a very long way out, feeling very exposed I'd think. Would you have paddled out alone?

[Hatchnam]

^ yes, the left off WCI. i've not surfed it yet as most other times there's usually been something else working somewhere without having to 'resort' to it as such. but now i've seen it work a few times i've become more curious. so i'll be keen to give it a stab next time it's on. And will make sure i'm NOT alone when i do.

Without having surfed it yet it looks perhaps less horrific than Deadies? (albeit that when WCI breaks, it's Huge - but it looks a lot less temperamental and there is that deep water channel out to the shoulder - much different wave and ball game i'd imagine)

Can anyone offer comment on WC having surfed it?

[Skipper]

Sheesh that sn footage is sik.
Anyone know if that guy on the red gun is still alive?

[philw]

I dunno. I was watching deadmans on sat morning, mostly it just looked pointless. V low rate of waves made, even boogers. But fairly easy to avoid getting caught by bigger set...correct me if I'm wrong, first time I've seen it break at that size ...but wedding cake island, very long way out, very lonely, v sharky, and very high chance of being clobbered by a 10 foot ++ set - big white water rumble, good leggie snapping conditions... Fking nightmare!!!

I guess on a softer rolling swell could be easy ride but with any size ... Much ballsier I reckon.

[Hatchnam]

yeah for sure WCI looks menacing. and i'll not be able to comment on it til i have a crack at it. but i've done a "little bit" of the deep water bombie thing before, with long-reef (german bank), la perouse (out in front of bare island), and also queenscliff (but just once on a higher tide), and overall so far, i find the size of a wave to be less freakier than the velocity. it's spooky surfing big open ocean stuff like that, but i feel somewhat safer knowing there's a deep water channel and a shoulder on bombies, than super sketchy irregular slabby stuff breaking in front of cliff faces. i think deadmans on saturday is about where i'd draw the line for "slabs". it's too unpredictable. Voodoo's a stack of fun, but it's become a total circus these days, which when crowded, makes it sketchier than it otherwise would be.

sharks? am yet to see one in sydney. am sure there's loads, but haven't sighted any yet. go spend some time surfing the SEQ sand islands (nth straddie, moreton, fraser etc) and you'll soon get used to the idea of them 'being there'.

[philw]

well I look forward to hearing about it!

[philw]

http://forum.realsurf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=54326


old forum chat about wci and lurline. you considered lurline hellhatch? i've seen that break in the very big range and it looks horrendous...not many escape routes and the worst entry / exit, would love to see someone try!

[Hatchnam]

Got no plans of surfing Lurline. It's essentially just a drop and a death wrestle with a rocky cliff face. I can't see the point. If that's working, then there's other options. Just like I wouldn't have ended up at deadmans on Saturday if I had the whole day free and could head south.