RealSurf’s Don and Shari joined a hardy band of surfers in the paddleout at Manly beach to kick off the Manly Festival of Surfing. It was a pretty ordinary sort of afternoon weatherwise, but the vibe was cheerful and the ocean obliging. Here are a few snaps of the paddleout…

Waiting for the signal to begin the paddleout.

And they're off. The paddleout begins...

Holding the mixed waters aloft before paddling out to the centre of the circle.

At the conclusion of the formal opening ceremony, small bottles of ocean water from around Australia were poured into a wooden bowl. These were carried down the Corso to the beach and, somewhat miraculously, paddled out to the circle of surfers bobbing about a hundred metres or so off the beach.

The circle forms...

The mixed waters join the sea at Manly.

Folks paddle in and the festival's launched.