Near 5 feet, but what a mess.

Strong NE winds, higher than normal tides and always a chance for rain. Your only hope is to catch it early Monday morning before the winds kick in and the tide peaks at 10:0o am.

Roberto

Southerly morning

Cool, southerly and small, but at least one person is giving it a go up the beach from Dee Why.

Hello Friends,

Ah, Monday morning. Have a good weekend? If you got in yesterday, you’ve done well; if you put it off until this morning (like I did) – not so good. Wind is out of the south to SW at 8-12 kts or thereabouts as the day gets started.

Yesterday’s waist to chest high plus windswell has been replaced with knee to waist high south windswell dribble. As my picture shows, it’s not too inspiring at Dee Why. At those places with better exposure to the swell direction, the wind will be even more of a factor.

Outlook for the next couple days is not exceptionally hopeful, but I’m liking the look of the indicators for Thr-Fri. Right now the models are showing a 2 metre SSE pulse with a power setting in the 10-12 second range – and we’re supposed to have offshores and sunny skies with it. If I had to put in for an RDO today, I’d choose Thursday! (Huey of course will have the last word)

Apropos nothing in particular, heard a good news story this morning on the radio about Swiss researchers managing to get severed spinal cords in rats to grow again. They’re publishing their results in Nature, so it sounds pretty legit.

Go well with your day one and all.

Tides: H@0942, L@1600

Synoptic Situation
A strong front will move through New South Wales during Tuesday/Wednesday. Wind should turn around to northwest to northeast and gradually strengthen from late Monday onwards ahead of this front, and is likely to increase to gale force behind the front on Wednesday.

Sydney Coastal Waters, Broken Bay to Port Hacking and 60nm seawards:
Monday until midnight: Wind: S/SW 10/15 knots, tending SE by late morning and E/NE in the afternoon increasing to 15/20 knots in the evening.Sea: Mostly about 1 to 1.5 metres, but reaching 2 metres in the evening.Swell: SE 1 to 1.5 metres.
Tuesday: Wind: N/NW 15/20 knots inshore, 20/25 knots offshore, increasing to 20/30 knots later.Sea: 1.5 to 2.5 metres, rising to 2 to 3 metres.Swell: NE 1 to 1.5 metres. Chance thunderstorms.
Wednesday: Wind: W/NW 30/40 knots

Narrabeen Rpt

Flat & choppy

ASP Women’s World Tour Adds New Zealand Dream Tour Venue for 2010

TARANAKI, New Zealand (Monday, September 21, 2009) – The ASP Women’s World Tour will be getting a boost next season with the addition of New Zealand’s Taranaki region as a dream tour venue.

The Taranaki Women’s Surf Festival will host the world’s best female surfers from April 14 – 18, 2010 along Taranaki’s Surf Highway 45, with mobile venue options including famed locations such as Fitzroy Beach, Rocky Point, Stent Road and Opunake.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to be adding New Zealand to the ASP Women’s World Tour schedule,” Brodie Carr, ASP Intl CEO, said. “The region is ripe with world class waves and it’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase the talents of our outstanding female athletes.”

Paige Hareb (NZL), 19, 2009 ASP Dream Tour rookie and current ASP World No. 3, is New Zealand’s first female ambassador at surfing’s elite level of competition, and the addition of another ASP Dream Tour event in her backyard could prove advantageous to the young goofy-footer’s bid for an ASP Women’s World Title.

“I’m pretty happy about the ASP Women’s World Tour coming to my home town in New Zealand next year,” Hareb said. “I know a lot of the girls have never been before and have wanted to come here for a long time. The surf is really consistent around that time of the year so I can’t wait to show the girls what my coast has to offer. It’s going to be pretty exciting!”

The addition of New Zealand to the ASP Women’s World Tour in 2010 is the latest in a string of successes for professional women’s surfing, having recently confirmed the Gidget Pro Sunset Beach event for November this year and with the 2010 season shaping up to be one of its’ best ever.

“This is the first ever World Tour event to be held in New Zealand making this a historic step for both professional surfing and sports in the country,” Brooke Farris, ASP Women’s World Tour Manager, said. “It’s fantastic to see the people of New Zealand putting all their support behind tour rookie Paige Hareb. It will be very exciting to see Paige bring the tour to her local town and perform in front of the masses.”

