>surfing stuff<

Closed for the Ever

2005-12-12T16:41:00.000+10:30

This is the last post of this blog: its run its course, it's done. Hope you enjoyed it, if you read it.
I'll probably delete the whole thing in a couple of weeks.
Keep surfin'!

Shark Attack on the Hoax Coast

2005-11-26T07:21:00.000+10:30

Shark attacks surfer on Mornington Peninsula. 25/11/2005.

This is the first documented shark attack in Victoria in about 7 years. An expert on the ABC described the Flinders area as a 'shark breeding zone', something we've known for years.

Shark attacks surfer on Mornington Peninsula. 25/11/2005. ABC News Online: "Shark attacks surfer on Mornington Peninsula

A surfer has been attacked by a shark at Flinders on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.

Police say 18-year-old Tom Burke was with friends about 50 metres off the beach at Flinders when he was pushed off his board at 6:00pm AEDT.

He suffered bites to the lower left leg and was taken to the Rosebud hospital by his friends.

Acting Sergeant Jim Martin says his injuries are not life threatening.

'There's two teeth marks, each one about four to five inches long,' he said.

'The sighting of the shark from the people that were down there was approximately six-foot long, but obviously we don't know what type of shark it was.'

Mr Burke told Southern Cross radio he fought back when he realised what was happening.

'This thing just came up and grabbed my leg and sort of ripped me off my board and then I don't know - I just sort of got back up and sort of saw it again and just punched it real hard,' he said."

Surfer punches shark to escape WA attack. 24/09/2005. ABC News Online

2005-09-24T11:15:00.000+09:30

Surfer punches shark to escape WA attack

A Western Australian surfer has had a lucky escape, after being attacked by a shark off Scarborough beach in Perth.

Brad Satchell, 44, says he was surfing about 120 metres off the coast this morning, when the shark came straight at him.

He says he was able to punch the shark several times before paddling to safety.

Mr Satchell believes the shark may have been a bronze whaler, more than one metre in length.

He says it was a frightening experience.

"I actually had a smile on my face when I first seen the thing because I thought it was a seal," he said.

"I can remember I was actually smiling, but then it just changed and I thought wow this thing is going to have a go at me.

"Probably two or three foot before it tried to attack me, I turned my board on the side to use it as a shield.

"I lifted my body out of the water and I just got my fists and I remember what I'd read in the paper - I just started punching and I connected with its head."

ABC NEWS

Evocative Quarra

2005-09-17T12:14:00.000+09:30

Gorgeous shot of the Q-train (Dean Morrison about to enjoy the ride)

Epic Tow-In Action

2005-08-21T11:46:00.000+09:30

More epic tow-in action from mysto secret spots inaccessible by car on the Hoax Coast. This shot from the latest i-surf dvd mag. More cool shots on the Hoax Coast Home Page

Hurricane caused 'tallest wave'

2005-08-05T19:32:00.000+09:30

Biggest wave ever recorded!

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Hurricane caused 'tallest wave'

Computer device makes big waves - Jul 5, 2005

2005-07-06T16:42:00.000+09:30

I'll believe this when I see it!

CNN.com - Computer device makes big waves - Jul 5, 2005

Surfing makes waves in New York

2005-06-19T19:57:00.000+09:30

Surfing NY, NY!!

HoustonChronicle.com - Surfing makes waves in New York

2005-06-12T18:22:00.000+09:30

Closed for Winter

Documenting Great Lakes surfers

2005-06-06T18:52:00.000+09:30

Surfing the great lakes sounds a lot like the Port Phillip Bay surfing me and my friends did as kids, and later, surfing the storm and wind swells whenever we could. Except that this is fresh water, which would be weird. I wouldn't mind seeing this film; its kinda the opposite of where pro surfing has gone; into the unreality of tubes like Tahiti, from windchop.

Documenting Great Lakes surfers

2005-05-07T13:44:00.000+09:30

Two goofy-footer legends of Victoria: Mick Pierce and Wayne Lynch, discuss design at the recent PSC 30th Anniversary single - fin competition at Pt Leo

Another surfing frontier: Angola

2005-04-21T07:08:00.000+09:30

It might be that the future surfing frontiers come out of places that have been ravaged by war for a long time, like Angola.

Life & Leisure News Article | Reuters.com

The day the music died

2005-04-14T07:46:00.000+09:30

60+ guys out one of my favourite right-hand point breaks, including attack of the killer mals; a whole new crew of grumpy old men on absurdly long boards, and a stack of young kids scratching around for any ripple that moved. Add SCHOOL HOLIDAYS, and a KNOWN SWELL from the day before + a 29 degree day in the middle of April + a ONSHORE change coming tomorrow, and you have the recipe for a shit-fight. It was the least enjoyable surfing experience I've had in years, and there were good quality waves coming through.

Attack of the killer guilts

2005-04-03T18:47:00.000+09:30

Yesterday I decided to stay in town for a street party with the people in the neighbourhood; a great idea and a good way to meet people you sometimes pass in the street, with a nod or not.

Trouble is, it's was northerly and the tail end of the great week of surf that the Ripcurl Pro had at Woollami; I was watching coastalwatch in the morning before the party and Portsea looked so fun: clear blue waves, small and uncrowded, not too windy.

So I'm at the party talking to very nice people, not enjoying myself coz I think I should be surfing. And I get a couple of SMSs saying how good the waves are etc. etc and an email! Sheez.

Surfing can do that! It's done it to me for twenty-five years, and here am I in my late 40s, sitting around in Hawthorn at a lovely barbeque with some new and interesting people who all live in the area, and I'm wishing I was down the surf! I don't know anything else that can do that to you. Which is kinda the beauty and the terror of surfing.

Bells Beach Pro Live from Woolami

2005-03-29T16:50:00.000+09:30

Spent some time this afternoon enjoying the surfing in the Rip Curl Pro live on the internet from Woolami (Phillip Island) It's the first time I've seen the live webtelecast really work effectively, both in the quality of the video and audio via broadband, but also because of the nature of the break; a beach-break with plenty of action happening. It was great to watch.

Rip Curl - The Surfing Company

The richest surf club in Australia

2005-03-15T09:14:00.000+10:30

Is the Peninsula Surfriders Club based on the hoax coast, according to the latest issue of ASL, and based on the club owning a chunk of increasingly valuable land near Gunna. The club house and surrounding land, just up the road from the best beach breaks on the coast, give the club something that lots of other clubs would want: a foothold on their own coast.

