Where did you surf today ?

[crabmeat thompson]

little frontside barrels this morning.


huzzah!

[Nick Carroll]

kind of a cool swell pulse today, some long interval, not insanely muscular but there it was

you could feel the weather turn away from the late winter cold burst of the past month.

[black duck]

The island this arvo with 3 mates, all to ourselves for a good while.
Swell down here was prolly a little more lumpy and disorganised than sydney or further north i would think. Improved somewhat as the easterly dropped away into the afternoon. The swell direction was not too bad and the odd double up inside runner that stood up properly on the reef was worth the wait. There was also the usual wide bomb sets that went mush burger. Thought we were going ok till Guy Bartlett paddled out with a couple of mates and started actually surfing.

[Hatchnam]

3-4 foot thumpy wind affected closeouts. No turns, just steep drops, sprint runs them blam!

[steve shearer]

I was just about to paddle out.....2 guys out.

Then saw the shark boat pull up to the drumline. Just out the back.


NSWDPI advise 2.52m Female White Shark caught on SMART drumlines at Boulders Beach, Ballina. Shark tagged and released offshore.

[steve shearer]

maybe a k?

not that far.

[Nick Carroll]

hey shearer what has been your observation of the whale track this year? Further offshore?

Just anecdotally etc

[steve shearer]

Not by my observations.

Plenty of times I've been rockfishing and had humpbacks within casting distance.

In my ramble this morning I must have seen 10-15 whales all quite close in. Pretty standard for this time of year on the return journey.

Shark listening stations getting regularly pinged, captures still happening on the drumlines.

I think this is the seasonal peak for inshore white shark activity in this marine bioregion.

What have you heard re: track?

[Nick Carroll]

Ah one or two people told me they thought it was a bit further out

Down here they've been closer in than usual though. Like the majority are out about 8k from the northern beaches, appear a bit closer at Long Reef and Botany Bay heads because of the coastal ins and outs, then just head off, but there's been little groups come in much closer this year.

[steve shearer]

I don't have any scientific proof but it's my observations that the new families come in much closer on the way back and I believe they are right in on some bommies and bait reefs, possibly to scrape parasites off the skin ?

[Nick Carroll]

Could be. Sure seemed like there were more this year. I think the counters recorded more.

[steve shearer]

they always seem to head out to sea once they get north of Cape Byron on the way north.

[crabmeat thompson]

they've been in closer along the tweed coast where i've been surfing. one was in so close thought it was gonna beach itself.

it had a few big sharks trailing it too. mighta been sick?

[marauding mullet]

Was this recent
Early season they were a long way out

The return trip much closer

Was generally the reverse out off the Hunter coast. I always assumed that once travelling they would be hitching a ride in the prevailing current, which could vary from year to year

[marauding mullet]

This pic of the Swansea FAD gives you some idea of just how hard the EAC runs when it's in full swing in January and february.
17 Kms out off Swansea in 100 metres of water, the FAD is anchored to the bottom. It stands about 2 metres out of the water normally.
Closer to shore the current isn't even noticeable.

[crabmeat thompson]

Was this recent
Early season they were a long way out

The return trip much closer

yeah about a month ago.

a guy waved us in at cudgen, there were 5 or 6 biggish whites trailing a whale on the back bar.

heaps of dolphins too ... they were swimming all under and through us.

[bomboraa]

Up the coast close, down the coast wider out, as mentioned, hitching a lift with the EAC. From my eyes, fishing a lot from wash fishing, out to Browns Mountain, there were fewer inshore this year off Sydney heading north.

[bomboraa]

Also wider whales far more curious; they swim up to the boat, some even slowly lift themselves up with bodies five metres vertically out of the water and have a good gander before slowly sinking. Inshore whales don't seem to give a rats and just swim on by.