Chopes Starts - Taj Out

Round one and a chunk of round two were done last night and this morning in contestable surf.. Round two has been a bit of a horror for the top seed in each heat with most going down for a 33rd.

Taj lost to local wildcard. The heat was close but Manoa got minutely higher scores to win.




Check out heats on demand for the action and Jordy's huge round one one footed air.

New Swell

Bit of a glass off and new pulse of swell in the water this afternoon. The swell was quite small but ever now and then a big one came through. Unfortunately the lack of a decent bank meant that most of the waves just shrunk and dumped in the shorie.

Tried to get a wave at Juniors. It looked smaller than it really was (although it wasn't big) but with a fair old current pushing north and a couple of decent rips to add to a lowish tide. Spent all my time paddling to try and get into position for the odd one that looked like it may hold up. Generally the waves peaked but rolled onto the shallow bank to crash.

Because it looked different from the beach I had decided to try out the old Bruce Montgomery 80's thruster that I had recently "restored". At 6'0" x 19" it was at least 10 inches shorter than anything I had ridden in the last ten years. Last time I had a board that small I was considerably younger, considerably fitter and a hell of a lot lighter. Needless to say I sank when sitting on it and struggled to catch any waves at all. Even when I though I got one I tended to just fall off the back. Might keep it in the shed for a clean summer day and try again.

Before

After

No surf

No surf here and no surf in Tahiti

Chopes not much chop

Still no action at the Billabong Pro. With no backup venue the event is relying on a very distant call from Surfline of a small swell in a couple of days.

Chopes has become another Munkuda is the last few years. After a couple of big scary events there has been little swell and one event finished after the waiting period. Like Spain, there always seems to be great waves for the trials and after everyone goes home. Even a change of dates hasn't helped.

Luke Egan also has to weigh up the effect that a poor result in inconsistent waves could do to those on the elimination bubble before calling it on.

Flat

Again !!!!!!!

Lay Day

Small and inconsistent waves have resulted in a lay day on day one of the Billabong Pro. Some good heats on paper in round 1 but as it is non-elimination so most will be under whelming. The American websites are talking up Slater v AI v wildcard in heat 10.

Current world number one Jordy is in a hard heat against goofy CJ Hopgood and local Manoa Drollet (who always get a little local push in the scoring). Taj has Tiago Pires and a wildcard while Mick has last event runner up Adam Melling and a local wildcard. With Tahiti 18 hours behind not a lot worth getting up in the middle of the night for in this round.

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS
Heat 1: Damien Hobgood (USA), Kekoa Bacalso (HAW), Jay Thompson (AUS)
Heat 2: Jadson Andre (BRA), Luke Stedman (AUS), Nate Yeomans (USA)
Heat 3: Bobby Martinez (USA), Jeremy Flores (FRA), Marco Polo (BRA)
Heat 4: Dane Reynolds (USA), Tom Whitaker (AUS), Blake Thornton (AUS)
Heat 5: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Roy Powers (HAW), Tim Reyes (USA)
Heat 6: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Kieren Perrow (AUS), Joan Duru (FRA)
Heat 7: Mick Fanning (AUS), Adam Melling (AUS), Tamaroa McComb (PYF)
Heat 8: Jordy Smith (ZAF), C.J. Hobgood (USA), Manoa Drollet (PYF)
Heat 9: Taj Burrow (AUS), Tiago Pires (PRT), Tuamata Puhetini (PYF)
Heat 10: Kelly Slater (USA), Andy Irons (HAW), Heiarii Williams (PYF)
Heat 11: Adrian Buchan (AUS), Dusty Payne (HAW), Drew Courtney (AUS)
Heat 12: Owen Wright (AUS), Brett Simpson (USA), Neco Padaratz (BRA)
Heat 13: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Matt Wilkinson (AUS), Tanner Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 14: Michel Bourez (PYF), Dean Morrison (AUS), Mick Campbell (AUS)
Heat 15: Taylor Knox (USA), Luke Munro (AUS), Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 16: Chris Davidson (AUS), Patrick Gudauskas (USA), Ben Dunn (AUS)

Billabong Pro Chopes tomorrow

The Billabong Pro Tahiti starts tomorrow. There is a webcast and Fuel TV is showing it live but it is always at a weird time of the night.

There was some big swell for the trials and a few big wipeouts.

The event has been a bit of a bust over the last few years and because it is a barrel only can be a little boring and throw up an upset here and there. Goofies are usually succesful but naturals can use a bit of backhand flare. Expect lots of people to get smashed as everyone has to get impossibly deep to get decent scores.

