Kangaroo Island

Wondering if there are surfable waves someplace you've never visited? Or have you had an injury and want to compare experiences? Do it here!

Moderators: jimmy, collnarra, PeepeelaPew, Butts, Shari, Forum Moderators

User avatar
steve shearer
BUTTONMEISTER
Posts: 44831
Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2008 8:20 pm

Kangaroo Island

Post by steve shearer » Wed Oct 14, 2009 8:56 pm

Anyone been there?
White sharks obviously but what about surf spots?
I want Nightclub Dwight dead in his grave I want the nice-nice up in blazes

puurri
Owl status
Posts: 4832
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2005 11:56 am
Location: Coogee Heights (estate agent speak)

Re: Kangaroo Island

Post by puurri » Wed Oct 14, 2009 9:33 pm

1. yes
2. many
3. (a)many
3. (b) but most are beyond what you can handle

look at Cape du Couedic wave buoy for a guide

daryl
Huey's Right Hand
Posts: 27145
Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2005 6:23 pm

Re: Kangaroo Island

Post by daryl » Wed Oct 14, 2009 10:52 pm

Body surfed, nice shaped waves. Family friend who is a custodian of a stretch of coast, stood on the beach looking amused. I'd have preferred if he had some heavy artillery, it was spooky.

Heaps of spots, if that stretch was anything to go by. Magic clear blue water, you might see'em coming :lol:

He's listed as a farm stay place, gets backpackers to do his weeding :roll:

Possibly okay except definitely not the seal beach, that's where the really old man seals get picked off by Whitey when they slow down a bit too much, they're not so unbeatable anymore. Battle-scarred eh, magnificent, they dive what, 500m or something :shock:

puurri
Owl status
Posts: 4832
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2005 11:56 am
Location: Coogee Heights (estate agent speak)

Re: Kangaroo Island

Post by puurri » Thu Oct 15, 2009 9:45 am

and monster you if you get near to their harem

User avatar
PeepeelaPew
Huey's Right Hand
Posts: 22825
Joined: Thu Oct 11, 2007 12:21 pm

Re: Kangaroo Island

Post by PeepeelaPew » Thu Oct 15, 2009 12:14 pm

...
Last edited by PeepeelaPew on Sun Jan 22, 2012 2:36 am, edited 1 time in total.

daryl
Huey's Right Hand
Posts: 27145
Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2005 6:23 pm

Re: Kangaroo Island

Post by daryl » Thu Oct 15, 2009 12:16 pm

that water's coming in unobstructed, most the island will be a surf spot

nu boy
regular
Posts: 127
Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2008 5:21 pm
Location: uncrowded

Re: Kangaroo Island

Post by nu boy » Thu Oct 15, 2009 2:40 pm

One of my mates that I hang with all the time is from K.I.His family own a farm.He's shown me heaps of good shots of pumping waves.He keeps on dareing me to go down with him for a week or two I might one day, bit cold though.As long as you put the tuna oil on someone elses wetsuit sharks shouldn't be a problem :twisted: .From what he tells me the locals are O.K. too(providing your not a dickhead).If you go there buy some honey its the purest strain in the world all K.I. bees and no euro bees

slowy
regular
Posts: 101
Joined: Fri Dec 21, 2007 10:28 am

Re: Kangaroo Island

Post by slowy » Thu Oct 15, 2009 3:56 pm

Remember it is S.A one of the most fickle places in OZ. Been to KI about 8 times, always got some form of a wave, but only good twice (scored much better on the mainland down South of KI).
In (very) general you can usually score something no matter wind or swell direction. Great spot to explore, especially down the Cape way.
Once you live in S.A for any lenght of time you sort of stop worrying about sharks so much (well a little less :) ).
Been told some scary stories by mates that grew up there. EG Boys rock down to check surf from a well known cliff spot about 50 meters up. They see a shark hit a tuna, bite off it's tail and the rest gets pushed up onto a little rock ledge. the farkin shark puts a third of its body out of the water, on it's side, up onto the ledge to retreive the rest of the tuna.
Boys reckon even though the surf was pumping, they never even spoke about going surfing when they got back to the car, just drove off talking about the shark.

User avatar
steve shearer
BUTTONMEISTER
Posts: 44831
Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2008 8:20 pm

Re: Kangaroo Island

Post by steve shearer » Fri Oct 16, 2009 1:11 pm

That sounds unreal.

Thinking about heading there this summer to do some volunteer conservation work and get away from the school hol madness.

