Confession

I could have done the surf report at 8.00 am but didn't because I wanted an uncrowded surf a little later. First up the conditions were nice and there were little waves and some walls for the four guys out.

After breakfast and walking the dogs I took the slab for a bash. As my feet hit the sand the last guy left the water. The waves were very very inconsistent and the increasing full moon tide was killing it. If you were patient and lucky there were waves but by the time I left around 11 the majority were surging over the bank.

I have just checked and the wind has swung light onshore and with peak of the tide being at noon and 15 centimetres over the prediction the waves have stopped. Looks like that might be it for the next few days.

Glitter

The waves hung around for me to get wet after work. As soon as I paddled out everyone else caught one in.

The waves out of the rip at Juniors were clean and fun. No matter which way you went you ended on rocks but the lefts were best.

The swell hasn't really dropped much over the day and is still hovering about 0.5 metres. The forecast is for the swell to ease slowly over the weekend but there isn't much room for a drop locally.

If you can face the crowds get up early and run south. Coastalwatch reported 8 to 10' this morning.

Get one for me

Perfect conditions this morning - offshore winds, clear skies and some waves, just bring the steamer.

There is a nice consistent left at the southern end of Juniors and the less frequent runner off the reef and the beachies.

There's no one out first thing but I suspect that won't last long. I won't be one of the crowd because I'm off to work but it might still be ok when I finish.

Normally I would suggest heading south because it will be classic but with the Easter crowds I would think twice (unless you have a secret spot).

Surf : 2' consistent
Wind : SE
Swell : 0.62 @ 12
Quality : cold but clean
Desperation level : nil
Recommendation : get out there

Bells rolls on

Taj out, Slater double fist claiming and clean well overhead waves, Bells has been cranking again today. Both the blokes and the girls got through a bucket load of heats. There were some massive scores (and some little one - Taj). Jordy's superman air is a highlight.



Its worth going to the event site and watching a few heats.

RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 12.33 def. Yadin Nicol (AUS) 9.60
Heat 2: John John Florence (HAW) 13.97 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 9.63
Heat 3: Owen Wright (AUS) 13.77 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 7.17
Heat 4: Josh Kerr (AUS) 15.17 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 9.07
Heat 5: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 14.10 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 12.83
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) 17.00 def. Nic Muscroft (AUS) 16.30
Heat 7: Kai Otton (AUS) 11.83 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 6.54
Heat 8: Mick Fanning (AUS) 18.46 def. Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 15.20
Heat 9: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 16.70 def. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 15.60
Heat 10: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.43 def. Travis Logie (ZAF) 10.96
Heat 11: Brett Simpson (USA) 15.54 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 12.53
Heat 12: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 18.94 def. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 17.37

RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 4 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Owen Wright (AUS) 15.87, John John Florence (HAW) 15.00, Adriano de Souza (BRA) 14.93
Heat 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 18.50, Josh Kerr (AUS) 13.10, Jeremy Flores (FRA) 9.64
Heat 3: Mick Fanning (AUS) 18.20, C.J. Hobgood (USA) 10.83, Kai Otton (AUS) 10.33
Heat 4: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 17.27, Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.60, Brett Simpson (USA) 7.00

RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 5 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: John John Florence (HAW) vs. Jeremy Flores (FRA)
Heat 2: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Adriano de Souza (BRA)
Heat 3: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Brett Simpson (USA)
Heat 4: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. C.J. Hobgood (USA)

RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH QUARTERFINAL MATCH-UPS:
QF 1: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. TBD
QF 2: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. TBD
QF 3: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. TBD
QF 4: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. TBD

RIP CURL WOMEN’S PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Tyler Wright (AUS) 16.74, , Sarah Mason (NZL) 14.50, Laura Enever (AUS) 14.00
Heat 2: Malia Manuel (HAW) 18.30, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 17.50, Paige Hareb (NZL) 10.34
Heat 3: Carissa Moore (HAW) 17.94, , Coco Ho (HAW) 12.60, Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 5.86
Heat 4: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 15.90, Lakey Peterson (USA) 15.20, Courtney Conlogue (USA) 14.93

