Still no sign of that new swell yet…

DEE WHY POINT 1600HRS

Roberto is back!

After two weeks of crossing the US and Canada, I did not see a single wave! And it does not look any better now that I am back on the coast. While the winds are light from the south, there is no bump. Little improvement is expected the next few days.

Robert

Update: Spearfisherman’s body found off Long Reef

Police divers have found the body of a man believed to be missing spearfisherman Brian Lam 100 metres off a beach in Sydney’s north.

Mr Lam, 31, a skilled diver with more than five years’ experience, had been spearfishing with three others off Collaroy yesterday morning but failed to return with the group.

Police said witnesses spotted a body on the seabed in about 11 metres of water, about 300 metres from a boat ramp at Long Reef Point.
(read full story on SMH site).

http://www.smh.com.au/national/missing-fisherman-an-experienced-diver-20090810-eefz.html

http://manly-daily.whereilive.com.au/news/story/spear-fisherman-missing-off-long-reef/

Small and weak now but a new swell due this arvo

1-2 feet at best with a rising tide.  Try again this arvo but the next few days should be rock’n with a solid east swell due in to light up all the beaches with clean offshores for most of the week predicted.  Not a good week for work! Enjoy.

Lookin’ little

Not immense looking this morning...

Hello Friends,

Ocean seems to be unperturbed this morning at Dee Why, but there could be a little something on the way. Primary swell direction has headed around to the east in the last few hours. It’s only a metre at around 8 seconds though, so we’re talking maybe waist high on the bomb sets at exposed spots.  However, it’s closer to an average of 2 metres at nearly 10 seconds along the far north coast, so I reckon the Bureau’s right about it building later today.

Happily the models have stayed on message for some days now and the latest run of the data this morning shows the prospects for solid, but not huge, east swell ramping up today and lasting through to the weekend. Wed-Fri is currently looking the best with westerlies and sunny conditions along with a couple metres of 10-12 sec period east swell. Woo-hoo!

Gotta jam, but I will try to top up the report later today… have a good one!

High tide 1046, Low at 1637.

Sydney Coastal Waters, Broken Bay to Port Hacking and 60nm seawards:
Monday until midnight: Wind: NW 10/15 knots tending N/NE in the afternoon and reaching 15/20 knots offshore later.Sea: rising 1 to 2 metres. Swell: SE 1 to 1.5 metres increasing to about 2 metres later.
Tuesday: Wind: NW/NE 20/25 knots increasing to 20/30 knots in the evening. Sea: 2 to 3 metres. Swell: E 2 to 2.5 metres.
Wednesday: Wind: N/NE 20/25 knots tending W/NW 10/20 knots then easing late.

C C

Fine, dry and cold on the Central Coast this Monday morning.  The swell is smooth and smallish at 1 – 2 feet + from the east southeast.  There is moderate a light northwest breeze forecast to go northeast later.  Low tide 0435 and high tide around 1045.  Local barometer 1010 hpa, 3 degrees C. 95% humidity.   Have a great week.

Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing State Champions Crowned

Thomas Woods (Tugun): Winner of the U/18 Boys Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles Event Three.

Sunshine Coast, QLD, Saturday 9th August 2009 – Today, four elite Queensland junior surfers cemented their status as future household names, after being crowned champions of the 2009 Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles.

2009 Queensland Junior Surfing State Champions are:

U/18 Boys: Jack Freestone (Coolangatta)

U/16 Boys: Noa Deane (Coolangatta)

U/18 Girls: Naomi Stevic (Castaways Beach)

U/16 Girls: Brodie Doyle (Coolangatta)

With an increase in swell overnight, the high performance half-to-one-metre waves on offer at Maroochydore (Sunshine Coast, Qld) provided an ideal platform for competitors to showcase their amazing surfing prowess, producing a perfect ending to the third and final event of the 2009 Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles.

In remarkable circumstances, three of the four overall state champions managed to not only capture a prestigious state aged-title (after individually amassing the highest ratings points across the three-event series), but they capped off their amazing accomplishment by also winning their respective division in today’s third and final event of the 2009 Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles.

Jack Freestone (Coolangatta) was the only state champion unable to win today’s final series event, falling short to Tugun’s Thomas Woods in a seesawing final in the blue-ribbon U/18 Boys division.

