RealSurf Surfers' Forum

steve shearer wrote:

Braithy wrote:
and doing it. Start at swimming 2-3 ft then work up to taking a swim at 6ft. Swimming out to some heavy beachies and move around in the rips and sweep and getting a feel for the ocean on bigger days is probably the best confidence raiser.

You serious?
When was the last time you swam out at a 6ft beachy just for a lark?
Last time my leggy snapped in a 6ft beachie it took me half an hour to get back to the beach. The rips were shifting and gnarly.
As they are at most east coast beachies under heavy swell.

That'd be one of the worst ways to get confidence and probably a good way to drown unless your supremely fit.

Bloke needs a line-up that makes sense with a clear path in and out, preferably a reef or point. Somewhere where the waves are breaking more or less predictably ( a line-up that he can understand) so he can find position for catching waves and being in a safe spot (well as safe as he can be). And a good board with more paddle-power and projection.

I hear you about the big board with volume.

Swimming out to a beachie on a big day/s is how I got my confidence. Maybe it's not for everyone? Whenever I'm back home (goldy) there's a few of us that swim out in from the central beaches in cyclones ... I'd only do it with fins on and provided I'd been doing my hours in the pool.

I'm an amateur too. Watching Shieldsy swim out to 12 foot pipe with a camera and 6kg housing, or swim through 6ft+ West Oz beachies makes what I do look outright girlish. I remember Bradshaw telling me he swims out to 15ft Sunset, which has to be the rippiest stretch of water I've ever seen in my life at that size. I thought he was joking until I saw him do it.

Those guys are nuts. Not me

if i may add a suggestion for morgan, what about swimming around with flippers on. gets you in tune with the water movement, but they give you the power from the flippers to get on a wave or back to shore or out of that rip.
bodysurfing with flippers can help i reakon.
just a suggestion, cut it to pieces if im off the mark.

nick....can u tell me about the best surf your eva had

and can u tell me how u imagine the one that would beat that would be like

actually there was a bloke lurking in the bush with a mini-mal and a pair of deck shoes on.
Iggy, you got an alibi for last weekend?

tomtom wrote:Nick, my question is: do you think the amount of bullshit posted by members is proportional to how sad their lives are?

Not necessarily. I suspect for many people these forums -- probably forums generally -- are a place for them to play-act, and for some people, very little of their everyday life leaks through the act.

bumfluff, re having someone paddle out with you in bigger surf, well it might help, but it might be a bit unnecessary, after all, you'll probably be surrounded by other surfers in any case, and you can learn a lot by watching what they do and witnessing the consequences of their decisions.

Braithy wrote:Hey NC when was the last time you completely shit yourself in the water?

Completely and utterly, I think 1999, surfing Teahupo'o on a six foot plus day, super perfect with just me and my mates out, caught a smaller one and rode it about halfway through the end bowl, then a 12'+ set came out of nowhere. Like there hadn't been the remotest sign of such a set, then suddenly there it was. Literally had to paddle for my life. Beyond being scared, it was blank survival mode for the 20 seconds it took to paddle off the shallow part of the reef, dive off my board, swim to the coral, let the wave snap my legrope, and come up the other side. The wave was perfect, but I reckon if I'd fallen off the one before it, it might have killed me.

steve shearer wrote: Maybe, with all due respect, it's your experience with mostly Pro surfers that has caused you to become distanced to the experience of the recreational surfer.

Ha ha, almost all my surfing time in the past 40 years has been spent with recreational surfers. Like, lots and lots of recreational surfers. The guys I surf with every day are all recreational surfers, some of them are pretty damn good, some of them not so good. I feel pretty close to that experience.

mustkillmulloway wrote:nick....can u tell me about the best surf your eva had

and can u tell me how u imagine the one that would beat that would be like

Fcuk, I don't know which one, there's quite a few in the best category. The last q like that in this thread I recounted a surf I had at Waimea in Dec 1989. Right now the one that flashes to mind is one on the second last morning of the Grajagan contest in 1997. A morning Occy called "a present from God". Early morning tradewind, 10'+ south swell, high tide, mega Launching Pad into mega Speed Reef. They held the contest off til 10am so four or five of us got to surf it for two hours: TC, Kelly, Camel, me and a couple of Brazilians. Pete Johnson the lifeguard came out on a ski and tortured himself by giving us rides back out to the peak. Occ was in the first heat and I remember getting my last wave about three minutes before the hooter and going past him standing straight up and down on the foamball, could have put my hands above my head and waved them around and wouldn't have touched the sides. There's so many elements involved in one of those peak surf experiences, it's not just the wave quality, it's the board, the other people in the lineup, your mental and emotional state, the context within your own life. You can't hope to outdo them or try for something better, to do that is to miss the point or the significance. I don't even think you can understand them.