RIP CURL WOMEN’S PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 4 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Sarah Mason (NZL) vs. Paige Hareb (NZL)
Heat 2: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) vs. Laura Enever (AUS)
Heat 3: Coco Ho (HAW) vs. Courtney Conlogue (USA)
Heat 4: Lakey Peterson (USA) vs. Sofia Mulanovich (PER)

RIP CURL WOMEN’S PRO BELLS BEACH QUARTERFINAL MATCH-UPS:
QF 1: Tyler Wright (AUS) vs. TBD
QF 2: Malia Manuel (HAW) vs. TBD
QF 3: Carissa Moore (HAW) vs. TBD
QF 4: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) vs. TBD

Soon

The wind has swung and is almost offshore. There is a handful of guys out at Juniors for the late and some waves with potential.

Tomorrow looks ok with a dying swell and SE winds.

Surf : 2 foot plus
Wind : SSE
Swell : 0.71 at 12 seconds and fading
Quality : choc milk with a lot of water moving but ok
Desperation level : it's already to late by the time you read this
Recommendation : tomorrow

I don't want to go to work !

I just want to sit inside and watch Bells. Round one has finished and Taj is in the water in his second round heat. He has already racked up a high eight on his first wave in the first few minutes.

The waves are clean and offshore but can be a little difficult to surf. Which is the opposite of here where it is massive and onshore. The six metre swell is already showing on the Naturaliste Buoy and still rising. Locally its 1.19 which is massive for the channel.

There will be waves on the Dunsborough side of the cape and it will help set some banks. However with the recent shark attacks and sightings many people will be a bit reluctant to venture out.

It looks like a few have been out at the Wall over the last couple of days and I although I haven't looked myself I suspect that it might have been ok. It would depend a little on the sand.

Surf : Big
Swell : 1.19 at 15 seconds
Wind : howling WNW
Quality : zip
Desperation level : as big as the swell
Recommendation : watch Bells on FuelTV or go to work/school

Round one almost done

Round 1 of the women was run in some pretty clean waves at Bells and then the wind made for some crumbly waves for most of the mens round one.



Taj was the only real seed to lose. Julian Wilson and Yadin Nichol both lost as well but all will get a second chance round two.

A massive swell was forecast before the event and they are still expecting some size in the next couple of days.

RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.60, Kieren Perrow (AUS) 12.10, Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 11.17
Heat 2: Owen Wright (AUS) 17.93, Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 14.97, Bede Durbidge (AUS) 13.50
Heat 3: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 16.00, Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 8.67, Taylor Knox (USA) 4.17
Heat 4: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 17.27, Kai Otton (AUS) 12.23, Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 5: Nic Muscroft (AUS) 16.07, Kolohe Andino (USA) 14.06, Burrow (AUS) 11.10
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) 13.70, Brett Simpson (USA) 10.33, Davey Cathels (AUS) 9.77
Heat 7: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 13.10, Julian Wilson (AUS) 10.23, Yadin Nicol (AUS) 6.66
Heat 8: Mick Fanning (AUS) 14.76, Gabriel Medina (BRA) 12.10, Jadson Andre (BRA) 9.80
Heat 9: Travis Logie (ZAF) 10.93, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 10.90, Josh Kerr (AUS) 8.50

REMAININING RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 10: Michel Bourez (PYF), Damien Hobgood (USA), C.J. Hobgood (USA)
Heat 11: Alejo Muniz (BRA), John John Florence (HAW), Tiago Pires (PRT)
Heat 12: Heitor Alves (BRA), Miguel Pupo (BRA), Matt Wilkinson (AUS)

