Afternoon update: continuing marginal

Hello Friends,

Had to run an errand this afternoon. It took me past Warriewood, Northy, etc and I can report that it’s still pretty ordinary – but not absolutely flat.

The latest MHL data shows that the bulk of our 8 sec period windswell is coming from the SE and is about 1.5 metres on average out at sea. There is some 9 sec component in there as well, and I have an idea it’s that stuff that is pushing up the occasional chest high wave face.

At 1600, the automatic weather stations along the beaches were showing ESE wind at 10-15 kts. Not a great direction really. Wherever it’s big enough to consider for a surf, it’ll also be wearing that onshore.  Plus, the short period of the windswell insures that waves will be really gutless. I’d be thinking mal or fishy rather than a highly tuned shortboard.

Here’s the Bureau’s latest call for the Sydney region coastline:

Wednesday until midnight: Wind: S/SE 10/15 knots reaching 15/20 knots at times. Sea: 1 to 1.5 metres.Swell: S/SE about 1 metre.
Thursday: Wind: S/SE 15/20 knots, easing to 10/15 knots later.Sea: 1 to 2 metres. Swell: SE about 1 metre.
Friday: Wind: SE 5/15 knots, turning NE 10/20 knots later.
Saturday: Wind: NW/NE winds 5/15 knots. Late S/SW change 10/20 knots.

The various riffs on WAM data are all showing much the same outlook for the next week. We can expect it to be pretty small most of the time, but not to quite go flat. There is, at least according to buoyweather, the prospect of a little uptick on Friday. .. hope they’re right!

Don twitters as mr_realsurf

Dream Day for Turbo Bodyboards Pipeline Pro

Dave Hubbard (Australia) hooks into one of the best waves of the day.

North Shore, Oahu; Hawaii — After five days on hold, competition resumed at the Turbo Bodyboards Pipeline Pro, as the gods smiled upon the world’s best in epic conditions at Pipe.

With perfect three metre feet sets wrapping along the famed reef, it was evident that competitors were in for something special, as the swell pounded the hallowed coastline.
 
With a large crowd on hand, the event started with round five; and from the get go the seeded surfers set a blistering pace.
 
Damien King (Australia), Toby Player (Australia) and Rueben Quinones (Puerto Rico) were the standout’s of the round taking giant drops and scooping perfectly into the massive barrels with style and finesse.
 
“Its so perfect out there, I am just having fun,” said Player.
 
“I just want to make it through as many heats as possible so I can surf big, empty Pipe with three other guys,” he proclaimed, with a massive smile.
 
With officials, spectators and competitors  all reeling from the previous round’s electrifying action, round six took the event to a whole new level.  
 
Alistar Taylor (South Africa), Dave Crowley (Australia), Spencer Skipper (Hawaii) and Gustao Entrudo (Portugal) blew minds with a combination of high-flying moves and deep tube rides.
 
Skipper, on his opening ride, drilled his head into the reef and came up with his face in tatters. 
 
However, the highlight of the day was the amazing comeback of former childhood prodigy Garth McGregor (Newcastle, Australia). 

As a youngster McGregor was touted as a potential world champion, but he decided that he wanted to chase big waves instead of the fame and glory of the world tour.
 
“Its been almost 10 years since I was last in Hawaii” said McGregor.

“I’ve been hanging for that heat for a long time and that first wave was just what I needed. After that I could relax a bit and just surf.”
 
“Its good to get the first heat out of the way” said the humble McGregor.
 
The event now moves into the third and final day of the contest, which starts with the IBA top 16 taking on the inform qualifiers in round eight, followed by the opening rounds of the LMNOP Drop Knee Invitational.
 
Forecasters are all calling for another perfect day with a bigger swell predicted.

Competitors will be on standby from tomorrow morning for a possible 8am start.

The waiting period  continues until February 27 2009 – with the best three days being used for competition.
 
The Turbo Bodyboards Pipeline Pro presented by Senor Frogs is being webcast at www.ibaworldtour.com/live 
 
For more information be sure to log onto www.ibaworldtour.com

100 Kids Surf With The Stars at Duranbah

2007 World Champion Mick Fanning takes time out to play a part in Surf With The Stars.

Gold Coast, Australia – THE world’s best surfers took time out of their preparation for this weekend’s Quiksilver Pro presented by LG Mobile to give back to the local kids with the inaugural Surf With the Stars being held at Duranbah on the Gold Coast today.

Over 100 local board riders joined 15 of the world’s elite surfers including 2007 world champion Mick Fanning (Coolangatta) and world no.2 Bede Durbidge (Currumbin) for an afternoon of surfing.

Surf With The Stars is an initiative of the pro surfers’ union World Professional Surfers (WPS), and is aimed to increase grassroots contact with young surfers and inspire the kids of today with a positive message.

Fanning, who was one of the key movers behind the successful event said, “It’s a way for us to give back and provide advice to the grommets as well as put back into the community that welcomes all the pros to the Gold Coast each year.”