INSIDE - SURFIN

2005-02-28T12:11:00.000+10:30

Not the best designed site in the world, but there seems to be some good content on this site I found today. The SURFERS section is very good.

INSIDE - SURFIN

The shafts of light

2005-02-27T20:52:00.000+10:30

Surfing today, at last, and the water was warm and not many guys around on a little onshore point break. Between sets I watched the shafts of light penetrating into the green water, like in an old cathedral or gallery, the sand so fine it floated in the water, in single yellow grains, against the green.

Thirty Years of Peninsula Surfriders Club

2005-02-08T21:04:00.000+10:30

Thirty year celebrations of PSC coming up soon with plans for a sngle fin contest on the 30th of April, and rumors that all time goofy legend Wayne Lynch will be joining the crew for the celebrations that night.

Check the PSC pages for details.

Peninsula Surfriders Club

Six Seasons

2005-01-26T08:22:00.000+10:30

Melbourne's Six Seasons; one researcher argues that our seasons aren't simply a model of the European ones; maybe we'd understand the surf better if we were more specific and more local in our conceptions, rather than just saying 'summer surf' etc. I'd like to see a surf calendar like the one above with Victorian surfing conditions delineated.

Swell Rising

2005-01-15T08:24:00.000+10:30

Just got back after a week away camping down the coast, and watching and surfing waves a lot. I feel sore and tired and buffeted and water-logged and wind-soaked and sun-baked. On Tuesday the waves in the bay were six inches high. By Thursday there were solid eight foot sets and more water moving and swirling around than I'd ever seen there before, and I'd been going there for twenty-five years.

On Tuesday I tried to get my 9' mal moving on tiny little waves breaking in waist-deep water, amidsts boogie boarders, swimmers and floating old ladies.

Next day the swell picked up and we had two good surfs; increasing each hour in size, light onshore, but promsing.

By Thursday I was riding the 'short' board (7' 6") and struggling at times to get out the back as set after set pounded in, and riding too far meant negotiating a tricky paddle out. Big peaks too, some breaking way outside and rolling in tons of white water ages before it even hit the bank.

By Friday the swell had already begun to drop, and I had the best surf of the week, even though I was sore and tirerd; 4-5' sets and absolutley still and clean, the bottom of the sandy bay shining through, fine sand floating in the water between sets like grains of gold, longish lefts and fun peaks. It was a great way to finish the trip.

The Way of the Surfer

2005-01-05T09:27:00.000+10:30

I just finished reading this; I was stoked to find it under the tree on Christmas Day and enjoyed it a lot; a good mix of interviews and some insightful essays about surfing culture. The surfers interviewed are:

The Surfers:
1) Woody Brown - surf pioneer, over 90 and still surfing
2) John Severson - co-inventor of surf culture and Surfer mag
3) Dick Brewer - top surfboard builder, psychedelic guru
4) Nat Young - 1966 World Champ, surfboard pioneer, iconoclastic Aussie
5) Bill Hamilton - top star, dropped out to do it all on Kauai
6) Rolf Aurness - 1970 World Champ, son of Gunsmoke Jim, mysto seeker
7) Gerry Lopez - Zen surfer, Pipeline master, movie star
8) Tom Curren - 3-time World Champ, huge fame, soul man
9) Lisa Andersen - 4-time champ, most popular female surfer of all time
10) Kelly Slater - 6-time Champ, best surfer in the world
11) Titus Kinimaka - Hawaiian warrior, tow-in surfer & king of Hanalei

The essays though are just as interesting, and sometimes challenging. There's lots of pictures, but this is one of the most thoughtful books about surfing I've read for a while, even if it does take the zen/spirituality/Christian thing a bit far for most Oz surfer's sensibilities.

Toxic Gunna

2005-01-02T13:54:00.000+10:30

The dark toxic looking poison that SE Water and the State government is okay to dump at one of the best surf beaches on the Hoax Coast. A protest is schedued for tomorrow.

Check the CLEANOCEAN site for details

Classic Bells 1966

2005-01-01T11:44:00.000+10:30

When I was trying to find out who the Soulwater people were who originally designed the 'Tribal Law' poster, I found this site, which they are somehow connected with. One of the things for sale at the site are some great images of Bellsin 1965, 1966 by Barrie Sutherland, like this one. You can buy them at this address at SHOREZONE

Last day of the year

2005-01-01T11:39:00.000+10:30

34 degrees, a small but very clean swell and a little left peeling off a shallow rock-studded sandbar were the ingredients for my last surf for 2004, and one of the most fun. It was great to get some good waves in warm weather, the best surf I've had this summer, and a great way to end the year.

Tribal Law

2005-01-01T11:34:00.000+10:30

A New Year; time to reflect on the old rules. I found this 'Tribal Law' diagram in the front of Nat Young's book, 'Surf Rage' and the NSW government seems to have taken it up in some of their surf safety campaigns.

Tsumani

2004-12-29T19:34:00.000+10:30

Tragic to think that waves, the things we ride, the things we think about and draw and dream of and aspire to riding, and which have given us so much pleasure over the years, could cause such massive loss of life this week as the death toll from the tsunamis rise incredibly over the last 24 hours.

There is already a blogspot site about the disaster here: http://tsunamihelp.blogspot.com/

There is also a developing aid response. The details below are from the ABC website:

Oxfam

Donate online: http://www.oxfam.org.au/world/emergencies/asia_tsunami.html

Phone: 1800 034 034

Red Cross

Donate online: RED CROSS

Phone: 1800 811 700

Send a cheque or money order to: GPO Box 9949 in your capital city

World Vision

Donate online: https://www.worldvision.com.au/appeals/asiaearthquake/

Phone: 13 32 40

In person: ANZ or National Australia Bank branches

Medecins Sans Frontieres

Donate online: http://www.msf.org.au/support/sa.shtml

Phone: 1800 788 100

Sri Lanka Disaster Relief Fund

Phone: (02) 98048679

Floating Around

2004-12-16T17:11:00.000+10:30

Spent an hour or so floating around, getting a couple of small ones but generally just floating, waiting for the sets that didn't come, on a nice enough afternoon. It was the first surf I've had for a few weeks but it was kind of a lacklustre affair. I egged a couple, got one good one, it was nice to get wet but nothing special.

