Onshore

Did a run down south this morning in spite of yesterday's shark warnings.

The swell was that in between size that made it difficult to find the right place and the sea breeze came in by 7.30.

My mate and I tried a bank to the north of Supertubes because it was empty and looked ok from the carpark. It did have a little potential but was to inconsistent and the inside shallow, rocky and full of sea weed. We did catch a couple of mainly close outs and my mate got slammed shoulder first into hidden rock before the wind made it unsurfable.

The wind has set in but isn't sure if it wants to be a southerly or a south westerly. Either way there might be a wind wave locally this afternoon and I'm sure the kite boarders will be out there.

0.35 @ 12 with seas 0.58 and winds southerly 15 - 20 kph.

Good news/bad news

Been a while since I've had a good news/bad news day which I think is kind of good news.

Good news - went down south with a mate.

Bad news - strong wind warning - southerlies

Good news - buckets of swell and the wind is offshore and just right

Bad news - none for this bit

Good news - Smiths is cranking. The beachies, the reef and supers are all throwing up more than fun waves. The reef is even tubing. The sun is out and the water crystal clear.

Bad news - none here either

Good news - chose one of my favourite places, a series of banks between the reef and Supers. The big ones are closing out but the in between ones look good.

Bad news - my back, which was getting better, chose today to seize up. No paddling power and whenever I try to stand I'm so stiff I can't get my feet underneath me.

Good news - I'll just go in and take a picture or two on my new camera

Bad news - camera stops working. I assume that was because the battery wasn't really charged but when I get home I find its because the camera is full of water !!!!!!!!

Bad news - the SD card has died

Good news - dried out and wait long enough and the SD card starts working again

Good news - came home, had a great lunch at Happy Wife with my happy wife and then a great little hand plane session at Juniors. Got some nice rides, little cover ups and one left that wouldn't quit.

All in all more good news than bad.

If you are looking for a wave there is a few out of the rip at Juniors but although the wind is swinging more south it should stay ok for the rest of the day.

0.51 @ 11

ISD Part Two

It was still yesterday in the northern hemisphere when four of us braved the cold and headed south this morning. That means it was actually International Surfing Day still (somewhere).

It was ****ing freezing, starting at 2 degrees when we left Bunbury and not hitting double figures until mid-morning. There was plenty of swell but the wind needed to settle a bit, well that was our excuse to get a coffee at van at the bottom of Yallingup hill and procrastinate for a few minutes so the sun start its job.

We drank watching big Rabbit Hill and from the top look out could here Jay Davies board snap after his huge air. We saw him in the carpark a few minutes later and realised it was the second one he had broken already that session.

Smiths was our wave of choice and over the morning we weren't alone. The crowd was big but manageable with lot of girls ripping and some freaks.

There were basically four spots to surf, Supers, the reef and two banks on the beachies. The beachie was probably the pick but each had its moments. Plenty of wall, plenty of power and some clean pits.

When we came home BP looked like it had been ok as well. The onshore was in but light and there are some weird and shallow banks around. A few hours later the LAGO was looking very nice and there were a few getting amongst it.

Tomorrow looks ok as well, once it warms up !!!

Mushy

Mushy onshore conditions by the time I got to the beach. A few out at Yalls and Rabbits but they were just paddling and getting cleaned up.

Smiths was cleaner but the swell was a bit small for it to any good.

Weekends

Down in Dunsborough for work over the next few days. The conditions are not great with strengthening southerlies but some swell.

There were a few out at Rabbits battling the rip. Smiths had a crowd on the beachies. Inji had some little wave and a group getting cleaner longer rides at the Point.

Nothing was worth writing home about.

Days off

Got a couple of mid week days off as I'm working the weekend. Emailed a few friends with view to heading south. As usual people started dropping out here and there until it was just two of us.

Conditions were nice. The swell was pretty small (around 1.4 on the buoy) and the offshore was howling but after checking three spots we decided on a beach break just north of Supertubes.

The waves were only about 1 - 2 foot but super clean and wally. Even at that size there was plenty of push.

The warning of a washed up whale carcass bringing sharks kept us watching and the super clear water had every piece of weed looking like a creature.

It took me a while to get some rhythm, missing a lot of waves and getting stuck behind the section but my friend was surfing better than I had seen before. We swapped board and he pulled off a couple of big slashes on my short and loser dhu-fish.