RIP CURL WOMEN’S PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Laura Enever (AUS) 15.00, Paige Hareb (NZL) 12.83, Rebecca Woods (AUS) 9.67
Heat 2: Tyler Wright (AUS) 12.77, Malia Manuel (HAW) 11.17, Jacqueline Silva (BRA) 8.30
Heat 3: Lakey Peterson (USA) 14.17, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 14.17, Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 12.90
Heat 4: Carissa Moore (AUS) 16.50, Pauline Ado (FRA) 10.43, Justine Dupont (FRA) 9.40
Heat 5: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 18.84, Coco Ho (HAW) 15.50, Sage Erickson (USA) 11.90
Heat 6: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.93, Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 14.17, Sarah Mason (NZL) 12.57

RIP CURL WOMEN’S PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Coco Ho (HAW) vs. Rebecca Woods (AUS)
Heat 2: Malia Manuel (HAW) vs. Jacqueline Silva (BRA)
Heat 3: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) vs. Nikki Van Dijk (AUS)
Heat 4: Sofia Mulanovich (PER) vs. Justine Dupont (FRA)
Heat 5: Paige Hareb (BRA) vs. Sage Erickson (USA)
Heat 6: Pauline Ado (FRA) vs. Sarah Mason (NZL)

Bells is on

Some nice clean conditions for round one of both the men and women. The girls are first and in the water now.

Changes

Seems like Autumn may have arrived. Yesterday was iffy and today has seen the first front of 2012.

It's howling onshore and messy but there is good size. There are a couple out at BP and another guy at Juniors.

The Juniors guy is getting some nice drops and a little sucky face before the wave flattens out. He pulled off a nice lip throw floater on a head height face just before I left.

I don't recommend that you bother, especially if you're not skilled. The water is messy and there are rips everywhere. With a bit of a surge the rocks that are normally on the waters edge are out a fair bit and hard to see until you hit them.

Size : solid head height sets
Wind : strong onshore WNW gusting to nearly 50 kph
Swell : 0.53 at 12 with seas 1.42
Desperation level : waterman
Recommendation : lounge chairs

Too late

Winds changed and while it's not strong it's enough to mess everything up.

The News media is reporting a fatal shark attack on a diver off Peppie beach. Details are sketchy about how far offshore or anything else.

Grom City

7.30 and already there are eight grooms clogging up the lineup. There is a little swell and the wind light. The waves are so so and there were a pile of people making a decision about whether to bother. I'm not at this stage.

Surf : 1 -2
Wind : variable and light but turning onshore at any time
Swell : 0.49 at 13 seconds
Quality : 6.32 out of 10
Desperation level : road rager
Recommendation : doesn't look good for the next week so go right now or don't bother

First fronts

The first cold fronts of 2012 should hit in the next few days.

There was a few out this afternoon sharing onshore waves. Nothing spectacular especially with the crowd numbers. I didn't bother, having gotten wet in minute conditions on Thursday.

Flat again

No waves and not looking that great short term. We never really got anything from the swell kick mid week so even though I got a handful on Thursday I still feel ripped off.

Come on Autumn bring some swell !

Waiting

Got a little surf this arvo after missing similar conditions yesterday.

The swell is small, has too much south and has a huge period between sets. The sets were the only rideable waves and there was a maximum of two per set. The time between sets felt like hours but was up to 15+ minutes. Blow it and it was a long wait.

The waves were short but fun and the water clean and still pretty warm

Swell : 0.35 @ 13 seconds
Size : 2 foot occasionally
Wind : South
Quality : fun but short
Desperation level : two flat weeks

Arhhhhhhh !!!!!!

The hinted at swell never arrived. In fact it has gotten smaller.

I'm over it !

Guess what

It's been flat for over a week now. The conditions, other than swell have been great but swell is the most important condition.

The long range forecast site shows a jump early next week, which will be good for the Margaret River Pro. Hopefully we'll get some in here.

As much as I'm wishing for the late season cyclones to drift south and pump us another northerly swell I'm not confident it will.

There might be a slight bump on the weekend but it is coming of 0.16 metres so needs some decent size to get waves moving. Fingers crossed.