New Zealand’s Taranaki, for their part, are ecstatic to host the world’s best female surfers next season. In addition to adding an ASP Women’s World Tour event to the 2010 schedule, Taranaki will also host an ASP Grade-3 Girl’s Pro Junior, boasting the richest prize purse on the ASP Australasia Pro Junior Girl’s Series, AUD $8,000.

“Surfing sits at the heart of Taranaki’s innovation and culture,” Stuart Trundle, Chief Executive of Venture Taranaki Trust, said. “We’re stoked that Taranaki has been selected as the venue to host the New Zealand leg of the ASP Dream Tour next year. This event gives us the opportunity to showcase our world-class athletes, the legendary point breaks they call home, and the innovative surf industry that’s grown here.”

The next stop on the 2009 ASP Women’s World Tour will be the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic at Sydney’s Northern Beaches from September 30 through October 5, 2009.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

Owen Wright conquers all at Dripping Wet Pro Junior

Stylin'. Owen Wright. photo: Michael Tyrpenou/ ASP Australasia

(Manly, NSW – Sunday, 20 September 2009): Owen Wright (Lennox Head, NSW) became the most famed junior surfer in ASP Australasia Pro Junior Series history today winning the Dripping Wet Pro Junior presented by Arrive alive.

Following on from his younger sister’s, Tyler, win yesterday, Wright created history in nearly every available category at Manly today.

Having not been defeated in a single heat all year, Wright has also accrued the most prize money in a year, whilst wrapping up the ASP Australasian Pro Junior Series crown with an event to spare.

Defeating his good friend, and number two seed, Dean Bowen (Gerroa, NSW) in the final, Wright was over the moon with what he achieved today.

“I feel awesome,” he said with a massive smile on his face.

“I knew that Deano has been in devastating form so I wanted to wrap up the Series here at Manly,” he said after outpointing Bowen 13.00 (out of a possible 20) to 8.00.

“I didn’t want to leave it up to him at Bells.”

Wright not leaving it until Bell's. photo: Michael Tyrpenou/ ASP Australasia

Leading up to the final, the stage was set for the two top seeds in front of a mass of spectators.

A win would have seen Wright crowned ASP Australasian Pro Junior Series champion on the spot, however a win from Bowen would have seen the Series title dragged out to the next event in Bells, where Wright won’t be competing.

And so began a memorable final, rife with dynamic, powerful, innovative surfing, suspense and anticipation from the current ISA World Junior champion and the heir-apparent to the king, Kelly Slater.

Working the crowd into a frenzy with his speed and array of amazing manoeuvres, Wright opened the final with an eight-point ride; and from there it was one way traffic.

When asked of his memorable undefeated streak, he was quick to answer.

“After the World Juniors in January I just got over losing,” Wright stated.

“Since then things have seemed to go my way and the results have come my way, I’ve just been focussed and on a mission to win.”

Having all but qualified for the ASP Dream Tour for 2010, Wright now focuses’ his attention towards the gruelling ASP World Qualifying Series where he is currently ranked third.

“I’m really looking forward to continuing on this good run,” he said.

“My goal is now the ASP World Tour.”

Also taking place on ‘Super Sunday’ was the Skull Candy Cadet Cup which saw the best 16 years and under surfers in the country going head-to-head.

After the dust had settled it was Doug Chandler (Gerringong, NSW), Connor O’Leary (Cronulla, NSW) and Soli Bailey (Suffolk Park, NSW) left in the final, with O’Leary taking the $250 first place prize.

For all scores, results, digital images and media please visit http://live.coastalwatch.com/08_default.aspx?eid=15845&qryL=english

C C Southerly Puff

Fine, dry and mild ( a bit of cloud blowing in) on the Central Coast this Monday morning.  The swell is ruffled and very small at 1 –  1.25 feet  from the east southeast.  There is a light southerly  breeze at the moment forecast to freshen and go southeast later.  High tide 0940 and low tide around 1600.  Local barometer 1008 hpa, 16 degrees C. 93% humidity.   Have a great week.

Byron Bay Today Sept 20th 09

Slideshow: Curly, Sun. 20/9/2009

From this morning somewhere at Curl Curl.

A sunny Sunday morning with fun little waves at Curly. I walked the length of the beach between about 0930 and 1100, so if you were in the water, I may have taken your picture.
(running time of this slideshow is approx 1.5 mins)
[slideshow id=15]

To view all 364 pictures from this shooting session, please click here.