Need a car?
I want Nightclub Dwight dead in his grave I want the nice-nice up in blazes

daryl
Huey's Right Hand
Posts: 27145
Joined: Tue Nov 15, 2005 6:23 pm

Re: Kangaroo Island

Post by daryl » Fri Oct 16, 2009 2:51 pm

steve shearer wrote:That sounds unreal.

Thinking about heading there this summer to do some volunteer conservation work and get away from the school hol madness.

Need a car?
Nothing to do with this crowd by any chance? :shock:
establishing survey sites on their
properties and undertook surveys on my behalf
there's the cutest pygmy possum

nu boy
regular
Posts: 127
Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2008 5:21 pm
Location: uncrowded

Re: Kangaroo Island

Post by nu boy » Fri Oct 16, 2009 7:08 pm

Yes you will need a car or a bike to get around on.Its quite a large island.

puurri
Owl status
Posts: 4832
Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2005 11:56 am
Location: Coogee Heights (estate agent speak)

Re: Kangaroo Island

Post by puurri » Fri Oct 16, 2009 8:47 pm

Abt 90K end to end from memory??

User avatar
steve shearer
BUTTONMEISTER
Posts: 44831
Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2008 8:20 pm

Re: Kangaroo Island

Post by steve shearer » Fri Oct 16, 2009 9:16 pm

Thanks gents.

You take your own vehicle by ferry ?
I want Nightclub Dwight dead in his grave I want the nice-nice up in blazes

User avatar
SAsurfa
barnacle
Posts: 1387
Joined: Sat Apr 29, 2006 1:18 am
Location: 20 hours drive away..

Re: Kangaroo Island

Post by SAsurfa » Sat Oct 17, 2009 9:11 pm

Haven't surfed there myself but have heard and seen plenty of photo's of the place.

As people have said, very alive and I've heard of close-encounters in the water with one including a half eaten seal popping up inbetween two surfers around the Cape Du Couedic region.

Its 155km in length and the south coast is open to everything. Need northerly winds, or a big swell and SW winds for one location :wink:

In summer you are going to the dominant SE winds which will write off the South Coast, but on the north side of the island, in big westerly swells there's a beachie and point at Stoked Bay and Hanson Bay. Haven't heard much about the west coast but there's bound to be waves!

Need a car for sure, even 4wd if available and the cost of the ferry is rediculous! Only 15km and a 40min trek, but the most expensive ferry ride in Australia. Over $200 one way :shock:

But if you don't plan your trip totally around surfing as Dino said, you'll love it.

Oh and yeah you'll need a steamer, SE winds in summer promotes upwelling and temperatures which can get close to as cold as winter!

User avatar
dUg
barnacle
Posts: 1858
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2004 8:22 am
Location: sitting in my car waiting for someone else to paddle out first

Re: Kangaroo Island

Post by dUg » Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:32 am

Anyone been there?

yup.

White sharks obviously but what about surf spots?

both are in abundance... and co-existing comfortably :)

Need a car?

SA's advice about the 4WD is bang on. If you want to get anywhere near the action down in Flinder's Chase NP on the Island's exposed SW tip, it's essential. You will get to drive on bitumen for about the first 30km... but all surf spots on KI are accessed by unsealed roads. Note I use the term "road" loosely... these corrugated thoroughfares eat cars for breakfast, lunch and tea.

The water is cooler than on the Fluerieu all year round, you might get away with a 2mm springy on a hot day in decemeber but pack a 3/2mm steamer for morning sessions. The "it's always offshore somewhere" myth will become apparent once you have done a few drives from one side of the island to the other chasing surf, to find onshores South and North. The island acts like a big vaccuum, and as it heats up air rises above it and draws cooler air off the sea - from all directions. That being said, there is almost always somewhere sheltered with a wave. Just be prepared for a lot of tiring driving, on very rough unsealed roads.

The South Coast picks up the bulk of the swell, and is mostly offshore in N - NW winds - but some spots will work in a Westerly. Closest spot to the ferry is Pennington Bay - get onto the Hog Bay Rd and drive for about 20 minutes, then follow the signs... better still... just plug it into the GPS. ;) It's mainly just beachies and is really Kingscote's "town beach" - so it gets busy... especially over xmas. There's no coast road there so you have to double back to 3chains Rd, which will take you SW and down toward D'Estree's Bay. Best known spot here is Sewer's, a right hand reef that packs some punch when it gets bigger ( far SW corner of the bay ). There are also a couple of beachies close by ( further SW ) that are worth a look under the right conditions. If you really want to test you car's resilliance, drive along the coast road and head for the Bale's Bay lookout - a lot of it is high cliffs and inaccesable, but there are some surprises.