Bookends

Saw the sun rise and set from the beach today. Sitting out the back you could look out to sea to a light golden surface or back at the beach and a full moon and pink water.

The swell and favourable winds have hung around all day although the tide is a bit iffy.

There was a bit of a crowd this afternoon but by 6.00 pm when I got there it was only me at Juniors and a couple on the reef.

There were some corners in between the closeouts. The bank is a bit suss and the takeoff was pretty shallow. There were some scary looking boils on each wave.

The swell hit 0.7 in the channel and 3 metres for a few hours at Naturaliste. But it's not meant to be around for long and the weekend looks hot and flat.

Watching brief

The predicted swell has started to show but the tide is way to low.

Worth waiting for a little while.

Surf : 2 foot-ish
Wind : turning SE
Swell : 0.64 @ 14 seconds
Quality : wobbly rock hopping closeouts
Desperation level : for the impatient
Recommendation : go south or wait a little

Taj wins

Taj has won the Quikie Pro in okay waves while Steph Gilmore won the Roxy

Taj snuck through in the final minute of his semi with Ace Buccan and then beat a consistently over scored Adriano DeSouza. Seems the ASP wants a Brazillian world champ ?

Lots of pros will be over for the Margaret River Masters before the next World Tour event at Bells at Easter.

Quik Pro on

Finals day for both Quiksilver events. The waves are small but very contestable.

Men's quarters started the day and both Slater and Parko are out. Taj is in the water at the moment and with less than three minutes to go he is down against Ace Buchan. He needs a big eight to win. And while I'm writing he's got it !

That means the semis are -
DeSouza v Kerr
Burrow v Smith

Women in the water. Some good finals coming up - Laura Enever vs Tyler Wright and Steph vs Sally will be killer.

Nearly

Nearly enough swell to get wet and nearly a low enough tide. But nearly isn't good enough.

Size : nearly 1 foot
Wind : offshore
Swell : 0.35 @ nearly 14
Desperation : good imagination
Recommendation : watch the Quik Pro

More Iggy

Two new videos from Cyclone Iggy courtesy of elsegoodproductions.com. Jay Davies and Taj get shacked in waves that are only slightly smaller than Bianca but way more gnarly.

iggy storm from Elsegoodproductions.com on Vimeo.

sneaky peaks from Elsegoodproductions.com on Vimeo.

Round three

Round three of the blokes and Mick Fanning is out. So too is John Florence but generally the top seed won each heat. That means TB through but Yadin out.

Round four is non-elimination.

QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 2 RESULTS:
HEAT 1: Owen Wright (AUS) 14.90 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 14.50
HEAT 2: Josh Kerr (AUS) 15.50 def. Kieren Perrow (AUS) 14.90
HEAT 3: Adriano De Souza (BRA) 14.07 def. Kolohe Andino (USA) 12.74
HEAT 4: Michel Bourez (PYF) 14.36 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 10.83
HEAT 5: Heitor Alves (BRA) 15.07 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 12.84
HEAT 6: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.36 def. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 12.40
HEAT 7: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 13.50 def. Yadin Nicol (AUS) 12.27
HEAT 8: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 12.67 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. 11.17
HEAT 9: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.83 def. Raoni Monterio (BRA) 12.20
HEAT 10: Julian Wilson (AUS) 18.57 def. Adam Melling (AUS) 15.63
HEAT 11: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 16.03 def. John John Florence (HAW) 13.60
HEAT 12: Taj Burrow (AUS) 14.20 def. Travis Logie (AUS) 13.16

UPCOMING QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 4 MATCH-UPS:
HEAT 1: Owen Wright (AUS), Josh Kerr (AUS), Adriano De Souza (BRA)
HEAT 2: Michel Bourez (PYF), Heitor Alves (BRA), Kelly Slater (USA)
HEAT 3: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Miguel Pupo (BRA), Jordy Smith (ZAF)
HEAT 4: Julian Wilson (AUS), Adrian Buchan (AUS) Taj Burrow (AUS)

ROXY PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 3 RESULTS:
HEAT 1: Tyler Wright (AUS) 16.20, Sarah Mason (NZL) 12.80, Silvana Lima (BRA) 9.63
HEAT 2: Laura Enever (AUS) 16.83, Paige Hareb (NZL) 14.07, Carissa Moore (HAW) 13.57
HEAT 3: Malia Manuel (HAW) 14.53, Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 12.90, Courtney Conlogue (USA) 10.64

Pre-dawn

Nice morning. Offshore and mid tide but not really enough swell. There is the odd little one if you are really really patient. The swell is meant to be fading.

