5 Year Anniversry

[_cant_touch_this]

nah gaz i found it and posted the link on the other forum, im guessing wands grabbed it from there... unless of course we were both on a bit of a nostalgia trip haha

[One Mile Point]

pretty sure my first couple got deleted

hi mods

i've actually mellowed

hmmmmm....

p.s oh, and happy Anniversry salts

as far as i'm concerned...this will allways be your high point

http://forum.realsurf.com/forum/viewtop ... f=12&t=513

hook, line and sinker

FMD i was terrible back then.

[Nick Carroll]

Nick, have you surfed Chopes much? How about anyone else here? Your thoughts on the place? Gnarly drop? Slams?

Ah not that much really since I don't get spend a lot of time in Tahiti, but did surf it quite a while before it got Famous.

It's a beautiful wave with some special challenges, one being it doesn't run into a pass (the end always closes out), another being its appearance on days over four foot, and especially in the eight foot zone, if you're not really used to heavy reef waves then it can create a real psychological block in your head.

Once you get past that it's a surf spot and can be read and ridden like any other. Positioning over a flat shallow bit of reef on takeoff is critical, there's crevices in the reef and if you try to paddle into the wave over one of the deep spots created by the crevices, you'll either get in too late or miss the wave entirely. Pretty much sure to rip yourself on the reef while getting acquainted, just got to suck that up, good chance of breaking a board and/or a leggie.

As you can imagine an unbelievably sick, intense tube ride! and heaps of turning opportunities too, quite a few different types of wave depending on swell angle and size/period.

[gibber]

Hey Wands...nice to meet you at the Xmas drinks......for the historically ignorant why did that thread change the landscape forever?

Seems like a pretty standard bitch session about surf reporting.
Just for the record and cause I'm in that game myself my personal ethics are that it is not necessary to name spots and in fact it is folly to do so.
Surf size, swell direction, wind and tide info......let 'em join the dots.

well steve,
it was the begining of a rift amongst the members of this forum. The donation thing really upset some people here when they had dug deep and gave to assist the development of this site and little seemed to change.
A number of users were banned after a heavy bout of editting went down and another site popped up which was a little more tolerant of free speech and good natured banter.
Anyway as I said water passed time to move on

[RickyG]

My wonderful first effort.

Thu Nov 16, 2006 9:23 pm

As good a place as any for a 1st post!
Actually, been a daily visitor to the site since '99 and regular forum viewer since day one - just never really felt the need to add my 2 cents. Always been a good read, lots of laughs and though-provoking at times too.RickyG

Gee, I was so innocent then

[Larry]

blow-ins


I have THE date, you blokes all came later.

[matt...]

my first post was nearly 6 years ago on the 10th feb 2004. giving some fashion advice.
by the way, where's stuey?

********
crystal cylinders is making it's way back into K-mart........
now there's a good value board short!
*******

geez i'm a dick!
this was my first post at 3:59pm on tue 10 Feb, 2004... not too far off the hot topic at the moment!


__________________________________________________________________________________
If you are an experienced surfer, and go out for a surf at Manly or Bondi (or terrigal for that matter) on a 2ft sunny summer Sunday.........then you are a bigger fool than the 50,000+ kooks out there trying / learning to surf !!

...but just thank christ the surf schools don't set up camp at the better quality breaks !!

Everywhere gets crowds in summer - we all know that.

Common courtesy to your fellow human is key here - for beginners through to the experienced surfers.

As for places like the Bower (or the Haven up the coast) when it pumps, if you're fit & experienced - you will get waves. If you're not - you won't get many at all. But that's all part of the learning curve - and we've all been there at some stage...

3 years ago i picked up 5 stitches in my heel, from a fin chop, as a result of a session out at 6ft Haven. The main reason was i put myself in a silly position on the inside, just before a set came through ! The guy on the wave was wide-eyed, full of stoke - as we all would be !!

The moral is, young or old, we eventually find out what to do & where to be in the surf.

if you're a beginner - keep learning (and don't be a booger!)
if you're a hot local legend - you know better.

stay well & enjoy !!
__________________________________________________________________________________

[daryl]

'Scuse my ignorance thread question was, what's a back beach?