After winning the previous two series events, Freestone was unlucky not to make it a clean sweep, losing out in the heat of the day, which saw the lead change an astonishing four times in 20 minutes (total heat duration), before Woods secured a telling 8.93 ride to register a high-flying 16.70 out of a possible 20  points- defeating Freestone (15.27) by just over one point.

Woods said he was relieved to finally secure a series victory.

“I’ve been surfing really well throughout the entire Arnette series, but I was just unable to get over that final hurdle and win one of the events,” said Woods.

“It’s a good preparation for the Arnette Australian junior titles later this year so hopefully I can carry over some of today’s from into that event,” he said.

Noa Deane (Coolangatta), proved too strong for his rivals in the final of the U/16 Boys division posting an imposing 16.30 points out of a possible 20 to outscore Currumbin’s Hayden Welch (16.63), Moffat Beach’s Eli Steele (14.27) and Burleigh’s Luke Hynd (9.83) – also securing Deane the state title in the U/16 Boys division.

Naomi Stevic (Castaways Beach): Winner of both the U/18 Girls Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles Event Three and the U/18 Girls State Champion Crown.

Naomi Stevic (Castaways Beach) capped of her remarkable series campaign, winning the U/18 Girls division at today’s event to go along with an esteemed state title.

Posting a 13.83 out of a possible 20 in the final, Stevic ultimately proved too strong for Coolangatta’s Amiya Doyle (12.56) and fellow Sunshine Coaster Chiana Ireland (9.03), effortlessly executing high-performance manoeuvres in style.

Meanwhile, pocket-rocket Brodie Doyle (Coolangatta) out-muscled her opponents in U/16 Girls division, able to go one better than sister Amiya (U/18 Girls), yet both girls have easily qualified for the state team to compete in the Arnette Australian Junior Surfing Titles beginning in November on the Sunshine Coast.

Contest Director and Surfing Queensland Events Manger Scott Gillies was excited about the standard of surfing showcased by the junior competitors at today’s competition.

“Queensland’s junior surfing team will definitely be a force to be reckoned with when the Arnette Australian Junior Surfing Titles get underway on the Sunshine Coast in late November,” said Gillies.

“Both the boys and the girls once again proved that the Arnette Queensland Junior Surfing Titles is a proven stepping stone for a professional surfing career, as these competitors move forward with their surfing development” he said.

Series winners will join an elite group of Queensland surfers that have previously won state junior titles, including 2007 World Champion Mick Fanning (Coolangatta), current World no.1 Joel Parkinson (Coolangatta).

The Queensland Junior Surfing Team will now prepare to do battle with the other sates when the Arnette Australian Junior Surfing Titles come to the Sunshine Coast in November.

Queensland Junior Surfing Teams:

U/18 Boys:

1. Jack Freestone – Coolangatta (State Champion)

2. Thomas Woods – Tugun

3. Tim Macdonald – North Stradbroke Island

4. Josh Menger – Maroochydore

U/16 Boys:

1. Noa Deane – Coolangatta (State Champion)

2. Eli Steele – Moffat Beach

3. Hayden Welch – Currumbin

4. Harry Bryant – Sunshine Beach

U/18 Girls:

1. Naomi Stevic – Castaways Beach (State Champion)

2. Amiya Doyle – Coolangatta

3. Chiana Ireland – Coolum

4. Claje Goebel – North Stradborke Island

U/16 Girls:

1. Brodie Doyle – Coolangatta (State Champion)

2. Eden Putland – Currumbin

Team Australia Claim Bronze At Billabong ISA World Surfing Games

Team Australia celebrate their bronze medal at the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games in Costa Rica today. Australia finished the overall teams competition in third on 10996 points.

(Sunday 9^th August, 2009): It was a fitting end to an event steeped in a mix of camaraderie and tough competition as Team USA took the overall gold medal today over Team France at the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games presented by Monster Energy in Costa Rica. It was the first time that the Americans have won an overall gold medal in since the 1996 World Surfing Games in Huntington Beach, California.