Surf : 1 foot mac
Wind : SE
Swell : fix the buoy
Quality : 5+
Recommendation : work

Round two

Is done. Nothing really remarkable. No Hopgoods left but that's about it.

Taj takes on Travis Logie, who has been a bit of a nemesis in the past. Yadin has a tough heat against Parko.

QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 2 RESULTS:
HEAT 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 16.36 def. Garrett Parkes (AUS) 6.43
HEAT 2: Taj Burrow (AUS) 18.10 def. Dane Reynolds (USA) 16.06
HEAT 3: Yadin Nicol (AUS) 13.13 def. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 12.53
HEAT 4: Julian Wilson (AUS) 14.06 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 13.73
HEAT 5: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 17.43 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 12.33
HEAT 6: Travis Logie (ZAF) 15.30 def. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 13.03
HEAT 7: Josh Kerr (AUS) 17.60 def. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 10.53
HEAT 8: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 15.86 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 10.33
HEAT 9: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 13.67 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 12.07
HEAT 10: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 14.00 def. CJ Hobgood (USA) 13.84
HEAT 11: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 13.53 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 10.73
HEAT 12: Kolohe Andino (USA) 14.33 def. Brett Simpson (USA) 13.87

UPCOMING QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS:
HEAT 1: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
HEAT 2: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS)
HEAT 3: Adriano De Souza (BRA) vs. Kolohe Andino (USA)
HEAT 4: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Bede Durbidge (AUS)
HEAT 5: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Heitor Alves (BRA)
HEAT 6: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW)
HEAT 7: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Yadin Nicol (AUS)
HEAT 8: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Miguel Pupo (BRA)
HEAT 9: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Raoni Monterio (BRA)
HEAT 10: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
HEAT 11: John John Florence (HAW) vs. Adrian Buchan (AUS)
HEAT 12: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Travis Logie (AUS)

Round two

Quikie Pro is running men's round two after finishing the same round in the women. Conditions are ok, a bit onshore but with enough long walls to get some big scores.

Taj and Yadin are both through to round three as is Julian Wilson.

Watch it on FuelTV or the net.

Too late

Onshore has come in and messed it up. Luckily I waited out the most feral of the crowd and got a couple of clean ones on the Kelvinator.

The board is a wave catcher and super fast. Unlike my other boards when you do get one it is short enough to short arc turn.

Glassy

Light offshore and glassy. The swell has dropped since yesterday but the crowd hasn't.

There is the odd wave off the reef and mostly close outs at Juniors. But catching them around the grom frothers will not be easy.

The south wester will be in sometime and stay all day.

Surf : big end of 1 foot
Swell : 3m+ at Naturaliste
Wind : offshore less than 10 kmh
Quality : mostly closeouts
Desperation : crowd control
Recommendation : up to you but don't wait

New season starts

The 2012 season started where it ended last year - with two surfers at opposite ends of their careers and ages smashing everyone in sight.

Both Slater and John Florence scored two nines in their heat wins in round one. Both mixed a deep barrel with a massive hack or figure eight cutback. Slater's first nine was his first wave of the ASP season and shows that 12 in 12 is only going to be stopped by him.

WA's veteran Taj Burrow and rookie Yadin Nichol both came second in their round one heats with respectable scores. The conditions were a bit hit and miss and whoever got the best wave was going to win. Taj will take on Dane "over-it" Reynolds and Yadin has Brazillian Gabe Medina.