Hi Nick,
Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge and experience with us. In the past you've also been gracious enough to answer pm's regarding board design and technique qs and for that i am also thankful.

My questions:

1. South of Botany Bay and north of Bundeena lies a choice left that i believe u & your bro have surfed. While its not a secret, i won't call it by name... it's a spot Marcus, Iggy, 2ndReef & guard are familiar with. How would you rate it compared to Pipe and Cloudbreak?

2. How would you rank the following watermen: Dorian, Laird, Jamie Mitchell?

3. At 6-8ft with no crowds, Burleigh (with good banks) or Honolua bay?

4. Does Shawn Briley still surf? Whats the haps?

5. What happened to Aaron Lambert?

6. 8-10ft with no crowds: G-land or Cloudbreak?

7. I'm currently living and working in Shanghai and get to surf about a month year. I don't have regular access to a pool or open waterways but have joined a gym and play regular teamsports. What else would you recommend to keep me semi "surf-fit"?

8. In a Surfing article from a few years back you did a trip to eastern China. Could u drop a few names of the locations you scored during that typhoon?
(i highly doubt that it will add to unwanted surf tourism and upset locals if u did)

9. Did you answer Tiger's question on how much you pay for boards?

Thanks in advance..

Nick Carroll wrote:

Braithy wrote:Hey NC when was the last time you completely shit yourself in the water?

Completely and utterly, I think 1999, surfing Teahupo'o on a six foot plus day, super perfect with just me and my mates out, caught a smaller one and rode it about halfway through the end bowl, then a 12'+ set came out of nowhere. Like there hadn't been the remotest sign of such a set, then suddenly there it was. Literally had to paddle for my life. Beyond being scared, it was blank survival mode for the 20 seconds it took to paddle off the shallow part of the reef, dive off my board, swim to the coral, let the wave snap my legrope, and come up the other side. The wave was perfect, but I reckon if I'd fallen off the one before it, it might have killed me.

Strictly speaking in an ocean & surfing sense, I like to hear you're still human and fear things just like me. Every now and again I start to think you're this outer world creature resilient to human reactions like fear with some the stuff you've done, and are still doing.

still, it kinda upsets me it was 11 years ago since you shat an actual brick in the water. For me it was about a month ago!

rightbrainpositive wrote:1. South of Botany Bay and north of Bundeena lies a choice left that i believe u & your bro have surfed. While its not a secret, i won't call it by name... it's a spot Marcus, Iggy, 2ndReef & guard are familiar with. How would you rate it compared to Pipe and Cloudbreak?

It's a good wave but Pipe and Cloudbreak are in an entirely other league.

rightbrainpositive wrote:2. How would you rank the following watermen: Dorian, Laird, Jamie Mitchell?

I think this is a bit of a silly one so am letting it go to the keeper. Those guys aren't choosing to be ranked (other than Jamie in paddleboard racing) so why should I bother with it. They all rip.

rightbrainpositive wrote:3. At 6-8ft with no crowds, Burleigh (with good banks) or Honolua bay?

Fcuk, they're both epic, but I've surfed Burleigh more than Honolua, so Honolua it is.

rightbrainpositive wrote:4. Does Shawn Briley still surf? Whats the haps?

Yeah I think so, he's OK, I think he might be married now.

rightbrainpositive wrote:5. What happened to Aaron Lambert?

Not sure where Aaron is now, I had some communication with him a little while ago (maybe a year), he was keen on kick-starting a big wave free surfing career again at the time.

rightbrainpositive wrote:6. 8-10ft with no crowds: G-land or Cloudbreak?

Jeez I dunno, they're both so fcuken awesome. I hate this question because I had a chance to go to Fiji for this last swell and had to pass thanks to work commitments, aaaaaarrrghhhhhh

rightbrainpositive wrote:7. I'm currently living and working in Shanghai and get to surf about a month year. I don't have regular access to a pool or open waterways but have joined a gym and play regular teamsports. What else would you recommend to keep me semi "surf-fit"?