Shooting log: Curly

Spent a good portion of Sunday morning slowly working my way up and then back down the beach taking pictures before the onshores got going.

Heaps of folks in the water, but on any given peak, it wasn’t too bad. Waves were pretty full though, so quality was only average in my estimation. That said, I got a ton of piccies.

My goal as always was to shoot regular folks at the peak moments. If you or someone you know was in the water anywhere along the Curly stretch between about 0930 and 1100, you might want to have a look through the collection when I post it later on my own page. Never know, maybe I got you…

Here are a few snaps (slideshow to come)

Plant the back foot on the tail and it flies around.

Aiming at a Curly lip

From this morning somewhere at Curl Curl.

From this morning somewhere at Curl Curl.

Fanning Wins Hurley Pro Trestles, Claims US$105k and ASP World No. 2 Spot

Mick Fanning (AUS), 28, former ASP World Champion (2007), has taken out the Hurley Pro Trestles, claiming the richest prize purse in surfing history, US $105,000. photo: ASP/ CI/ ROWLAND via GETTY IMAGES

LOWER TRESTLES, California (Saturday, September 19, 2009) – Mick Fanning (AUS), 28, former ASP World Champion (2007), has taken out the Hurley Pro Trestles, besting fellow Finalist Dane Reynolds (USA), 24, to claim the richest winner’s prize purse in surfing history, US$105,000.

Event No. 6 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Hurley Pro Trestles enjoyed rippable swell at the start of the waiting period before enduring three consecutive lay days to culminate in today’s marathon of barrier-breaking action. With mind-blowing surfing going down from Round 4 through the Finals in clean two-to-three foot (1 metre) surf at Lower Trestles, it was the lightning-fast Australian who turned up the juice against Reynolds to claim his first-ever ASP Dream Tour win in California.

“I’m overwhelmed,” Fanning said. “I’d like to congratulate Hurley and a huge thank you to them. I’d like to congratulate Dane (Reynolds) too. The sort of thing that he did, he’s only the start of what we’ll see in the next few years, so thanks for inspiring all of us. The conditions this week been very difficult, but that’s surfing. You’ve got to surf in all kinds of stuff, you can’t sit there and imagine one perfect wave at Trestles.”

In addition to racking up US$105,000 for today’s efforts, Fanning’s win rockets him from 7^th to 2^nd on the ASP World Tour ratings, bringing him right back in the hunt for the 2009 ASP World Title.

“If you win an event you’ve got to beat everyone,” Fanning said. “It’s not just Kelly (Slater) I beat, you’ve got to get through everyone. That was just part of the path. Kelly’s amazing, but I’m just stoked to have a Final with Dane. The win doesn’t really change my approach to the title. I was sitting in seventh before this event and I was looking to climb up the ratings. I wasn’t really that happy where I was. I did some work and if it does happen again this year it’s going to be pretty big. I guess it’s more about building momentum again this year and getting the hunger back.”

Despite falling short in the Final, Reynolds was a regular standout at the Hurley Pro Trestles, posting the top two single-wave scores of the event (a 9.70 and a 9.67) with his futuristic blend of progressive surfing.

“It was a good time,” Reynolds said. “You can’t win the first one (Final), can you? I got an I.V. before the Final. I was cramping up really bad. I’m not used to surfing this much in one day. Sometimes I surf this much, but not this many heats and it’s different when you’re not milking every section. Trestles is almost like a skate park. It’s just soft enough to where you can push it around, but it’s pushy enough to where you don’t have to work too hard. Unfortunately this event wasn’t great, but it turned on for the last day and it had some good moments.”

Today’s Runner-Up finish marks a career best result for the young Californian, vaulting Reynolds from 20^th to 11^th on the 2009 ASP World Tour ratings.

“I was starting to feel pretty discouraged because I had three 17ths in a row,” Reynolds said. “That beats you down a bit and it feels good to make some heats. I enjoy competing and today was a fun day.”

Bede Durbidge (AUS), 26, former event winner (2006) and current ASP World No. 7, was in sterling form all event, taking out Kai Otton (AUS), 29, and Adriano de Souza (BRA), 22, in the Quarterfinals and Semifinals respectively, before falling to a rampaging Reynolds in one of the standout clashes of the event.

“I was feeling good but I probably came up against the hardest competitor at the moment,” Durbidge said. “Dane (Reynolds) can get a score out of nothing and he’s starting to show his full potential now and it’s really scary. Still through, 3^rd place is great confidence going in to the European leg. It’s a turning point in my year to get a 3rd here. Hopefully I can take the momentum over to Europe and come out Top 5.”