..but what's the go the term 'back beach'? I can only recall it popping up in the last 5 yrs or so (in mags, forums and surf conversation) and it's got me a bit stumped.

"back' of what, is it a generic term for a beach either side of a headland ie ppl refer to the 'Noosa back beaches', or 'we checked out some of the back beaches up the coast'.

I've seen it used to describe an ocean beach with an estuary-facing beach on the other side being the 'front' beach (eg Sorrento in Vic) - seems around the wrong way to me.

Just wondering...

In Robe SA it was a beachie and point that were the other side to a harbour

[Surfin Turf]

'Scuse my ignorance thread question was, what's a back beach?

it's just a term for the beach next to the 'main spot' or the beach next to the main beach of the sleepy town ...

the term back beach has been around forever though ... more relative to when you are on a coastal drive and you pull into the town which has a main beach that goes by the name of the town (eg Crescent Head) ... and then it's over crowded with learners letting their boards go or guys like me who can't get to their feet ... so you go around the headland to surf "back beach" ... the beach has an actual map name but generically it will be called "back beach"

the term is not used in the city areas etc as every beach has it's own name and corresponding swanky cafe ... where I can be found picking up surfing tips from heavy locals ...

[Larry]

dead right ringer

[Surfin Turf]

On the East Coast, every "back beach" I recall, has better conditions after the NEly comes through. In other words a more "northerly" facing aspect. Does that stand true across the board.

that depends on which way you are headed ... eg: when I drive up the coast from sydney the back beach is to the south of the main beach so is better in the northerly wind but only if the northerly swell can wrap around ... obviously this is reversed when I am driving home and the back beach is then to the north, so driving home in winter is better to take advantage of the sthly winds and wrap around swells ... timing your run up and down the coast is an art if you can get the nely on the way up of course ...

are you following all this daz ...

[Chillin]

therefore the best back beach in NSW is.......Queens head

[matt...]

furthering the opinion that it is secondary to the "main" surfing spot in the town, you would generally have to head off the "main road" to a "back road" to get to the "back beach"
whatdoyareckon Laz?
examples: tallows @ byron, "back beach" at crescent, blah blah blah...

[Larry]

how bloody hard is it? back beach is the beach around the bloody back - of anybloodywhere ..

you blokes need lessons

[gibber]

And we wonder why the groms of today are so bloody hopeless

[Surfin Turf]

that depends on which way you are headed ...

...so on the way back, they're all back beaches! ...

no sorry , that's only you are driving in reverse ... you need to re-check my post ...

that depends on which way you are headed ... eg: when I drive up the coast from sydney the back beach is to the south of the main beach so is better in the northerly wind but only if the northerly swell can wrap around ... obviously this is reversed when I am driving home and the back beach is then to the north, so driving home in winter is better to take advantage of the sthly winds and wrap around swells ... timing your run up and down the coast is an art if you can get the nely on the way up of course ...

are you following all this daz ...

when you drive north the back beaches are to the south but only if they are not the main beach and are around the "back" of the headland as larry points out ... if you have a 4wd and can drive around the front of the headland it is no longer a back beach when you get there ... if you are driving south but the wind is coming from the north, the back beach which is obviously to the north of the direction you are going may still in fact be the back beach but you wont surf the back beach becasuse the wind will be onshore ... this is all unless you are driving in reverse because then the back beach can be to the south and as long as there is swell the wind from the north will be OK and so you can surf the back beach ... if the wind is nthly and you are driving south the best idea when approaching a small town with a main beach is to do a U turn and reverse into town just in case .. if the the surf is no good at the back beach you can then leave town do another U turn and drive in forwards so you can check out the other back beach which is now on the other side of the main beach but only if there is a headland to drive around the back of to get to it ... this will take you an extra five minutes but if the back beach is firing at least you can now surf it ...

of course when you are in WA you need to simply take my explanation above and put it in the opposite order , but if you are going to SA you will need local map, a slide rule and protractor I can can provide details on the formulation for working out where the back beaches are ...

it's all very simple really ... now does anyone need any help with surf etiquette ...

[Trev]

Surfin, as a direction giver, you make a great gardener.

[Surfin Turf]

Surfin, as a direction giver, you make a great gardener.

mate ... have you seen how good the native flora is at back beaches ...

why else do you reckon I surf them ...