Clean Ocean Foundation

2004-12-13T09:54:00.000+10:30

A timely Christmas reminder that the battle to clean up Gunnamatta is not over yet. I heard Environment Minister Thwaites twising and dodging on the radio this morning, and the Clean Ocean Site today says:

Clean Ocean Christmas Update:

We have won some battles this year however the War on Wally's is far from over and the Foundation needs all hands on deck. This Christmas we must send a clear message to the State Governments around the country that ocean outfall technology is a dead technology.

As the end of 2004 approaches a new campaign to close the Gunnamatta outfall (Vic) is about to begin. This is because we fear Melbourne Water and the State Government may have asked for legal action this Christmas to avoid upgrading the Eastern Treatment Plant to Class A.

The Water Minister, John Thwaites, who seems to have forgotten that voters remember who’s been bad or good at election time, should start being good for goodness sake, or run the risk of an empty ballot stocking come election day..

Upgrading the Eastern Treatment Plant to class A would significantly cut down the amount of wastewater pollution at Gunnamatta; Australia’s worst shoreline outfall.

Clean Ocean Foundation - home

Voice of the Sea

2004-12-06T20:58:00.000+10:30

The sea as a religious experience; it's probably no surprise to surfers.

Compass - ABC TV Religion | Stories: "Voice of the Sea"

Still crazy after all these years

2004-12-05T21:12:00.000+10:30

It was a pretty big milestone last night; my daughter's 21st and lots of family and friends gathered around on a nice warm early summer evening. Her friends were there, but also lots of old friends of ours, including lots of the surfing crew from d-bay way way back, before we had 21sts. I haven't surfed that much in the last few months but of course the first thing I asked about was the surf. Turns out that the day had been a real fun one 2-4' beach breaks and clean offshores all day. I was a bit put out I'd missed it, but pleased for them, and surprised and pleased too to hear that four or five of them had been competing in a club competitoin that day, surfing in the over 45 section most of them, and still loving it. They were all tired, a bit sunburnt, and relaxed, just like you should be after a club comp. It was good to have them all there.

The Way of the Surfer

2004-11-27T17:06:00.000+10:30

The Way of the Surfer - Drew Kampion

focuses on the 'soul of surfing' and riding waves as a life path.
Profiles of eleven icons of modern surf culture reveal both both the
physical and the spiritual dimensions of surfing. Between these
profiles, a series of short essays describes the evolution of surfing
and surf culture."

One for the Christmas wishlist if you're into the zen of surfing.

Drew Kampion - The Way of the Surfer

Surfing Magazines Greatest Surfers of All Time

2004-11-27T15:01:00.000+10:30

The current issue of SURFING magazine has a list of the 16 Greatest Surfers of all time; a list which focuses on the top PERFORMANCE surfers.

They say. 'No Dukes, No Blakes, No Freeths. No Docs. These are the 16 surfers who made history by leaving it behind...They're the guys who, more than anyone else, opened our eyes to what riding a wave can be at its very best'

So, in essence, it's a list of the most radical or innovative surfers of all time; kinda surfer as change agent. I was pretty critical of some of the entries in TRACKS magazines 'Top 50 Surfers of All Time' (see January 2004 postings) especially with Taj Burrow as the 5th best surfer of all time and also with Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson in the top 10. Of all time.

At least Surfing mag has dispensed with the need for history and is going for performance. Their list (I can't detect that it's in any order):

Phil Edwards
Nat Young
Wayne Lynch
Gerry Lopez
Michael Peterson
Larry Bertlemann
Shaun Tomson
Mark Richards
Tom Carroll
Tom Curren
Martin Potter
Christian Fletcher
Laird Hamilton
Kelly Slater
Andy Irons

There's a lot to like about the list; especially with my 2 all time faves MP and Lynchy, but Christian Fletcher? What the *#KD*IED#@!!

Silver Surfer

2004-11-21T20:41:00.000+10:30

Californian surfer blog with a nice personal voice and a good down to earth account of what it's really like to surf those joints.

Silver Surfer

SMS

2004-11-18T14:31:00.000+10:30

Got this message from a mate down the coast. I was sitting at my desk catching up on some work, after a hot day in the office:

Centre crack offshore and one and a half metres got a barrel insane

I was glad for him!

Windiest Surf Ever

2004-11-14T21:05:00.000+10:30

Went down the coast for the weekend and got a small but fun surf in clean little beach break waves before dark on the Friday night. Later that night, around 10.00PM while we were having a few beers out beside the caravans, the cool change hit and it rained all night.

Next day the swell was a giant seething mess but we thought that maybe the north end would be a little sheltered and a bit of fun. Not that we'd bothered checking it out for a couple of hours.

So it was a bit of a shock to hit the beach and feel the strongest onshore I've felt for years, maybe ever, howling out of the SW. It was so strong that we could hardly walk on the beach with out surfboards and when the big gusts came you had to stop, brace yourself and try to point the nose of the board into the wind. It was so strong that if you let the board go it would have sailed into the sky. We had to hid our thongs down a small crack in the rocks so they wouldn't blow away. And this was before we paddled out.

Out in the water it was a weird feeling. I've surfed Port Phillip Bay plenty of times in gales but this was different. Howling onshore wit spray blowing off the top of the waves towards the shore. It was a decent size too, maybe a couple of metres with the waves falling forwrads and starting to break long before they normally would. Strangely, the faces of the waves were smooth. It was hard to see anything though, with spray driven like pieces of metal into our eyes. We all lasted one wave each.

Surfing Mysteries #29391291

2004-11-06T09:52:00.000+10:30

The cover of June Tracks (the one with the airbrushed looking shot of Kirra) proudly states, 'All-Time Kirra! Best photos ever of Australia's best wave', yet there are no shots of Kirra in the mag!!!

Time was that Tracks was the most important publication in the world for me. This month, even the free pack of surf spot playing cards couldn't convince me to buy it.

Spindrift

2004-11-06T09:38:00.000+10:30

He gets a sore back occasionally, doesn't know whether to stick to a long board or get on to a hybrid, doesn't like crowds much, but likes the look of unbroken and unridden waves, there's a bit I can relate to in this surfing blog by an American guy called Chris Fox who lives on the West Coast of USA somewhere.

Spindrift

Dale Webster

2004-11-06T09:25:00.000+10:30

Dale Webster is the guy featured in Step into Liquid who surfed every day for 25 years. It's pretty amazing to think about doing that. The article below is from surfer.mag, and there are some other articles I found while having a bit of a look around this morning

Daily Dale Webster Achieves Goal

by Jake Howard

Dale Webster: Immortalized through fortitude.