The race for the 2009 ASP World Title has been shaken up a bit after the Hurley Pro Trestles, with current frontrunner Joel Parkinson (AUS), 28, bowing out in Round 3, opening the door for challengers to gain some ground. Formerly boasting a 1,404 point lead over former ASP World No. 2, C.J. Hobgood (USA), 30, Parkinson’s lead has now been cut to 936 points ahead of Gold Coast stablemate Fanning.

Kelly Slater (USA), 37, reigning nine-time ASP World Champion and defending event winner, wowed throughout the Hurley Pro Trestles, dispatching of rookie Kekoa Bacalso (HAW), 24, and Heitor Alves (BRA), 27, today before getting stuffed by a hyper-focused Fanning in their Semifinal heat.

“I didn’t go out there with any sort of game plan,” Slater said. “I was just trying to feel it out and I kind of read it wrong. The heat before, they had a lot of waves, and I didn’t think priority was really going to matter, but a lot of times, you have priority and there’s pressure to take that first one (wave), and it’s bumpy and the second or third one is real glassy. That happened in Dane’s heat and he got those real good ones, but that’s just the way it goes. I wasn’t really feeling it today anyway. Someday you feel it and you’re on and sometimes not. I kind of struggled through my first couple of heats anyhow.”

Slater, who wore the heavy public expectation of hunting down his 10^th ASP World Title in 2009, started the season uncharacteristically with three consecutive 17ths. The Floridian then rallied with a win in Brazil before netting a 9^th in South Africa, and although today’s Equal 3^rd place finish at the Hurley Pro Trestles moves him from 8^th to 6^th on the 2009 ASP World Tour ratings, Slater was guarded when discussing the remainder of the year.

“I’m still planning on going to Europe,” Slater said.

Michel Bourez (PYF), 23, led the rookie charge at the Hurley Pro Trestles, finishing equal 5^th and moving from No. 25 to No. 21 on the 2009 ASP World Tour ratings.

Highlights from the Hurley Pro Trestles are available via www.hurley.com/hurleypro/

Downloadable media is available at www.hurley.com/downloads/hurleypro

Next stop on the 2009 ASP World Tour is the Quiksilver Pro France from September 23 to October 4, 2009.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

HURLEY PRO TRESTLES FINAL RESULTS:

1 – Mick Fanning (AUS) 17.40

2 – Dane Reynolds (USA) 13.10

HURLEY PRO TRESTLES SEMIFINAL RESULTS:

SF 1: Dane Reynolds (USA) 16.77 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 14.23

SF 2: Mick Fanning (AUS) 16.26 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 10.74

HURLEY PRO TRESTLES QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:

QF 1: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 14.83 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 14.50

QF 2: Dane Reynolds (USA) 18.20 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 12.50

QF 3: Kelly Slater (AUS) 13.84 def. Heitor Alves (BRA) 8.17

QF 4: Mick Fanning (AUS) 17.50 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 13.00

HURLEY PRO TRESTLES ROUND 4 RESULTS:

Heat 1: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 12.67 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 5.83

Heat 2: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 15.50 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 12.00

Heat 3: Taylor Knox (USA) 9.50 def. Roy Powers (HAW) 3.67

Heat 4: Dane Reynolds (USA) 13.60 def. Rob Machado (USA) 10.94

Heat 5: Kelly Slater (USA) 12.83 def. Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 12.50

Heat 6: Heitor Alves (BRA) 14.16 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 12.27

Heat 7: Michel Bourez (PYF) 12.83 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 11.96

Heat 8: Mick Fanning (AUS) 11.63 def. Kieren Perrow (AUS) 10.43

CURRENT ASP WORLD TOUR TOP 10 RATINGS:

1 – Joel Parkinson (AUS) 5486 points

2 – Mick Fanning (AUS) 4550 points

3 – Adriano de Souza (BRA) 4348 points

4 – C.J. Hobgood (USA) 4272 points

5 – Damien Hobgood (USA) 3974 points

6 – Kelly Slater (USA) 3906 points

7 – Bede Durbidge (AUS) 3760 points

8 – Taj Burrow (AUS) 3685 points

9 – Taylor Knox (USA) 3616 points

10 – Bobby Martinez (USA) 3582 points