Ah unless you can get into water of some kind I don't think there's much more you can do. Water "feel" is irreplaceable for a surfer.

rightbrainpositive wrote:8. In a Surfing article from a few years back you did a trip to eastern China. Could u drop a few names of the locations you scored during that typhoon?
(i highly doubt that it will add to unwanted surf tourism and upset locals if u did)

Shengsi Island, South Beach, simple and easy. Plenty of other waves on that island and others nearby.

rightbrainpositive wrote:9. Did you answer Tiger's question on how much you pay for boards?

Yes.

tomtom wrote:

bumfluff wrote:

tomtom wrote:I'll be the first to admit that my life has been a pretty sad one, using humour & shit talking as a way of getting through it. It's a family trait.

Nick, my question is: do you think the amount of bullshit posted by members is proportional to how sad their lives are?

So, saying that - am a right to assume that bumfluff is one messed up muthafcuker?

Are you, in a round a bout way, saying that you find me amusing? Or just that I am a sh*t stirer.

I will put it on the record that I am more messed up than anyone I know.

You're a funny cnut.. good value

These forums are a welcome break from the monotany of being a stock trader. Its a good laugh in between reading broker reports, company announcements and engaging with other traders on far less amusing forums.

Some people on investment forums need to lighten up IMO....money isnt everything. Im glad I can be of some kind of equal amusement to someone else and hope im not part of this illusive "cancer" that is rotting these forums away.

Why did Deep die? Was probably my fave Oz mag of past few decades. Do you think there's room for Deep 2.0 now, considering way surfing here has changed even in the time since the original went to mag heaven?

bombora wrote:Why did Deep die? Was probably my fave Oz mag of past few decades. Do you think there's room for Deep 2.0 now, considering way surfing here has changed even in the time since the original went to mag heaven?

Totally agree... NC sub question on this - Perhaps with your historical knowledge and literary prowess, you coul take over the rights to this and provide Deep 2.0 in an online format subscription type of deal. How about it?

bombora wrote:Why did Deep die? Was probably my fave Oz mag of past few decades. Do you think there's room for Deep 2.0 now, considering way surfing here has changed even in the time since the original went to mag heaven?

Deep died as a result of a lack of advertising support. It had a strong readership base, but was played off against ASL by advertisers who used it to extract cheaper deals in the MM stable while avoiding ad placements in a magazine they considered dangerously grown-up at the time. As a result Deep was costing a lot of money per issue to publish and we couldn't work out a formula for its survival. This caused me a lot of personal frustration and disappointment at the time and I had to work hard to avoid long term cynicism about the whole thing.

I doubt there's room for Deep 2.0 now for the same reason as the earlier version folded, it would struggle for advertising support within the stable and end up just burning more of MM's money. Advertisers probably perceive SW as filling that market niche these days, though I personally don't.

clay wrote:NC sub question on this - Perhaps with your historical knowledge and literary prowess, you could take over the rights to this and provide Deep 2.0 in an online format subscription type of deal. How about it?

I have a few ideas vaguely, but not precisely, down these lines, we'll see what evolves in a few months.

Hey, thanks for ALL the replies..... You've all nailed it on the head, and some of you so much it was uncanny.

Braithy...you're right I won't be swimming myself (or paddling out) to an instantly hairy situation, but I will push the envelope a little and see what happens.

The particular break I have in mind is a well known break on the Central Coast, breaking off an island about 200m offshore. If it's 3 foot on the beachies, it'll be about 4-5 foot here.

The size I'm talking about is pretty small for this spot and it's an easy paddle out and back. Leggies do snap, and I know quite a few guys who've had to swim in, sometimes finding their boards, and at other times finding their boards a few beaches down.

For the past few months I've been paddling out and sitting on the shoulder, taking the wide ones or the sets that go through unridden by the main crowd.

I really don't like this spot. But I've also had some of my best rides here. It's gone from debilitating to frustrating (as Braithy so eloquently put it). Watching the guys who have it wired from the safety of the channel kinda makes it seem achievable ...

So I guess I've been desensitising myself to the spot...just need to get over the hump.

My equipment - a 6'8 McCoy single fin (honest, it's not a fashion statement, I just love it) and a 6'10 thruster McCoy Nugget (no love, but it's good old reliable, and not mine ). Lots of volume and lots of trust from me.

I might sign up for some Ocean swims, that should pick up my confidence a bit (or knock 'em back!).


Thanks for all the feedback...Braithy, NC, Steve, Bumfluff and Marcus.

I thought of a really good question for you and I forgot.

Do you find yourself forgetting things in your middle age?