Taj and Slater have done well here. Jordy hasn't and it has been a bit of a vodoo place for Mick until last year when he did a lot of pre event work. Parko is out probably until Hawaii with his fin gash. Apparently he hasn't even be able to walk on it yet.

This is the last chance for the lower end of the World Tour to get enough points to remain on tour. At the end the tour will be cut from 45 to 32 for the rest of the year. No big names in danger, only those who haven't made it out of the second round.

This is what a big swell looks like

Ry Craike at Tombstones

Tombstones 2010 from Tom Jennings on Vimeo.

All hype ???

Plenty of swell but not massive. The harbour buoy showed a quick jump in size and period but has started to level and drop. The wind was from the south early and has picked up and turned onshore.

As usual when there is a decent swell to follow the Naturaliste buoy (and almost all of the others) have dropped out so it is hard to tell how much swell is around but it was hardly massively epic.

Lets see what Tuesday brings.

Still coming

The big swell is still coming. The Bureau of Meterology has forecast the swell to jump from 1.5 to 3 overnight and to hit 5 metres tomorrow. It isn't showing on any of the swell buoys yet. ALl of the other forecast sites and the WIN news are calling the swell too. However thats not to surprising since they all tend to use the same data.

There is a sniff of a follow up swell on Tuesday but with some ify winds. It will probably be too big for Bunbury and to south for Capel but Binningup may be the go.

We'll see if it actually turns up first.

Swell Hype

Coastalwatch is hyping up a massive 40'+ ocean swell that is likely to hit us on Sunday. The weather forecast is for a mostly sunny day with SSE winds so it could be one of those massive clean days down south that are great to watch but not great to surf.

Black is up to 40' !!!

Stormsurf has the swell tracking from deep in the Antarctic and brushing past the south west corner

Wax up the gun !

Still the pick

Light winds and BP Groyne is still the pick. The swell has dropped right off but there is still the odd fat corner out of the rip. Lots of closeouts and the wally ones are short and difficult but it is nice to get wet.

Groyne

BP Groyne was  the pick again today with a smaller swell but strong cross wind. Probably one out of every twenty held up but one is better than none.

Waves

BP Groyne is throwing up the only decent waves locally. Gradually people are hearing about the odd tube in between the close outs and it was starting to get crowded when I left.

Be careful

The news has reported that a surfer has been attacked and killed by a shark off South Point this morning. It is always sad when this happens and brings back how many things can go wrong when you enter the water, not just sharks and other things that bite and sting but the fact that we can't breath underwater and that our (and others) boards are full on sharp parts.

There have been a few stories floating around of sharks in Bunbury and Capel over the last few weeks and with winter's choc milk water you need to be extra alert.

Be safe.

Skunked

Was doing the visit the parents thing today so stopped in at one of my all haunts and a favourite, 4th Groyne in Mandurah. The wind was stronger than Bunno and with a lot of north in it and the swell was too small to really make it work.

As I was hanging and there was only two body board groms and their Mum out I decided to get wet and see if I could fluke one of the little sets that were coming through occasionally. What I didn't see was the two wave hogs suiting up in the other carpark. 4th Groyne has been taken over by body boarders in the last few years and as anyone who has had to deal with them knows they don't know the rules about sharing, waiting your turn and snaking. The take off for body boarders can be way inside and in front of the groyne as they don't have to deal with the taking off in the super sucky part or ripping the fins off on the exposed rocks. This left me battling the rip and the current to try to get a position where I could jag one.

However one guy decided to sit way, way deep and take all the sets (and go straight), the other sat outside me until it looked like a wave was coming then he paddled around and inside. I put up with it for a while and decided that I was dropping in if I could get into position, which was super difficult with the wash off the groyne. When the Mandurah Catholic College came out for the PE lesson and basically formed a fence on the inside I gave it up as a bad joke. Cold, wet, pissed and without even one wave to my name.

Get home about 3 and check BP Groyne. The swell has dropped and the wind is light and swinging more offshore every minute. The rip looks kind of strong but there is an odd wave. However by the time I scooted home for a dry wetsuit three guys showed they had the same idea. None could seem to stay in the right spot and none of them made a take off in the time I watched before deciding I wasn't getting skuned twice in a day.

Lot of north in the wind and forecast for some rain and a strong south westerly in the next few days.

Sunday

A few waves around today with light winds. People seemed to be getting the odd fat one in between close outs here are there but nothing to write home about.

Looks like similar conditions over the next few day as late last week but things change.

Shark Stories

With some shark sightings localy in the last few weeks (might be connected to the whales ??) this footage from the US will just add to your paranoia. Apparently the camerman was shadowed by a shark the day before so decided to take his SUP and a camera on a pole and see if he could find the shark again. Turns out he did and another for good measure, both white pointers. I'd rather not know what is below me.


