Seal in the surf at North Avalon last night

[loco4olas]

Surfing at N Av. about 7:30pm last night with my daughter Bodhi , just N of Suckup-we're the last two out, fisherman on the beach, overcast and oily surface-bait fish start spraying all over the water's surface, Bodhi takes the first wave of a small set and surfs to the shore-about 40m away I see a black shape moving underwater out the back-I start paddling for the next wave and the black shape starts to move towards me-uuuurgh-I paddle to make sure I get the wave, which is breaking where I am and just swell where the shape is-it catches the swell and starts speeding towards me-now I'm kinda' concerned-George Greenough's Broken Head etc. shark encounters start, last week's Great Wobby 'attack', Andrew Lindop's shark bite at N Av. last year-amazing how much your mind can process in a short time frame....as the heading to the post alludes-it was a bloody big seal (I'd say about 6 feet or so head to...flipper?)-at least about 90% sure it was a seal-the fisherman on the beach saw it and wasn't convinced it was a seal-definitely was not a dolphin-but I reckon it was a seal.

Surfing the Northern Beaches for close to 40 years and that's the first time I've ever seen a seal in the surf. On reflection, I don't think I'll take Bodhi surfing so late in the day so much any more....

[Nick Carroll]

That's a good idea Matt (staying out of the water on dusk at a spot where a shark attack has occurred in the recent past, when the water temp is 24, there's been a colossal runoff and associated nutrients flooding the water, and a lot of baitfish under the surface everywhere).

Encourage everyone to be smart about things like that at this time of year, Wobbegong nonsense notwithstanding.

[boardscape avalon]

Would have got the hart pumping Matt!I was freaking just reading that

[boardscape avalon]

i know i just spelt heart incorrectly

[loco4olas]

That's a good idea Matt (staying out of the water on dusk at a spot where a shark attack has occurred in the recent past, when the water temp is 24, there's been a colossal runoff and associated nutrients flooding the water, and a lot of baitfish under the surface everywhere).

Encourage everyone to be smart about things like that at this time of year, Wobbegong nonsense notwithstanding.

Nick,

Absolutely right-as a long time surfer you tend to dismiss all the shark blah blah blah and just go surfing-but, I think with age comes (some) wisdom and time to get more discriminating, particularly where my daughters are concerned.

On another point, when I'm kitesurfing at Newport I often see a guy swimming WAY out the back in flippers and mask/snorkel towing an orange balloon, he's not diving, but just ocean swimming like that-any idea who the guy is and what his deal is-seems to me to be a Darwin Awards candidate....

[loco4olas]

Would have got the heart pumping Matt!I was freaking just reading that

Mate it was an unusual experience-Bodhi kept asking "Dad, a you sure that was a seal?".....

[oldman]

I think the average seal would give you a much nastier nip than a wobbie.

Imagine the moolah you could have pulled in with that story!

[purple pyramids]

there was a seal in the waves at tamarama about two or three weeks ago.

it prompted the life guards to announce that it is was ONLY a seal, and that it was very large.

[steve shearer]

seen 'em here a few times during El Nino winters, post ECL....esp the Broken Head backbeaches.

[steve shearer]

yeah....confirmed sighting.

Think it was a ghey seal blown off course from Sydney cause it was hanging at Kings.

[PeepeelaPew]

...

[Nick Carroll]

On another point, when I'm kitesurfing at Newport

oh my god, ok we'll keep that for some point in the future

I often see a guy swimming WAY out the back in flippers and mask/snorkel towing an orange balloon, he's not diving, but just ocean swimming like that-any idea who the guy is and what his deal is-seems to me to be a Darwin Awards candidate....

the gentleman is a Russian emigre in his late 50s. His fitness routine is to don a full diving wetsuit, wetsuit helmet, mask, snorkel, diving flippers, a diver's knife and a mobile phone in a waterproof case, and swim extremely slowly from one end of Newport to the other and back. The balloon is attached to his diving belt and is a security device to reassure his daughter, who lives at the north end of the beach with a view of the water, and who demands that he somehow indicate his well-being.

He's an epic eccentric. Been at it for a couple of years now. And he's also excellent evidence of the lack of danger posed to swimmers off Sydney's beaches. 'Cause if sharks WERE gathered out there waiting for human prey, or even particularly interested in human prey at all, he'd have been hit long before now.

Those pitiful sharkmongering non-newsgatherers in TV tabloid land would have a great little story on their hands if they could be fcuked pursuing blokes like him. But no, they don't ever seem to go and look -- it's probably easier just to pay someone.

[Trev]

Surfing at N Av. about 7:30pm last night with my daughter ...

That's an unusual name.

But I thought ........

[black duck]

Saw a large seal in the surf at Green Island a few weeks back. It was frollicking in a very ghey way. Most seals are ghey: it's the way they frollick that gives it away.

Still scares the daylights out of you when you see the torpedo shape heading straight for you at speed.

[loco4olas]

Hmmmm-maybe I shoulda' edited out her name in the post-remember it, she's a very good surfer for her age-has already won BL's grom comp and was given a 'Most Fearless' award by Machado in the comp (when she was 6).

[PeepeelaPew]

...

[FishStick]

Weren't there a few photos of a big hairy seal sitting at the changing rooms by the South Curl Curl pool a few years ago? It was during some winter storms if I recall correctly.

And this one last year (click the arrow next to the pic):
http://manly-daily.whereilive.com.au/ne ... peninsula/

[loco4olas]

If that's what you want, I edited my post to remove her name. I'm sure Trev will edit his quotation of my (now non-existent) post.

Nah-no worries, unfortunately the typed word does little to communicate what's behind the words compared to a face to face chat -Point Break will, deservedly, fade into insignificance by the time she's grown up a bit.