From the opening heats of the Games at Playa Hermosa that began eight days ago, Team USA appeared committed and focused, as they competed against 34 other teams for a spot on the podium. With the final day of competition looming overhead, Team USA stood firm and was able to place five or their eight team members into the three finals, hence becoming the team to beat.

The team was led by Ian Cairns who assumed the position as Coach less than one month ago. “We had good surfers and what we did was to stay very concentrated,” said a low-key Cairns. “This is a long event and it was very important to preserve your energy.”

“I am really very happy” said Cairns of the first American title in more than a decade. “My goal was to come here and win. But also I wanted to establish a different personality for American surfing. I didn’t want to make a lot of noise until things were happening. We built the support, the calmness and we focused on being together and concentrating on doing things well. Later, at the final, we went to the beach to wave the flag.”

ISA President, Fernando Aguerre, said about the amazing Billabong ISA World Surfing Games: “This was a great event. The new team format (4 open men, 2 open women and 2 longboarders) proved to be the right decision. The inaugural Billabong ISA World Surfing Games will go down as a historical moment for surfing, with record number of competitors and national teams in attendance. Congratulations to all the nations and see you next year!”

Hot on the USA’s heels was the French team, led by ASP World Tour surfer Jeremy Flores. He looked in stellar form throughout the entire contest. France managed to put a one athlete in each of the Open, Women’s, and Longboard divisions.

Kick-starting the final day of the contest was the ISA Aloha Cup, run as a tag-team event with five surfers from each team taking turns competing in the hour-long final. The unique format brought the national pride and overall competitiveness that had been simmering to a roaring boil.

Historically, one of the strongest teams in the event and last year’s overall event winner, Team Australia, took the lead in the Aloha Cup at the outset of the heat and managed to hold on to it despite a strong rally from the French Team. It was a bittersweet moment for the Aussies as the team was not able to secure the ISA Team World Championship gold medal as it’s done many times in the past. The Aloha Cup was the only gold medal for the Australians.

Following the Aloha Cup, the Longboard finalists took to the tepid 4 to 5 foot Costa Rican lineup and put on a tremendous show. The final, that included an American, a Frenchman, an Australian, and a British surfer, brought the thousands of fans that swarmed the beach to their feet, blending old-world noserides and iconic style with modern high-speed turns and speed floats. In the end, France’s Antoine Delpero came out on top as he narrowly edged out Aussie surfer Harley Ingleby with a two-wave combined score of 15.50 points.

“I feel unreal�I’m so happy I can’t say a word,” said a beaming and visibly shaken Delpero following his win. “This is so cool for me and Team France.”

In the Women’s final, 16-year-old American Courtney Conlogue was surfing on a higher plane as she dismantled her competition with a determined backhand attack on the lefts that earned her a slew of 8- and 7-point rides along with a gold medal.

Heading into the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games, Conlogue was coming off monumental performances this year, including silver medal at the ISA World Junior Championship in Ecuador, and a victory at the US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, CA. Judging from her recent competitive dominance, Conlogue has proven that she will be a formidable figure in the sport for years to come.

With her face partially shaded behind a pair of aviator sunglasses, Conlogue remained poised following her gold medal win. “To be surfing in front of all these people is amazing. It’s been such a great event. To be in the final I had to put it all on the line,” she said. “The conditions were really good out there�it’s just really been such a fun journey so far.”

Highlighting the final day’s action was the Open final. Comprised of two Americans—Floridian Cory Lopez and North Carolina native Ben Bourgeois—a Peruvian and a Frenchmen, the level of surfing in the Men’s final showcased just how technically advanced surfing has become throughout the world.

Opening up the heat with a barrage of mind-numbing turns was American Cory Lopez. Throughout the Games, Lopez looked extremely relaxed and confident—a dangerous mix in the game of competitive surfing. Despite Lopez’s stellar rail work and progressive turns, France’s Jeremy Flores was the man to beat. Surfing like a man possessed, Flores seemed untouchable, putting his trademark low center of gravity style and lightning fast turns to good work in the final. That surfing earned him a pair of 8-point rides that the other competitors couldn’t touch as Flores went on to win the gold medal.

