opinions about big surf...

[petelev4]

ive been out bigger waves like the outer bombies at longreef where the water is pretty dark and deep, and its pretty sketchy around 10-12 ft where your scooping hard to get inside that barrel
but i still dont find that as scary as shark island on a 6-8 foot day breaking on a dry rock shelf, and surge goes pretty much dry.

[Shaunm]

Wave sizes depend on the person these days. Some people will say 4ft waves and to other people those same waves will be like 7 ft.
I personally use the system of measuring the front(cause the measuring of the back is just stupid) and ill do what you said... a full grown man is c.5ft9 ish so a few feet less is 3 ft and a few feet more is 7-8ft...

Its bloody confusing!

But wave size i think generally matters just on the type of wave... 5-6 ft or whatever a beach break like tama or bronte or wherever is not to bad.
Where i get nervous is places like G Bombie or another reef nearby where it can just suck dry almost...Any major size on that or the carparks wave nearby and it gets the heartrate up a bit! But gosh damn it feels good if you score an awesome wave!

I just go with waist, chest, shoulder, head, over-head, etc, high. It's simpler??!!
Coogee - I've never seen a wave except out off the island, reminds me of Collaroy, but once or twice have seen some nasty large shore breaks there so I believe the Bundy one on this. QUestion for Bear, been down there a few times last year, the grass was soggy during hot spell and it stunk of effluent this was six months appart. What was it and have they fixed it?

[sean--]

I've always gone with 3 feet being head high that is measuring the wave halfway 6 feet double overhead and so on. My hairiest time was out at Ulu's with a mate on a 6 foot day (big enough ) and it just got bigger and bigger to about 10 feet. That was scary. Nowadays 6 feet is plenty for me maybe 8 feet at the most. I'm no big wave rider and am content to watch on those massive days.

[foamballpilotqueen]

The first rock mafia just watched from the gallery and didn't paddle out.

Classic
Music to my ears... where was that fat shit red dog... probly havin a heart attack!
I have been out at first rock with another booger, and red dog sitting about halfway to suck up dropping in on us every oppourtunity.

[Beanpole]

I've always gone with 3 feet being head high that is measuring the wave halfway 6 feet double overhead and so on. My hairiest time was out at Ulu's with a mate on a 6 foot day (big enough ) and it just got bigger and bigger to about 10 feet. That was scary. Nowadays 6 feet is plenty for me maybe 8 feet at the most. I'm no big wave rider and am content to watch on those massive days.

I didn't realise you were a lid rider prince

[Bear]

Coogee - I've never seen a wave except out off the island, reminds me of Collaroy, but once or twice have seen some nasty large shore breaks there so I believe the Bundy one on this. QUestion for Bear, been down there a few times last year, the grass was soggy during hot spell and it stunk of effluent this was six months appart. What was it and have they fixed it?

Thanks for the backup mate! Ill state it again.. coogee needs massive swell to get anything but when it does it has an awesome sort of shorebreak there. Been ages since I have had a good session there though!

Ha ha ha Im not sure about the grass man. I park up the hill on the south side and walk down past the pool so i never actually walk over it! but probably sewage pipes or something, they are everywhere!!!

[sean--]

I've always gone with 3 feet being head high that is measuring the wave halfway 6 feet double overhead and so on. My hairiest time was out at Ulu's with a mate on a 6 foot day (big enough ) and it just got bigger and bigger to about 10 feet. That was scary. Nowadays 6 feet is plenty for me maybe 8 feet at the most. I'm no big wave rider and am content to watch on those massive days.

I didn't realise you were a lid rider prince

No bloody way . dont get me wrong some of the waves those blokes get into is beyond me . Thats just how I've always measured surf. When theres a metre of swell its generally head high or what I'd call 3 feet. 6 feet and its around a 12 foot face. Maybe its easier to go to the way Shaunm records it Head high, overhead ect.and a lot of people do.
I think the Hawaians measure it from the back of the wave.
We all know swell is recorded and measured in open sea as a lump but its a different story when it lands on a beach or a shelf. Swell period is another factor. I guess you could start another thread on how we all measure waves.

[fong]

lol bear...u starting make omp look loveable

biggest wave me life.......just nth googee....gordon bay.......just over heads high...give ot take a head
8 foot shorebreak bear.....u had u heads too many digs

p.s simion has a particular personality....and a classic sense humour

can we all now agree....coogee don't eva get 8ft shoreys

but over that ways the best part of sydney hey

[munch]

Surf size affects everyone a little differently and we all take different views of it at different times during the surfing life-cycle.

