After weeks of dribble, Sydney surfers finally got a few fun waves thanks to a couple metres of east swell on a sunny Sunday. I surfed it myself and shot pictures at three different locations as well.
The pics in the slideshow below come from three different galleries. Clicking on a picture in the slideshow will take you to the full-size version. And you can check the full galleries by following the links below. South Narrabeen 0800-0845 Dee Why 1120-1145 North Narrabeen 1730-1830
For not more than a couple hours before dark on Thursday afternoon 29/9, a punchy, 2 metre ENE swell and offshore winds combined to turn the entire Narrabeen stretch into a wave wonderland. I shot at Northy from about 1615 to 1700 and in that time managed to accumulate 300+ shots. Below is a gallery of 20 from that collection. As always, any of these images may be purchased and downloaded immediately. Just click on a pic you want, then look top left for the size/price options link.
Sunday saw the swell swing a bit more to the SE as it began to fade. Still there were some magnificent waves to be had for the fortunate crew who were on them at Manly. I shot for an hour from near the North Steyne surfclub. Ended up with almost 400 shots of regular surfers getting some uncommonly good waves on a sunny morning.
Late in the afternoon, after going for a fun surf myself at Dee Why point, I went up to North Narrabeen for the sunset show. Not really expecting to find much, I was surprised to discover that there were still some very tasty and often quite makeable little barrels coming through. Some very deep pits to be had if you could hold your line.
As usual, by clicking on any of the pics below you’ll be taken to the complete gallery for that session. And, as usual, I was aiming to get extraordinary shots of ordinary surfers… enjoy and don’t forget, all pics are available for purchase at various sizes.
If Friday was astounding, Saturday was every bit as good! I started proceedings by shooting a tow-in crew working the otherwise unmakeable shutdowns along South Narrabeen from about 0800 to 0850. Then it was on to Northy to shoot the very substantial crowd surfing in essentially perfect conditions. If you were in the water there between 0900-1015 and you caught a wave, there is a very good chance I caught you doing it! After lunch, I made my way to Manly and shot the outstanding waves there between 1300-1430.
As always, clicking the pics below will take you to the relevant gallery – and remember, all pictures are for sale!
There are 160 more snaps from this session in my new gallery. As usual they’re all for sale. Just click on the pic you’re interested in when you get to the galleries and then look top left for the price options.
Such a beautiful morning in Sydney. I considered my options and, since the swell was tending east, I figured at a metre or so and about 11 seconds apart, that my nearest option would be North Narrabeen. So I grabbed the gear and headed down. As you might expect on a warm summer Sunday morning with shoulder to head high sets, the old Northy was damn busy. Taking a punt that there might be waves for the late, I decided to take pictures instead.
It was reasonably consistent, but even during the hour and a quarter I was taking pictures, you could see the energy levels were decreasing. The sea breeze came up pretty quickly as well, so when it began to ruffle things up, I headed for the exit. Drove down to Long Reef, Dee Why and Curly for a look, but everyone in Sydney was looking for a park and the waves were not getting any better. Oh well, at least I got a few pics…
After shooting at Dee Why, I headed up to North Narrabeen to see what the swell was doing. A huge crew was on it and there was a bit of bounce coming off the beach, but there were some solid sets and plenty to take pictures of.
To see all the shots I grabbed between 430 and 530 pm, jump to the gallery. If you caught a wave, I probably caught you on it. And as always, all pics can be purchased simply by clicking on them and looking top left for the buying link. Oh and don’t forget, I’m offering 33% off any pic orders in January. Just enter the code HAPPYSURF when you fill in the order details.
After lunch I wandered over to North Narrabeen to see what was what. There were small waves from about the Pines all the way to the Alley. A bunch of bodyboarders were looking to get smashed near carparks, while up at Northy things were slightly less hectic for the small crowd. As with Curly, the waves weren’t much to write home about, but the lack of wind meant people could enjoy some soft, glassy little peaks that very occasionally produced a mildly interesting section.
I grabbed a few piccies, so check ‘em out below…
BTW, if you end up wanting to buy a pic or pics from any of my galleries, then be sure to enter the coupon code HAPPYSURF and it will take 33% off the bottom line for ya.
To get a picture from the gallery Go to the picture you like, click on it so that you see the big version, then look up top left for the button that says “Add to Cart” and click on that. Click on the size you want. And then, if you just want the one, click on “Add and Checkout” at the bottom of the window – or if you want another, click on “Add to Cart” and go back to select another.
The NE swell that lit things up yesterday was on the fade this morning. But it wasn’t gone and Northy the patient crew were still jagging a few sweet ones on a sunny, offshore start to the day. I shot for an hour or so…
As usual all images are available in various resolutions (without the watermark). Just double-click on the pic(s) you’re interested in and then look for the link that says ‘add to cart’ to see your resolution/price options.
One of the best days of the 2010 winter surf season, so I blew off writing responsibilities, grabbed the camera and went looking for firing waves. First stop was North Narrabeen where the NE swell was unloading into an offshore wind much to the delight of the assembled crew.
A tiny but very clean little east swell combined with a low tide, offshore winds, and nice late afternoon light to create a good picture-taking opportunity.
Lotta bods in the water, but there were some surprisingly good looking waves. As usual, if you see yourself in one of these high res shots and want to get one without the watermark, just double click on it and look for the add to cart link to check out the ultra reasonable pricing! North Narrabeen Sat 31 July 2010 (dusk) – Images by Don Norris