He did it! 10,407 days after beginning what is now the most legendary streak of consecutive days surfed, Dale "Daily" Webster has achieved his goal. On February 29, 2004, on a cold, gray winter morning at Doran Park in Sonoma County, California, Dale paddled out for his ritualistic "three waves to the beach." Everyday for more than 28 years Dale has taken a bare minimum of three waves to the beach. Rain or shine, storm swell or flat spell...every single day. It started with the Monster from New Zealand swell of 1975. From there, Webster set his heart to "never missing waves like that again." As he surfed day after day in 1975, Dale pondered what to do with his surfing streak. It turned into the quest to surf for an entire lunar cycle, 28-plus years according to Dale's original research (once the Internet was invented he came to find out a lunar cycle was only 18-plus years, but true to his conviction he stayed the course on his original date of 2-29-04, that and he was already more than 20 years into it).

With that being said, the next obvious question is what does tomorrow have in store for Daily? As he reckons, "I can't really see not going surfing tomorrow. It's another day, and that's what I do, surf everyday."

Webster, featured star of Dana Brown's Step Into Liquid, hasn't missed a day of surfing since September 3, 1975. He's holds the Guiness Book of Records for most confirmed days surfing (the last edition-printed 18 months ago-recognized him for 10,000 days). He also makes any streak Joe DiMaggio, Cal Ripken, Bill Romanowski or any other professional athlete endured look like tiny baby steps. After getting out of the water on February 29, 2004 he humbly commented, "Anybody can do what I did. If you love it enough you can do anything. All you have to do is start surfing today, and not stop until 2032."

Step into Liquid

2004-11-05T22:14:00.000+10:30

Finally got to borrow this from the ol' video-ezy place last night, after last week choosing Johny Depp's way over-rated Secret Window ahead of it. One more shot of the owl-eyed Depp emerging dishevelled and writerly from another long nap on the couch and I woudl have finished the story anothe way myself.

Meanwhile, Step into Liquid is pretty good fun in the old-school surf movie style. It's firmly and unashamedly in the Endless Summer tradition (made his Dana Brown, his son) and moves quickly from some obligatory heavy shots of Pipe, to Tahiti and even a section on Taj in OZ. There's still a little about the discovery of fun waves like the original but this is heavily laced with the NBT (next big thin) tow-in boarding, with Laird and the boys from Jaws getting together with the manic boys from Mavs in what seems way too orchestrated a meeting of surfing bro's to me.

There is a nice bit on chick's surfing, including big barrels, a feel-good bit on Catholic and Protestant kids in Ireland coming together and getting stoked in a surfing lesson with the Malloy brothers, and an ex Vietnam vet returns there with his son looking for (and not finding) waves. Probably the most interesting thing for me in the film was the articulate way that guys like Rob Machado talked about surfing, and the bit on Dale Webster, an ordinary surfer who decided 25 years ago that he was going to surf every day, and did. I'll post some stuff about him later.

Meanwhile, Step into Liquid fills a fun void in surf movies, has a sense of soul and never hangs around one bit long enough to get boring. I bet that ol' Owl Eyes Depp wouldn't have slept so much if he'd been into surfing.

The Lines of swell into the bay....

2004-11-05T18:47:00.000+10:30

Fave Place: heading down to fave place ever (sounds a bit like Dolly magazine talk doesn't it) next week and maybe some good weather and waves. Took this shot last time, of the lines gently pushing into that beautiful bay.

Santa Barbara Surfing

2004-11-05T18:43:00.000+10:30

Another surfing blog; this one a newsy style one from Santa Barbara with a heap of other links and pics.

Santa Barbara Surfing | Special Fall Issue

Surfboard to ward off shark attacks...

2004-11-03T08:27:00.000+10:30

Good news if it works!

Surfboard to ward off shark attacks. 03/11/2004. ABC News Online

Worse Places to Be

2004-11-01T15:04:00.000+10:30

Had a pretty ordinary surf this morning, after hearing how good it was yesterday, but things had got worse. Swell had dropped a lot, sun had gone, and worse, the wind had gone around a little so that, even though it was only light, it was a bit crumbly.

Still, sitting out there with a couple of friends by ourselves, looking up and down the coastline, not a house in sight, and the kelpy rock-pools all exposed in the low tide, we all thought there are worse places to be.

Radical Tow-In Action

2004-10-11T20:29:00.000+09:30

Just uploaded the tow-in shots I got last week, and there's a couple of impressive sequences and amongst the biggest and heaviest looking Hoax Coast waves I've seen surfed.

The shots and sequence are at HERE

Tow-Ins

2004-10-05T20:21:00.000+09:30

Though I'm not normally a fan of tow-in surfing and don't like it's prevalence in all the mags, what it can do is open up places that can't be surfed otherwise.

This week Hubba sent me some great shots of local guys surfing secret back beach mysto rights that can't be approached in normal ways. Hope to post one or two soon on the HOAX COAST site. They are even hotter than the last shots he sent me; he's a real Peter Parker that Hubba, getting all the scoops on the secret back beach locations.

Great moments in soul-speak

2004-10-03T13:04:00.000+09:30

Some more quotes from ASL 190 (July 04) their soul issue:

Just by the act of surfing you're supporting the revolution - Nat Young

Time is expanded in the tube - Shaun Tomson

The waves in National Park are the best thing I know in surfing. Riding them is second best. One pure slice of existence. Being. Is-ness. Is-ness is appreciation of the whole deal, appreciation, grooving. Is-ness is National Park. - Bob McTavish

Life is a waste of time and surfing's as good a way to waste it as any - Mickey Dora

When I surf I dance for Krishna - Ted Spencer

Pedbalboarding

2004-10-03T11:34:00.000+09:30

It's new, it's different, it's happening. So the website says, and it should know. I took these photos between surfs earlier this week as pedalboarding makes its push for the extreme sports niche market!

PedalBoarding

My Top Surf Movies

2004-10-02T15:33:00.000+09:30

I have included Hollywood portrayals of surfing, so some of these are breaking out of genres. Here goes....

Morning of the Earth (1972)
Endless Summer(1964)
Big Wednesday (1978)
Crystal Voyager (1974)
TO' Day of Days (2001)
Five Summer Stories (1972)
Point Break
Liquid Gold
A Winter's Tale or A Sea for Yourself (can't decide)
Apocalypse Now (Directors Cut)

Also check out a bigger list than Tracks on realsurf at RealSurfs Top 180 Video List

Tracks Mag - Top All Time Surf Movies

2004-10-02T15:24:00.000+09:30

The latest Tracks mag has a thing on the best surf movies of all time. An interesting discussion and good to see them following up their article earlier this year (I think) about the greatest surfers of all time. Much more interesting than their usual guys lighting up farts style of journalism.

