"Stay happy and you'll be perfectly fine" - Jack Norris

Swell’s here

Arvo update:
Jagged a few late morning at Longy after shooting for awhile at south of the Gardens. Longy is picking up the swell, but the tide is basically high all day, so they were mostly pretty fat. As usual you had to wait for the sets. Wind wasn’t strong, but it did push in some chop and that made most waves something like obstacle courses. Still, I’m not complaining, because I managed to get a couple fun ones. Herewith a few more pictures (the telephoto ones were made with Nikon’s new D90 and the water shot is from the latest Olympus 1050SW)

Trying to pull in on another Gardens shutdown.
Trying to pull in on another Gardens shutdown.

Just about to get walloped at Gardens.
Just about to get walloped at Gardens.

This morning the close-outs were picture perfect.
This morning the close-outs were picture perfect.

Late drop at Longy on the kneeboard...
Late drop at Longy on the kneeboard...

And from earlier today…
Had a quick look around my neighborhood and can report there are kinda messy chest high conditions at Long Reef. Not too many in the water either. Around the corner, there are pretty waves along the north Collaroy to far south Narrabeen stretch, but the shutdown ratio is probably around 9 out of 10. Here are a couple snaps…

Another cute shutdown coming up south of Gardens around 0830.
Another cute shutdown coming up south of Gardens around 0830.

0830: Bodyboarder tries to hit that first turn before he gets swallowed up.
0830: Bodyboarder tries to hit that first turn before he gets swallowed up.

0645: Heaps of people in the water to greet the swell.
0645: Heaps of people in the water to greet the swell.

Hello Friends,

Swell has arrived as expected and if Dee Why’s any indication, most of Sydney’s surfing population is here to greet it! Since yesterday afternoon, the average size has bumped up maybe 0.5 of a metre. That’s putting the south swell into the 2 metre range. More importantly, the power level is getting close to the 12 sec mark. This is delivering shoulder high waves to Dee Why beach and a few waist to chest high sets to the point.

From the look of the Batemans Bay buoy, the current conditions should stay about the same for at least the next 6 hours. With luck it’ll last through to dark. But by then I’d expect it to be getting less consistent and smaller.

The Bureau’s wind call for Sydney is the same as it’s been for some days now, ie light and variable winds this morning, turning NE 10-15 kts this afternoon. Currently it’s out of the west at around 7-8 kts.

With luck there will still be a little something around tomorrow as well, but thereafter it looks like flatness or near flatness into the middle of next week – at least.

So get out there and jag a few if you can – and may your day be a good one.