Me my Shark and I from Chuck Patterson on Vimeo.

Snapper Rocks !

The BP Groyne became Snapper Rocks with this take off resulting in a neatly broken surfboard.

Plenty of swell around with offshore winds first up this morning. BP Groyne was throwing some nice barrels between closeouts.

The Back Beach was pretty busy with as mix of body boarders and surfers getting the odd corner here and there. I saw one body boarder lock into a nice long tube and emerge clean.

There were still the odd places away from the crowd for the patient. There was only one at the Clam and a small sprinkling at a dumping Bay.

The wind swung southerly quickly but didn't mess it up too much at the start. Could be okay tomorrow.

East Coast

The east coast had waves today. Not the east coast of Australia like last week but the east coast of WA. With a decent sized swell there is surf on the Dunsborough side of Cape Naturaliste. But with the lack of fronts so far this year and a mixed up swell direction it wasn't top quality.

The swell was inconsistent and with enough size to get the shortboarders (well a collection of fish, mid lengths and normal boards) out. Crowds weren't that big but with the long lulls and strange take off spots it didn't take much.

There were people out everywhere to Castle Rock. Even spots that weren't usually surfed were being tried. I surfed the Rocky Point boat ramp on the mal. One guy at Eagle Bay was getting the odd head height take off. PK wasn't that great and there was a few out off Meelup point.

Could be better tomorrow at some of the northern spots when the wind goes more south west and the swell sorts its self out. Or it could go flat.

School Daze

Pretty wintery weather today with a NNW wind. There are a few surfers here and there taking on some inconsistent peaks here and there.

The Grammar kids are out at the groyne, although the kids seem to want to stay on the beach while the teacher surfs. Out on his mal he caught a couple of screamers and even got a backwash coverup. Makes me wonder about me board choice yesterday.

Desperado

I realised this morning that I hadn't actually surfed on a surfboard for over a month which lead me to surfing this.

BP Groyne with a strong north easterly wind. Looked like some small wedges in the lee of the groyne. However as usual when there is north in the water the waves seem to peak everywhere except where you are sitting. After five waves on the Dhufish twinnie it was too cold to be bothered any more.

There is meant to be a front coming over the next few days. Maybe it will bring some waves but the winds are looking to be a bit weird in direction.

Whale World

Another whale just off the beach south of Hungry Hollow but the worst surfing year in memory continues.

Today is sunny, offshore with swell and a highish tide but the waves are crap locally. By this time of the year BP reef should be firing, the Clam should be breaking way out and there should be beachies stretching from Dallyelup to the Bay. Instead we have the swell rolling in unhindered to close out on the beach.

I suppose I could drive south but I don't have all day to waste.

Roll on 2011.

Surf report from the way back

Bells was cranking this morning. One digit air temperature and a wind that cuts right through you but what we would think of a classic Bells conditions.

Probably 30 out at Bells but spread out across a few peaks. No drop ins and the waves were overhead and a bit.

Winkipop was also firing. The crowd was about 15 but the take off zone was smaller and there were a few burnings here and there. The waves were a consistent head height but with the odd steamer coming through unridden every now and then. It is a great looking wave.

Looks like there have been some decent conditions locally but does that mean waves ? I'll be back Friday with two more weeks of holidays so it should either be flat, onshore or both !

Surf Report

from further along.

Day started cold and got colder. The swell had dropped overnight at Apollo Bay and by the time we reached had breakie and left it was howling onshore.

Apollo Bay

Spending the night in Torquay before heading back to Melbourne. Will hopefully get to see a firing Bells before I go.

Surf Report

From the Great Ocean Road.

Bells was big and blowing onshore at a million miles an hour. It was freezing so it is no surprise that there was no one out. Regardless of the mush you could see the potential.

Checked out SurfWorld Museum in Torquay. Nice but not overly packed with stuff. It was probably because I knew most of what they were talking about that kept my trip short but if your a newbie or think Kelly Slater is the oldest surfer in the world then it is worthwhile. There was a cabinet full of surfing books and bit and pieces. I had about a quarter of them in my house somewhere.

The only place there were any surfers out was at Lorne in some nice clean conditions inside the bay. The waves were pretty small and it was pissing down with rain.

Staying at Apollo Bay about half way along the Road. The Great Ocean Road is the windiest road I have ever driven on and it was wet and slippery. Good job I was driving an Audi A4 hire car and it drove like it was on suction caps.

It would be nice if the wind drops but I'm not holding my breath.