There are two parts to the discussion, the mag talks in details about some movies, and there's a reader's poll. The Tracks list (though they're not actually numbered)

Morning of the Earth
The Innermost Limits of Pure Fun
Litmus
Sarge's Scrapbook Series
September Sessions
Momentum
The Green Iguana
Blue Horizon
Kelly Slater in Black and White
Endless Summer

The Readers List

Momentum
Morning of the Earth
Kelly Slater in Black and White
Mad Wax
Degrees
Storm Riders
Campaign
Sabotaj
September Sessions
Searching for Tom Curren

No Hollywood movies there! I'll post my top ten list next.

Tracks

2004-10-01T11:06:00.000+09:30

Did get a couple of surfs in, which was great, even though it was a light onshore for pretty much the whole time. The first surf was the obligatory I can't catch anything, I can't get to my feet fast enough, I can't believe how cold it still is kinda thing. The second, much more satisfying, with a couple of longish beach break lefts that made it worthwhile.

Then I watched a few of the local kids pedalboarding, a new sport which just might take off on the long flat beaches when there's no surf. The web site is HERE

Rainfall Radar

2004-09-27T07:42:00.000+09:30

Had a quick squiz at the rainfall radar before I pack the car with all the camping stuff, and there's a thin blue film over the whole route from the Hoax Coast to the south-east where I'm supposed to be headed. The rest of the state looks dry! Is this a sign not to go?

Rainfall Radar

2004-09-26T19:46:00.000+09:30

No more web-surfing this week; I'm heading off down the coast tomorrow for some real waves, and some very cold water surfing. Got the 4/3 steamer, booties and wetsuit hat all ready to go; hopefully I wont need it all, but if its gets windy... Haven't surfed much at all over the last six weeks so am keen to have four or five good sessions over the next few days, build a bit of fitness, get amped for the warmer months ahead...

2004-09-26T19:36:00.000+09:30

The best one I've found yet; what a cool name, empty peak.com! who'd a thunk it? Too many ads maybe but you get the feel that this guy surfs a lot and thinks about it a lot.

Empty Peak ** If you were looking for nothing... YOU FOUND SURF!!! - Surf blog dedicated to the exploration of nothing and some surfwear on the side.

2004-09-26T19:32:00.000+09:30

A more local weblog with some surfing comments from Marcus Crafter, who likes surfing at Phillip Island

crafterm's weblog

2004-09-26T19:30:00.000+09:30

Which got me thinking; are there many other web surfing logs out there; in this one a guy describes surfing in the moonlight. I do remember one classic full moon surf at First Reef many years ago, but havent tried it for a while! This one sees the zen in surfing:

Midnight Glass- surfing by moonlight - The Gordon Gould Weblog - gould.weblogsinc.com

2004-09-26T19:04:00.000+09:30

Hey! Someone else is out there writing a surfing weblog: did I really think mine was the only one? This one's got some good pics of the pro contest near Trestles, California, this week.

Silver Surfer

2004-09-23T19:15:00.000+09:30

Got wet at last, and tossed around like a cork in a fast little right-hander that was bigger than it looked, with more water moving around than it looked. Got a couple of unsatisfying ones, got a few more on the head, and handed in. Next week, I might head down to the Prom for some more fun ways back into it.

2004-09-20T21:27:00.000+09:30

September holidays, twenty-six degrees tomorrow, water temperature rising, could be time to get wet again after a long break from any waves.

2004-07-14T15:56:00.000+09:30

Gavin Duffy sent me this frame grab from a recent tow-in session around Flinders on the Hoax Coast, featuring Skeeter and friends. More pictures are on the hoax coast page, but it sure is a nice little barrel isn't it?

2004-07-09T14:55:00.000+09:30

Got talked into a mid-week, cold water surf with a friend and his son, and I was glad I did.

It was cold, 11 degrees and the water seemed to clamp around my arms as I paddled out. It was good though; clean and quite hollow with some decent sets and plenty of waves, though you didn't want to paddle through too many or it was ice-cream headache time! Great winter fun.

2004-07-02T07:38:00.000+09:30

And the word of the day, for the first day of July was...SWELL.

2004-06-26T11:29:00.000+09:30

The Pier on a calm day, only a few days before it was closed to the public.

2004-06-26T11:19:00.000+09:30

Latest news from the Davey's Bay public meeting is that the Yacht Club will attempt to raise some funds to save the jetty, though it is currently closed to the public. Apparently bits of the pier were breaking off as the public meeting took place last weekend. Here's the report from the yacht club website:

About 130 people attended the meeting regarding the repair/renewal of the jetty held at the Clubhouse on Saturday 19th June, including Alistair Harkness the local MP, Robin Cooper the Mornington State Member, local fishermen, residents as well as members which was a tremendous turnout by any standards, but when you consider the abysmal weather conditions it was outstanding.

The Commodore started the meeting saying that the club had been lobbying the State Government for funds for several years and earlier this year they allocated $3000 on a dollar for dollar basis to repair the finger, however, the engineer said we would be wasting our money as the whole Jetty had deteriorated over the last couple of years to such an extent that there was no point in just repairing the finger. The Commodore then introduced Mike Behnke of the Department of Sustainability & Environment.

Mike stated that in essence he does not have the funds available to re-construct the Jetty, which is estimated at $60,000 for repairs (giving about a 20 year life) or $120,000 for a complete new one. His preferred option is to demolish the the Jetty as it removes a potential liability claim, however, he recognises that there is community consideration and if we want to keep the jetty the local community would have to find a proportion of the cost. He also said that his budget is extremely limited and tends to be allocated to removal rather than new construction. He gave a list of about 6 other Governement Agencies that can be approached who have funds for building and maitaining infrastructure, and it will be up to us to approach those organisations directly.

Councillor Reade Smith who represents Mt Eliza on the Mornington Peninsula Shire also added his support to the retention of this community asset - in fact he personally hand delivered about 250 leaflets - thank you Reade.

Tracey Limpens from the Shire also said that the Shire could assist in making application to the various departments mentioned by Mike Behnke - she said that is where the Shire gets much of its funding for similar projects. There could also be other ways the Shire could assist and we will have some discussions with her and Reade in the near future.