The women also ran through round one. No real surprises in any of the heats.

Next call is 5.30 am our time tomorrow. It (like all of this years events) will be live on FuelTV as well as streamed on the net and either the ASP or Quiksilver apps.

QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 1 RESULTS:
HEAT 1: Adriano De Souza (BRA) 13.83, Taylor Knox (USA) 10.66, Kieren Perrow (AUS) 7.70
HEAT 2: Owen Wright (AUS) 12.37, Bede Durbidge (AUS) 12.34, Kai Otton (AUS) 10.37
HEAT 3: Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 11.63, Yadin Nicol (AUS) 10.37, Gabriel Medina (BRA) 9.60
HEAT 4: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 15.43, Taj Burrow (AUS) 11.43, Brett Simpson (USA) 11.27
HEAT 5: Adam Melling (AUS) 15.70, Joel Parkinson (AUS) 15.43, Dane Reynolds (USA) 14.90
HEAT 6: Kelly Slater (USA) 18.80, Garrett Parkes (AUS) 12.73, Kolohe Andino (USA) 10.60
HEAT 7: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 11.83, Julian Wilson (AUS) 11.83, Travis Logie (ZAF) 8.67
HEAT 8: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 12.00, Jordy Smith (ZAF) 11.96, Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 11.60
HEAT 9: Heitor Alves (BRA) 14.36, Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 14.17, Alejo Muniz (BRA) 10.87
HEAT 10: Michel Bourez (PYF) 12.77, Jeremy Flores (FRA) 11.67, Jadson Andre (BRA) 8.00
HEAT 11: Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.26, Josh Kerr (AUS) 13.67, CJ Hobgood (USA) 11.84
HEAT 12: John John Florence (HAW) 19.60, Damien Hobgood (USA) 16.50, Tiago Pires (PRT) 12.50

QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:
HEAT 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) VS. Garrett Parkes (AUS)
HEAT 2: Taj Burrow (AUS) VS. Dane Reynolds (USA)
HEAT 3: Gabriel Medina (BRA) VS. Yadin Nicol (AUS)
HEAT 4: Julian Wilson (AUS) VS. Kai Otton (AUS)
HEAT 5: Jordy Smith (ZAF) VS. Taylor Knox (USA)
HEAT 6: Alejo Muniz (BRA) VS. Travis Logie (ZAF)
HEAT 7: Josh Kerr (AUS) VS. Patrick Gudauskas (USA)
HEAT 8: Damien Hobgood (USA) VS. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
HEAT 9: Jeremy Flores (FRA) VS. Jadson Andre (BRA)
HEAT 10: Kieren Perrow (AUS) VS. CJ Hobgood (USA)
HEAT 11: Bede Durbidge (AUS) VS. Tiago Pires (PRT)
HEAT 12: Brett Simpson (USA) VS. Kolohe Andino (USA)

ROXY PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 1 RESULTS:
HEAT 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 10.24, Silvana Lima (BRA) 8.73, Courtney Conlogue (USA) 8.10
HEAT 2: Tyler Wright (AUS) 17.70, Lakey Peterson (USA) 12.26, Pauline Ado (FRA) 7.33
HEAT 3: Carissa Moore (HAW) 13.73, Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.33, Philippa Anderson (AUS) 11.33
HEAT 4: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 14.64, Paige Hareb (NZL) 10.10, Sarah Mason (NZL) 7.94
HEAT 5: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 14.33, Sage Erickson (USA) 13.70, Laura Enever (AUS) 6.40
HEAT 6: Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 12.73, Coco Ho (HAW) 12.13, Jacqueline Silva (BRA) 7.54

Crowds

Fair old crowd this morning. There was 15 at seven and there is more than twenty now.

There are two swells in the water, a short period wind swell and longer period ground swell. This means there are lots of waves coming in as twos.

The reef was good earlier and two goofies were ripping it up. Juniors has now taken the bulk of the crowd as the onshore starts to pick up.