The only negatives were having to leave with waves still pumping in, ending up with a swollen elbow from a rail collision and sunburn.

Did I mention that we were the only ones out ?

Elsewhere there were plenty of winter banks hanging around. The stretch from Rabbits past Shallows had a number of peaks and quite a few surfers. Mitchell Rocks may not have been throwing up the Cyclone Biancca wedge but there were one or two peaks. They did look a bit frustrating as the surfers tried to decide to wait out the back or inside for the suckier and more consistent one.

Hot and offshore over the next few days. It doesn't look like there will be much swell but you can always be surprised.

Sun and southerlies

Finally some sun, even if it did make the morning freezing cold (1.7 at 6.00 am). The swell has dropped to around three metres and the wind have swung into the south.

Went down south on the off chance that PK would be working but it wasn't. The swell was wrapping in as far a Rocky Point but I was disappointed again. I have got to that age where I surf the waves that will be the funnest not the best and often decide to go to a place because that is the type of wave I want to surf and go away dry if that place isn't on despite waves elsewhere.

The trip across the hill to Yallingup revealed double overhead conditions with only a five guys out (and a whale). The wind was cross shore and there were some decent walls to carve if you caught the right one. One guy caught a long, long left and ended up coming in at Rabbits because that was closer than coming into the reef.

Smiths had some nice conditions and a few people dotted amongst the beach break. It looked like the people shooting the Tim Winton film were out at Supertubes. There were a couple of jet skis but not much action.

Day 3 - 27th December 2010

Unbelievably flat. The harbour buoy was showing six centimetres and the Naturaliste buoy was only 0.6. I can't remember it ever being that flat. The wind was lighter with a touch of north in the east.

I had to work and drive to Augusta and back. It was flat everywhere, including the easy to get to swell magnets. The only waves I saw were in Augusta. They were onshore, dribbly and about gut height but after the last few weeks I was spewing I didn't have a mal with me.

Marges was dead flat. I have never been there when there have been no waves at all. The river mouth looked like Bunbury, Smith light Diamond pool and Yallingup suitable for water skiing only.

This afternoon the wind was a  little onshore southerly but it hasn't brought up the swell.

Home and away

Quick note as I'm at work. Too a trip with some work mate south today to match up with the predicted three metre swell.

Yalls was clean but not that big. There were a couple out at the Bubble including a mal. Scoot around to Smiths and it doesn't look that nice although it is offshore with a bit of swell.

Decide to check Inji. There is a wave but the tide is a bit high. Three guys out but with others waxing up in the carpark. The Point was just too far away !

Back to Smiths and the reef was an almost exclusively lay down area. A group of body boarders were sharing some super clean suck pits. They were all very polite and shared it amongst everyone (including one of us). A couple of shortboarders went out here and there but couldn't take off deep enough to really get full benefit from the waves.

It was too sucky for me so I chose a little hand plane session on the beachie.

Sausage roll and a doughnut from Tass Bakery in Dunsborough, a check of the free boards at Yahoo and it was home for lunch and work. Well that was the plan until we stopped at Capel Cut just in case.

With a couple of guys packing up in the carpark and the odd little runner coming through the two of us who didn't go out at Smith hit it on a fishy shapes. It was a little inconsistent and hard work but both of us go a few little fun one on the inside reef.

Then it was work time but I'm not super enthused !

Down south

Stuck in Dunsborough since Monday arvo. Usually that would be a good thing but its Leavers week !

Tides still remain really low and there are some strange banks here and there. The wind has been howlling from the south/south west for the last two days and its a bit cold.

Inji has some small waves today, nothing that you would rave about but surfable. Smiths was less effected by the wind than other places and there was the odd wave here and there but it was crowded.

Looks like the weekend might warm up some maybe there will be something worth getting wet for back in Bunbury.

Big Yalls

Well middle size Yalls anyway. Yallingup this morning was a consistent head height and a half with the usual 8 foot sneaker set cleaning everyone up.

The waves were hard to catch and the crowd kept building over the morning. Isn't it strange that as the waves get bigger the crowd gets older and balder ? More proof that testosterone and baldness are connected.

Smith had swell but not much shape. Only one guy out and he was at Supers.

Closer to home there were some nice waves at the Capel Cut after you have gotten past the islands of weed. Only one guy out in the late morning and he was getting nice rights as quickly as he could paddle back out.

Conditions are still good. The winds are light but continuing to move more north.