The jetty was closed for public access on 24 June, 2004.

2004-06-18T16:22:00.000+09:30

News this week that this scene may never be repeated. Walking out on Davey's Bay Pier to jump in for a bay surf. Despite a protest meeting scheduled for tomorrow, it's likely that the pier will be condemned and pulled down.

2004-06-13T12:54:00.000+09:30

Got an email this week from a guy seeking permission to use the aerial shots of Point Leo on the hoax coast page for his research paper into the lines of swell around Point Leo, particularly how and why Pines breaks like it does. Hopefully he can solve the problem of where First Reef went at the same time!

2004-06-09T19:45:00.000+09:30

cold water stories: walking back from a cold surf after a big swell, and a big high tide and lots of strands of sea-weed crusted rope along the shore from the mussel floats offshore. The water is somehow sandy, messed up, discoloured looking green but really glassy too. A milky kind of seaweed texture like those pictures of early Ranch with the Californian kelp beds, but the seaweed here is tiny, dark particles we call 'tea leaves'.

2004-06-09T19:42:00.000+09:30

warm water stories: we're out in the morning and a flock of birds diving and scrambling for fish are offshore and slowly moving closer in. Suddenly, the water is full of silvery fish and fins, and tiny inch long dark fish, then actual hand-sized silver fish are jumping out of the warm water and the birds are diving into the sea all around us.

2004-06-09T19:37:00.000+09:30

warm water stories: three days of surfing fun beach breaks in May in boardshorts. All the waves are rights basically, maybe the swell is coming from down south a little and angling across the banks, but whatever, it's fun even if two of us are goofies, and the right had a quick and makeable end section that has been good every morning.

But it's day three, our last surf up there, and JC says 'I wouldn't mind a left'; as we've had NONE in three days, not one, just surfing these fun rights.

A minute later, maybe 90 seconds, from out of nowhere, a wave peaks up from beyond the bank in deep water, the first left we've seen for three days. I'm inside suddenly, but I don't even turn on it, he called for it, and somehow it came!

2004-06-08T19:47:00.000+09:30

'Surfing is the spiritual aesthetic of the liberated self. I've picked out the surfer as my symbol, a surfer right at that point moving along constantly right at the edge of the tube, that position is the metaphor of life to me'

Timothy Leary (quoted in ASL 190 - July 2004)

2004-06-07T20:05:00.000+09:30

The new issue of ASL is the best one I've seen for a while (July 2004) It's a SOUL issue and there's some good quotes and some good writing by Nick Carroll on just what soul might be, if anything, nowadays. I'll add some quotes as I skip through it, but it sure connected with me more than any of the big-wave tow-in stuff that most magazines have been piling on lately.

Surfing Life

2004-06-05T14:21:00.000+09:30

Walking around to a little point this afternoon a couple of white-faced herons foraging in the tea leaf seaweed washed up in the big swells and the big tides in the last couple of days.

I walk up to them and at some indefinable stage they take fright and fly ahead; maybe fifty metres or so, then waiting again, and watching as I approach, then flying ahead again.

At some stage, they decide to fly behind me, back to their feeding ground maybe, and I walk round to the point alone.

White Faced Heron Fact Sheet

2004-06-01T19:30:00.000+09:30

From the HarperCollins site:

MP: The Life Of Michael Peterson
Author: Sean Doherty
Book Format: Trade Paperback
No. of Pages: 304 pages
Number of illustrations:
Running Time:
Height & Width: 23.5cm x 15.7cm
ISBN: 0732276098
Price (Aust RRP): $29.95
Publication Date: 5 March 2004

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The untold story of Australian surfing's cult hero...

Michael Peterson, or MP as he is commonly known, ruled the surfing scene throughout the early to mid-1970s.

Despite Michael’s brilliant success he was, unbeknownst to all, facing a tougher opponent than anything he'd ever encounter in the surf. What many dismissed as introverted weirdness was, in fact, the early signs of paranoid schizophrenia, and Michael’s battle with this disease would ultimately put an end to his flourishing career.

As completely as he had dominated, MP disappeared from the surfing landscape, and now, after so many years of obscurity, he tells what is truly Australian surfing's great untold story.

MP: The Life of Michael Peterson covers everything from Peterson's early life with an abusive stepfather, to his celebrated victories in numerous surfing competitions, to his descent into the drug scene, his imprisonment and subsequent institutionalisation.

With a foreword written by former surfing world champion and MP's lifelong friend Peter Townend, and tributes written by surfing legends Kelly Slater, Rabbit Bartholomew, Nat Young and Barton Lynch among others, this is the only authorised biography of MP, as told to Tracks magazine's editor, Sean Doherty.

2004-06-01T19:23:00.000+09:30

Just finished reading Sean Doherty's book 'MP', a biography of the great surfer Michael Peterson and his rise to fame and subsequent illness. It's a great story; sad and sobering. If someone had of asked me in 1972 who my hero was, I would have had no doubt that it was MP

I remember that early TRACKS cover of Michael in his new Rip Curl steamer after winning the Australian Titles. He was cool. I recommend this book highly.

Michael Peterson - from Surfline.com

2004-06-01T19:17:00.000+09:30

Michael Peterson - from the surfline site.

2004-06-01T19:13:00.000+09:30

Gold Coast Beach Breaks this week; you could probably surf fast and loose in board shorts on a day like this!

2004-05-22T16:28:00.000+09:30

This is the HOAX COAST page today; I'll post a screen shot occasionally when things change a lot.

2004-05-22T16:20:00.000+09:30

Okay, I'm not going to harp on it after this, but the frustrating thing was watching the surf on the internet at work during the week, with the swell PUMPING, and to see it drifting away to nothingness today. (sobs)

Okay, I'm over it now.

2004-05-22T15:59:00.000+09:30

Some of the ways:

this surf is glassy
this surf looks warm
this surf looks fun
this surf was in a mythical past when everything seemed better
this surf was over 1'
this surf didn't require a 4/3 steamer and booties
this surfer feels loose and flexible (see above)
etc.

2004-05-22T15:42:00.000+09:30

Just trying out the new feature of blogspot, using a thing called Hello to send picture. Tis picture is different from my surf today in so many ways it's not funny!

2004-05-22T14:35:00.000+09:30

Had a lame, cold, over-full, one foot surf with 10 guys this afternoon which was so sad. I got one wave that felt like a wave should, and the others all I could do was stand there looking out to sea, hoping for something better. Not too cold in the water, but I wore my booties for the first time this season.