Following his win, Flores appeared proud and confident as he reflected on the impact of bringing home a gold medal. “I haven’t won too many contests, I’ve always done well, but I hardly ever seem to win. For me this is huge. This was more than a victory for me. I never win anything�I can’t believe I just won. Wining the gold medal for my country, is the best feeling I ever had in my surfing career.”

Then the Medals and Closing Ceremony took place. The nations anthems were played honoring the gold medalists with the crowd applauding each one of them. The event was d officially closed by ISA Vice-President, Alan Atkins, who said: “The global surfing family has come together again and has tightened more than ever. I want to thank, in the name of the ISA to all those who were involved in the contest, the sponsors, the local Federation and all the volunteers that worked hard during this week. I am now declaring officially closed the Billabong ISA World Surfing Games.”

Another edition of one of the biggest and important surfing events in the world came to an end. It will come again in 2010. The next ISA event will be the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championship to be held in New Zealand in January. For more information log on www.isasurf.org.

FINAL Team Results:
GOLD – United States – 14910 points
SILVER – France – 13280 points
BRONZE – Australia – 10996 points
COPPER – Hawaii – 10856 points

INDIVIDUAL FINAL RESULTS
Open Men
Gold: Jeremy Flores (FRA)
Silver: Cory Lopez (USA)
Bronze: Gabriel VIllarán (PER)
Copper: Ben Bourgeois (USA)

Open Women
Gold: Courtney Conlogue (USA)
Silver: Rosanne Hodge (RSA)
Copper: Sage Erickson (USA)
Bronze: Pauline Ado (FRA)

Longboard
Gold: Antoine Delpero (FRA)
Silver: Harley Ingleby (AUS)
Copper: Ben Skinner (GBR)
Bronze: Tony Silvagni (USA)

Aloha Cup
Gold: Australia
Silver: Francia
Bronze: Peru
Copper: Tahiti

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
1 – USA – 14910 points
2 – France – 13280 points
3 – Australia – 10996 points
4 – Hawaii – 10856 points
5 – South Africa – 10666 points
6 – Peru – 10180 points
7 – Costa Rica – 9650 points
8 – Venezuela – 9040 points
9 – Brazil – 9000 points
10 – Puerto Rico – 8820 points
11 – New Zealand – 8100 points
12 – Argentina – 7160 points
13 – Tahiti – 6688 points
14 – Ecuador – 6170 points
15 – Panama – 5952 points
16 – Italy – 5670 points
17 – Mexico – 5560 points
18 – Japan – 5324 points
19 – Chile – 5208 points
20 – El Salvador – 4784 points
21 – Ireland – 4568 points
22 – Austria – 4320 points
23 – Barbados – 4128 points
24 – Germany – 4024 points
25 – UK- 3810 points
26 – Guatemala – 3696 points
27 – Switzerland – 3440 points
28 – Jamaica – 2912 points
29 – Canada – 2784 points
30 – Nicaragua – 2656 points
31 – Colombia 2544 points
32 – Trinidad & Tobago – 2240 points
33 – Bahamas 2240 points
34 – Rep. Dominican – 1680 points
35 – Aruba- 384 points

TravelSIM Team Australia consists of four current Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour surfers along with the two open Longboard surfers who are experienced  ASP World Tour Longboard surfers.

Open Men:

Mick Campbell (ASP World Tour rating 13/Port Macquarie NSW),

Dayan Neve (ASP World Tour Rating 24/ Manly),

Dane Atcheson (Current Country Energy  Australian Champion/Central Coast/Copacabanna NSW),

Matt Bemrose (2007 Country Energy Australian Champion and 2008 runner up/Manly).

Open Women:

Samantha Cornish (ASP World Tour rated 9/Crescent Head NSW),

Amee Donohoe (ASP World Tour rated 13/Central Coast NSW )

Open Longboard:

Harley Ingelby (ASP World Tour rated 1/Coff’s Harbour NSW)

Dane Pioli (2008 ASP Australasian Longboard Qualifying Series Champion/Wollongong NSW)

Head Coach:

Barton Lynch

Assistant Coach (first reserve open team):

Beau Mitchell

Team Manager:

Andrew Stark

Medical Manager:

Matt Butel

TravelSIM Team Australia is proudly supported by the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) and Surfing Australia.

Byron Bay Today Aug 9 09