The kids appearing on the day have been pre-selected to take part in the event already by a network of board-riding clubs stretching across both the Gold & Tweed Coast.

The top 45 ASP World Tour surfers are on the Gold Coast for the Quiksilver Pro, which kicks off in Coolangatta later this week.

SUPPORTED BY: Worldprosurfers.com, Kirra Surfriders Club & The Mitchell Surfing Foundation.

Dee Why to Freshy

Hello Friends,

Weak and small everywhere I looked this morning along the southern extent of the Northern Beaches.

I started my run with a stop in at Long Reef to see what was doing. Not much, as it turned out. There were a couple bods in the water just south  from the lifeguard hut, but I lost patience waiting for them to catch something and instead grabbed a picture of an empty little thing scudding listlessly in near the lugga entrance.

Um, yeah... I guess you could if you had a mal - or something bigger.

From Long Reef it sort of looked like there might possibly be something down at the Dee Why end.

It turned out to be a slightly curious scene. Only two or three people in the water at a little before 0800 and there did seem to be a few peaks sliding weakly in. But as I watched, it became apparent that there just wasn’t enough energy in the waist high lumps to really get any speed happening.

Not the most amazing looking wave you'll see, but hey, he's riding something and the photographer wasn't.

After grabbing my Dee Why snap, it was back into the soob for the next exciting stage in my surf assessment process – namely driving up over the hill to the lovely expanse of sand currently known as Curl Curl.

Well, what can I say that hasn’t already been said about today? Not much actually. The light SE wind had begun its work on the surface conditions, but the swell was a little bit more in evidence than at Dee Why (emphasis on little). One person in the water at the north end who was doing a lot of waiting for not much at all, and a small crowd at the south end making what they could of the waist high stuff flopping over just off the beach.

Well, you could sorta ride 'em...

Impressed at the enthusiasm of the Curly water players, I made for the headland separating Curl Curl and Freshie. It’s an okay vantage point for those occasions when one wishes to drink in the seascape – while also checking the surf. The term “surf” is maybe not exactly the right word for what was happening at Freshy, but it’ll do. There were half a dozen folks scattered from the middle to right over next to the southern headland rocks. Indeed, the only wave I saw ridden was one that probably broke about two metres from said rocks (see below).

Cutting it as fine as you can at lovely Freshwater on such a morning.

Although I decided to turn around and head back to the home office at this point, I did grab one more snap of the action around the corner at Queensie. Looked rather tepid I’d have to say. A largeish crew on largeish boards having a nice yarn while waiting for Huey to send in something semi-catchable…

The crew out for a morning fitness maintenance paddle along Manly's wide strand.

Forgotten Local Gems

Models – Two Cabs To The Toucan, et al

I think it’s the whole Cut Lunch video, actually. Love the homemade quality, and the scenes in the pub, as well as the old Cortinas etc in the car yard

Tactics – Second Language

From Canberra originally, I think. They used to play the Mona Vale a bit during the early 80s

 Pel Mel – No Word From China

I think they were from Newcastle. Triple J played this a lot during 1981

Dave Warner – Suburban Boy

Nuff said. We’ve all been there

Drop Bears – Fun Lovin

First single from the days when they were a 3 piece. Still their best song IMHO

Avalon to Narrabeen Rpt

Um,……know how I said it was smaller & weaker than yesterday, yesterday? Well, it’s smaller & weaker even than yesterday. Pack a mal, pack a fish, pack low expectations. There ARE waves, you CAN surf, but you WILL find it frustrating, I reckon

C C

Overcast, humid and dry on the Central Coast this Wednesday morning.  The swell is semi-smooth at 1 – 2 feet + from the east southeast.  There is a light southeast breeze forecast to south southeast later.  High tide 0920 and low tide around 1550.  Local barometer 1012 hpa, 93% humidity, 21 degrees C.  Have a good one.

Byron Bay Feb 24 / 09

The Blue Hulas playing a wedding at Wategos

Eastern ‘burbs adventure

The likely lads decided to make the big trip from the northern beaches to the jewel of the eastern suburbs – Maroubra. Along the way we also had a squizz at Bondi, Tama, etc. But we ended up getting in the water at Maroubra ’cause it had the quality. Crowd wasn’t too big, there were heaps of peaks too. Mostly of short duration, but every now and then you could jag one that was up to shoulder high on the take off.

The wind was an ideal NW when we arrived, but not long after paddling out, it started to swing SE and to pick up. Vibe seemed pretty chill to me. Maybe it was due to the reaonably consistent nature of the little windswell and the fact that there were a number of peaks to choose from. As waves go, it sort of reminded me of Curly a bit. Water was clear too. My first surf there too, so kinda cool it turned out so fun.

Afterward we stopped by Bondi junction for some mex and a cerveza. Excellente senor!

smokin on the south coast (but not the way we’d like)

Crisp start, swells dropped and smoky skies. A few waves in the 2-3ft range – a bit of a mix of leftover SE with the strong NE’r yday turning it around a bit? Not brilliant but surfable. Water was nice y’day – assume same today. Rosco.