2004-05-16T19:06:00.000+09:30

A couple of degrees cooler in the water since I last had a surf, but another beautiful day in Melbourne, and it was nice sitting out in the water this weekend in the Autumn sunshine. Not many good banks around, a bit back-washey with a high tide and a steep beach, but also a couple of peaky ones that came my way.

2004-04-24T19:04:00.000+09:30

The change has come; winter has set in. On Friday the cool change blew through and the weather man confidently asserted that we wouldn't see a day as warm as this till next spring. Next day everything seemed different: gloomier and greyer. Almost time to dust out the 4/3

2004-04-14T17:08:00.000+09:30

Had one of THOSE surfs yesterday with some great fun beach break waves with my brother and an old mate in the Autuman sunshine. Wave after wave, a paddle-fest, a wave-fest, great fun, chatting in the sun, ducking through the bigger ones, getting some long lefts and a coffee in Sorrento afterwards. It doesn't get much better than that!

2004-04-03T14:26:00.000+09:30

Managed to catch the day AFTER a big swell that missed the first day of the Easter holidays by a whisker. It was nice to get a couple this morning, though. Cloudy, very calm, and some swell and lots of guys on to it early. There were a couple of good shots of Flynns on the PSC site this morning, so I added them to the Phillip Island section of the Hoax Coast page. (link below) It sure was nice to get a surf first day of the holidays to get into a bit of rhythm about it.

Phillip Island Shots

2004-03-28T10:48:00.000+09:30

Only a week till Easter holidays, and the chance to have a few surfs in a row. Weather still hanging in, with too many SE's but plenty of Autumn sunshine. Might head down to WILSONS PROM, where SE's are a good thing, and in-between swells are blessed.

Had a good little surf late last night, about 3' left handers, onshore but with a little bit of push.

2004-03-22T20:19:00.000+10:30

Had a great today, helping to run GIRLSURF, our annual schoolgirls team surfing competition. Nice little waves at First Reef, then around at Cruncy Point and great to see the girls getting into it and having fun. Newhaven College won (again) and Toorak was second. Some good quality surfing too in the final!

GIRLSURF HOME PAGE

2004-03-21T11:50:00.000+10:30

One of those (rareish) and frustrating days when you look at it, and look at it, and look at it, but don't surf it. I met a couple of mates around 11.00 AM and it was shallower than I thought, and choppier, and smaller, and there were a few guys on it. It being 2' choppy fat rights that were dropping sections like...

One guy there, with a long long board said to stop 'intellectualising it, and just get wet'; normally good advice. But there big lulls too.

In the end we all bailed on it. I SMS'd my brother who was home wondering and then I asked if anyone wanted to grab a coffee on the way home. No, they said, we hadn't earned it. So we were all home by lunchtime, ready to meet relations, play tennis or chop wood.

2004-03-14T17:00:00.000+10:30

Had some good waves down the West coast; beach breaks, mainly right-handers, but some shorter lefts, and a decent size too, getting slightly bigger over the weekend. It was nice to be camping, to walk across the road to the surf, and then have a cold water shower on the way back, and then a couple of beers afterwards.

2004-03-01T20:26:00.000+10:30

Heading down the west coast this weekend and with a pretty good forecast for the first couple of days of the long weekend, may even pack two boards to cover all contingencies!

2004-02-28T17:21:00.000+10:30

Two in a row with a great surf this morning out of nowhere really. A very light onshore and my brother and I headed down mid-morning to find empty banks, and good 4' lefts which were a bit short but with a great takeoff, and then a little bit to muck around with, and then cut back to the last little run-off. Great fun, clear water, no-one on the beach almost and we came in and swam in the rockpools for a while. The only hassle was the march-flies, which were unbelievable once you got out of the water!

2004-02-22T19:58:00.000+10:30

And another weekend with two surfs, after nicking down Friday night for a wind-blown instant crowd at Point Leo, with lots of students from school. Paddled out to Second Reef, but the tide was too low and the wind too strong. Got a couple of lefts at First Reef, and great to see the girls enjoying it, paddling hard and having fun.

Then yesterday, a bit of swell saw PINES at 4' with lots of waves up and down the coast, and a light onshore.

2004-02-15T18:58:00.000+10:30

Got that nice tired feeling in the shoulders from a couple of surfs over the weekend. Neither of them were particularly good: caching the tail-end of a bit of a swell in Western Port yesterday for some small clean point waves, and then enjoying the light onshore at Gunna today, nice to be wet after a boiling hot night. So, I can go back to work happy.

2004-02-10T20:32:00.000+10:30

The lousy summer continues, but I did get a small surf with my brother, he on his new board, which he did get going on a couple of waves which made him feel happier.

Meanwhile, have begun planning and working towards GIRLSURF, the school surfing event I help organise, and which takes an inordinate amount of time, and like all surfing events, is totally up to the nature of the surf on the day.

2004-02-01T19:25:00.000+10:30

The unseasonable season of southerlies continues. I rang a mate down the coast who lives near Gunna and he said to stay in bed and don't waste my time coming down. I still reckon there's some hot weather to come and maybe some good Gunna surfs yet this season...

2004-01-27T20:24:00.000+10:30

My brother reported back and said the new board went well in the couple of crumby surfs he got down the coast, but you've got to keep your back foot way back. I'm glad that it has worked out!

2004-01-26T08:30:00.000+10:30

When I moved the blog here yesterday, I noticed that all the old links were gone. C'est la vie! One that I think is the most useful though is the triggers site, with the cams. The link is below.

Trigger Brothers Surfboards

EARLY POSTINGS 2001-2003

2004-01-25T13:15:00.000+10:30

Friday, September 28, 2001
Just got back from a week away down the west coast, surfing beach breaks mainly, with my brother and some good fun too. Weather improving, putting the booties away, one day coming back from Apollo Bay we saw a whale offshore and watched it for a while, huge and just beyond the breaking waves. Then, three big groups of dolphins, over a hundred. Nice to be surfing in conditions like that!
posted by Warrick Wynne at Friday, September 28, 2001

Friday, September 21, 2001
Got the new American SURFER mag today, an oversized edition with a picture of a little kid on the cover, called Surfing Forever. On the cover it said: 'When do you plan to quit surfing? If you can't answer this - if the idea has never occurred to you - then you must stop and consider the implications: if you don't ever plan to quit surfing, this means you plan on...surfing forever'

It's a different kind of angle from the current issue of Tracks; the 31st birthday issue with a motley collection of 'fools, freaks, and frothers' with a picture os some guy with sparks coming out of his arse on the cover.