I have seen surfable waves in the Seal Bay conservation park, but ask yourself... are ya feelin' lucky? Probably best to keep driving until you hit Vivonne Bay. This beach is pretty popular and right next to a caravan park and campsite. Right out front are shifty beachies that usually just close out. I've got one word to say to you if they are clean and 2'. Walk. Walk east.... and keep walking. ;)

There's pretty much no access to the coast heading WSW (most of it is flanked by tall cliffs) until Hanson Bay . There are a few places you can surf in this sheltered bay ( you'll be alone... almost guaranteed on a weekday ), including a heavy rock ledge left hander straight across the bay. There's also a long wally right hander right in front of the cabins when the swell gets bigger, and more breaks past the first rocky spit. The beachies 10 minutes walk away can look inviting at 3 - 4', but don't be fooled... they are downright nasty and 2x bigger than they look. The rip and dark, deep water here are nerve wracking... especially if you're alone.

There are several setups inside Flinder's Chase NP... and most will give you the willies as well. For a start, several are inaccessable by road - you have to walk around 5km there and back. Look for places with "creek" or "river" in the name. The spot dino referred to is nuts... you will look at it in disbelief when told people actually surf there. The wave comes out of deep water, pretty much straight off the continental shelf. There are actually two spots there, the former ends when the wave smacks into a vertical cliff. Think dark, deep water with weird foam and spooky currents, and a well established predator / prey regime. You are miles and miles from a telephone... let alone help if things go bad. In 2005 they went pretty badly for one local at the aforementioned spot. A nearby wavebouy regularly records waves in the 30ft+ range. Punch 36°00'03.83"S, 136°40'33.27E into Google Earth and you'll get some idea of how evil this place can be.

Stokes Bay is on the North facing coast, and is very sheltered ( and often crowded ) - but I've had some some fun beachies there. There's a little reef at the Western end, and you get to it through a cave. You can surf the rocky little left hander on the Western side of the cave as well. Needs a very WSW swell, similar to the beaches on the Mid Coast on the Fluerieu Peninsula. Offshore is SE. I have heard of a couple of other spots on the North Coast, and I know of a long, racy left hander to the East. It's never worked when I have been there, but a freind working for the State Gov in conservation recently watched it reeling off unridden for three days while he was working nearby. There is also an A-frame reef break I have seen working near Cape Willoughby - but like the left I mentioned is really isolated and sharky.

Now, just to pre-empt any feeble attempt by an "assumed local" to bag me for revealing too much about KI. All the places mentioned above have been covered in numerous books, in tourism brochures, and on numerous websites. As for the locals themselves, all the ones I have met were very mellow... and in many cases pleased just to have someone to surf with. KI is considered "country SA", so you are dealing with laid back farming folk, not hot-headed blow ins that try to defend their "right" to the place over and above other less hot-headed blow ins. Apart from that, it's expensive and difficult to get to, weather often works against you, and swell often seems to be waaaaay to big. I could mention 20 spots by name that most of the time, are completely unsurfable.

Surfing aside, there's some great stuff to see and do on KI. Wildlife is everywhere both in and out of the water, and the scenery is really speccy - especially the SW corner. You'll only get a little taste over the course of a week. :)

User avatar
steve shearer
BUTTONMEISTER
Posts: 44831
Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2008 8:20 pm

Re: Kangaroo Island

Post by steve shearer » Mon Oct 19, 2009 11:38 am

Thanks Dug.

Got my new mal ready for a summer at the Pass after reading that.
I want Nightclub Dwight dead in his grave I want the nice-nice up in blazes

User avatar
dUg
barnacle
Posts: 1858
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2004 8:22 am
Location: sitting in my car waiting for someone else to paddle out first

Re: Kangaroo Island

Post by dUg » Mon Oct 19, 2009 12:00 pm

Steve... don't let me put you off...

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

User avatar
otway1949
barnacle
Posts: 2254
Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2008 8:51 pm
Location: Austrian river waves

Re: Kangaroo Island

Post by otway1949 » Tue Oct 20, 2009 10:26 am

dUg wrote:Steve... don't let me put you off...

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
Hey guys, the pink pointers at the Pass and the way back to town are dangerous ,crinked my neck just looking out for them and when they're bouncy bouncy in the line up I feel like I've been transported to a Black Duck Post :lol:
Had to edit this just dribbling at the thought :!:
Jaffa, I'm opinionated, and I'm sometimes right. So?

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 20 guests