I've tried to phrase that a number of times and everytime got it wrong, and you ya turd come in with all ya fancy writing skills and get it right &*#$ @# &*#$ @# &*#$ @# ............................

p.s big surf, I like it ...... well sometimes .... see above
p.p.s anyone else notice how a cloudy overcast day makes it just a little more scary

[Johnno]

Surf size affects everyone a little differently and we all take different views of it at different times during the surfing life-cycle.

I've tried to phrase that a number of times and everytime got it wrong, and you ya turd come in with all ya fancy writing skills and get it right &*#$ @# &*#$ @# &*#$ @# ............................

[Spoon]

I agree with what Marcus said, if you feel that you couldn't swim back in if you lost your board don't go out.

[offshore1]

I just go with waist, chest, shoulder, head, over-head, etc, high. It's simpler??!!

Couldn't agree more, Shaunster.
Calling waves three feet when they can eat you up and spit you out and grind your bones to make bread is hubris .

[Bear]

Your probably right... I guess compared to everyone i size my waves larger... but when it gets big next ill go down and take a few snaps to show people. 8ft to me may only be 4ft for you guys... so ill try the above system and say it was overhead and a half or a tad more. that makes sense in the sense that my surfer mates were being swallowed by these things. I still dont get it though.. when a person is 6ft why would head high be 4 ft?

Bah...
How about this- I went out at coogee in a massive swell and caught waves which were big and people got hurt on them!
DONE AND NO MORE FUCKING CONTROVERSY!
Bear

[2260]

A couple of big swell situations that had my heart pumping more than usual-

Kalbarri WA - Two guys out, Didnt look too big, But being a saturday, 30 degrees and offshore i was a bit hesistant as to why there were only two people out. Normally the locals rule out there. Watched for about 5 minutes, picked my rock off, stretched up. Miss timed my paddle, copped a few Everests on my head. Lost my board. Fighting a strong current i reach the shore 45 mins later, one board lost, plenty of skin cut and ego in tatters. For one moment there i didnt think i was going to make it back in alive. That day was quite large and i probably havent seen waves like that on the east coast in a number of years.

Blackfellows - SA Checked it from the cliff midweek, looked a good double overhead, noone out, but clean so we thought we would give it a run. Run out tide. Three of us paddle out, all relatively experienced and capable. Result - one of my mates got a broken collarbone, cracked vertabrae, 24 stitches across the top of his forehead and the lucky prize of a rescue chopper flight and having to wear a helmet under doctors orders every time he surfs.

Two other situations at semi secret nsw reefs - paddle out in building surf, we stay out too long and surf gets too big to paddle in, we subsequently have to paddle over a kilometre around a headland in a national park to a rocky cove. 9pm in winter by the time we arrive on land, having originally started paddling at 6.

It starts to get scary for me when waves are sucking below sea level and the lips are most of the height of the wave. Thats when you really have to be ontop of your game.

[grazza]

Not that it gets massive round our shores much, but I do recall a rather big day at Bower some 10 or so years ago (not Big Wednesday, but), where the big ones were just too hard to scratch into, so you had to sit inside between sets and pick up 8-10' inbetweeners. I remember pulling off one of the few waves I caught that day down past surge and getting cleaned up by a left rumbling across from god knows where. For those of you who know Bower, you'll know how freaky that is.

[scooter83]

2260,
now that makes for some quality campfire stories. Certainly puts Sydney beach breaks into perspective! The 2 guys out in WA must have been good surfers. Did you see them catch some good ones befoire you went out...i'm assuming on the way in, minnus board, you were more concerned about self preservation rather than turning your talents to surf photography

[Longygrom]

Your probably right... I guess compared to everyone i size my waves larger... but when it gets big next ill go down and take a few snaps to show people. 8ft to me may only be 4ft for you guys... so ill try the above system and say it was overhead and a half or a tad more. that makes sense in the sense that my surfer mates were being swallowed by these things. I still dont get it though.. when a person is 6ft why would head high be 4 ft?

Bah...
How about this- I went out at coogee in a massive swell and caught waves which were big and people got hurt on them!
DONE AND NO MORE **** CONTROVERSY!
Bear

From the front of a 4ft wave-the face is usually 6ft-head high.Pretty easy

[snakes]

I can't remember the last time we had big surf :?

snakes