And that's the difference: the Americans think Australian surf magazines are teenage trash, catering for the masturbatory fantasties of young Oz males and pandering to the old lowest common denominator, treat em all like they've got no brains. And the Australians, when they think about it, think that the American mags are at best, well....romantic. They describe the surfer mag book 'Perfect Day' as 'as you might expect, coming from the States, it's lacked with a fair bit of surfing romanticism' Which do you want? Hard core slash and burn oz-ism? or the idea of the thing.

You can check Surfer Mag at Surfer Mag
posted by Warrick Wynne at Friday, September 21, 2001

Tuesday, September 18, 2001
Northerly today; someone out there's having some fun I bet. Technology meeting all day!
posted by Warrick Wynne at Tuesday, September 18, 2001

Saturday, September 15, 2001
After the horrific events in New York this week it was nice to get back into the cold water of Western Port Bay this morning with plenty of swell around (though I was told it was twice as big yesterday) and not too many guys surfing the bowl at Honeysuckle. It wasn't quite as cold as I expected and I took off my wetsuit helmet after a while and managed to get a few, though I've got to get surf fit again. Coming in I saw Mark McCabe and brother, ready for his first surf of the spring after having the winter off to go skiing.
posted by Warrick Wynne at Saturday, September 15, 2001

Sunday, September 09, 2001
and of course Sunday morning it's onshore; gone SW overnight and strong as well. Good morning for a walk along the beach.
posted by Warrick Wynne at Sunday, September 09, 2001

Saturday, September 08, 2001
and coming home around past Fisherman's Beach tonight, picking up Feeb from work, two guys surfing the bay; only a couple of foot but so nice to see the shapes of surfers paddling out into the waves, that looked quite clean surprisingly, though not quite big enough to tempt me out into the wild!
posted by Warrick Wynne at Saturday, September 08, 2001

Pretty strong northerly this Saturday morning and I checked out Mornington Pier early just to see the wind direction and strength;strong enough to blow spray across the pier and stop any keen fishermen from getting out there, but absolutely howling. The surf report from Triggers said it was about a metre at gunna and howling offshore so I rang Steve who said it was blowing a gale down there and he'd checked Snatches and it was very peaky and ridgey; I forgotten the exact word he used but I knew exactly what it was like from the one word I could visualise exacty what it was like. Decided not to go down with the forecast for gale force winds - around 40 knots going around more westerly later. Just after that Johnno rang, looking for a surf, a great surprise since I haven't had a surf with him for ages. Next weekend...
posted by Warrick Wynne at Saturday, September 08, 2001

Thinking about Surfing

I've started this as a an (easy??) way to share ongoing thoughts and reflections about surfing around here, here being the Mornington Peninsula area south of Melbourne Australia. Here, not being renowned for its fabulous surf, and me, not being renowned for being a fantabulous surfer, but more for me to think about and record some of the surfing and surfing related things that happen. We'll see how it goes.
posted by Warrick Wynne at Saturday, September 08, 2001

2004-01-25T12:41:00.000+10:30

Talked my brother into getting a Stubby, and he picked it up yesterday and took it down to the West Coast this weekend to try it out. However, I keep getting SMS messages saying the surf's crap down there, and he hasn't got it in the water yet.

2004-01-25T12:34:00.000+10:30

January 2004 Postings (before the blogger thing broke!)

TRACKS
posted by Warrick Wynne at Sunday, January 11, 2004

Checked out the latest TRACKS with the 100 Greatest surfers of all time. For the record the top 10 are:

1 Kelly Slater (no arguments there)
2 Occy (ditto)
3 Tom Curren (dunno, haven't seen him surf enough)
4. Tom Carroll (definitely; actual water-man)
5. Taj Burrow (okay, alarm bells ringing!! Taj Burrow is the 5th best surfer of all time???????? What the ??) Billabong surfer
6 Mark Richards (agree)
7 Mick Fanning (more alarm bells, louder this time! Mick Fanning is the 7th best surfer OF ALL TIME! I saw him surf at Bells and he's hot, and fast..but ALL TIME??? Or maybe he's the RIPCURL candidate; keep that Tracks advertising dollar nice and evenly!
8 Joel Parkinson (wow, how amazing! three of the best surfers OF ALL TIME are current Australian surfers, and not a World Championship between them!; surfing in Australia sure is in terrific shape!)
9. Andy Irons (no arguments)
10. MP (no arguments from a man who bought his first TRACKS mag in 1972!

But come on! Is this real? Consider some of the others down the track:

11 - Layne Beachley (fair call, heaps of world titles, she can surf)
12 - The DUKE - surely a top ten contender?
13 - LAIRD - fair enough, if you call that stuff surfing.
14 - RABBIT - good call - breaking down the door
15 - NAT - a little low?
16 - LOPEZ - fair enough, only really stood out at PIPE and maybe at INDO later.
20 - Wayne Lynch - Hoax Caosters like to see a VICCO there.
22 - Bruce Irons - ??
24 - RCJ - too high, for just a tow-in surfer?
25 - Cheyne Horan - too low?
27 - Micky Dora - way too low
46 - Terry Fitz - sultan of speed is rated too low, as are most of the people who didn't actually compete on the TOUR this year.
63 - Jeff Hackman - too low a ranking for Mr Sunset

It's all a bit of a game, so you can't take it all seriously, but some of it is too laughable to be even a game!

posted by Warrick Wynne at Sunday, January 11, 2004

Oh, and I meant to add this link to the PORTSEA CAM:

PORTSEA NOW!!
posted by Warrick Wynne at Sunday, January 11, 2004

Summer; time of the great south-easterlies and the dreaded 'in between swells', too big for the beach breaks unless you're into riding reforms (and they're not good for my ears!) and too small for the Western Port waves. So, each morning it's log on to the Coastal watch site and see what intrepid reporter Steve Robertson has to say about the East Coast, and look at some blurry shots of Portsea, which this morning is all being made up for the IRON MAN lifesaving competition.

I DID have a good surf the other day on a little reef break, so clean that the waves kinda pulled over the rocks like a little bubble and you could see the reef and the seaweek and the potholes and the lava rocks below as you flew along these little punch waves. That was fun.
posted by Warrick Wynne at Sunday, January 11, 2004