It's pretty messy, very crowded and not that great. I didn't enjoy it but you might. Don't wait to long.

Kick

The swell has kicked up to over four metres on the Naturaliste buoy but the onshore has wrecked it all day.

The weather forecast for tomorrow isn't much better and Sunday is mostly iffy. Maybe Monday early if the swell hangs around.

Morning

A bit of fast moving but messy swell in the water this morning. Juniors is the "pick" at about 2 foot. The wind is from the south and strong enough to be messing things up. There are white caps on the horizon so it is here to stay.

If you want to get wet and are prepared paddle for lots but get few you will probably get a face or two. It's not good enough to waste a sickie on though.

Size : 1 - 2
Wind : southerly
Swell : who knows - the buoy is offline again
Quality : 6 out of 10 - sloppy
Desperation level : bored
Recommendation : don't give up something for this

Virgin

Finally got the Yahoo Kelvinator wet but only just.

There is a building swell showing this afternoon but the combination of the onshore winds and the sand from no waves for a few weeks made it unsurfable.

I tried in vain to find a corner but it was basically shore dumpers. I did get to my feet for nano seconds on three waves but that was it.

The forecast is for a swell building to three metres by strongish onshores as well. Naturaliste is already up to 2.5 and climbing. I can hear the wind and waves through my window but it's not sounding good.

Glimmer of hope for a Sunday LAGO.

Draining

The flat spell continues. No swell and no breeze to either make some or give some wind wave release. The swell buoy has been out of action for a few days but would be pretty straight lined.

There is a glimmer with the passing of a weak front tomorrow. The swell is meant to rise to 2.5 metres but the winds will be onshore. We'll just need to hold our breath and wait.

Some days

You just aren't destined to get wet.

There was new board surfable wind wave at Juniors and plenty of kiters. That's the positive before the conspiracy began.

First I get stuck a work when I should have been home. My wife is crook so I had to get some shopping, walk the dogs and cook tea. Tea could wait till after waves but the others needed to be done first.

Straight to the shops, grab the groceries and use the self service checkout. The most important thing when shopping is to have cash or a transaction card or a credit card. I opened my wallet to find none of these and remembered them on my bedside table.

Back home. Take the dogs to run amuck. My plan is to let them run themselves around till they are puffed, which shouldn't be long.

Instead they pissed off up the beach and wouldn't come back. When they did they disappeared up the other way. By the time I could grab them it was too late to go out.

So the Kelvinator remains unridden.

0.17 at 20 seconds, seas 0.76

Woof

Just back from taking my dogs for their morning walk and poop.

It's still flat. No swell at all.

The forecast is for a sea breeze but it doesn't look that good even for a wind wave. The next few days don't look much better.

Surf : flat
Wind : light
Swell : 0.28 @ 14
Desperation level : impossible to be this desperate
Recommendation : work or school

Waiting

Onshore dribble for the second day in a row. To make it worse I have a new board sitting in the garage waiting for its maiden voyage.

The Yahoo Kelvinator is a 6'4" x 23" x 3" quad. It has more foam and volume than my mini-mal and should be Taylor made for Bunbury.

This is my 10th Mark Ogram board and I have never been disappointed with either the way they ride or the quality. Yahoo surfboards are in Clarke Steet Dunsborough or check them on the net. Best boards in WA.

Slow Mo

Some new footage from some hi-tech slow mo cameras. The definition has you ignoring the surfing and watching individual drops of water.

DAY DREAMING from Rick Rifici on Vimeo.

More Surfing Videos

Sundays

Low tide and a small southerly swell in the water. No real waves but two groms out at Juniors anyway.

The forecast is for 3.5 metres but the direction is a little wrong. Currently its dipping to 0.35 at 15 seconds at buoy 10.

Gone

Now that I have a break to go surfing the swell had disappeared. It was there at 8.30 with the crowd and there at 11.00 with the two SUPs but it ain't there now.

The wind is strengthening from the south.

I'm a bit annoyed.

Winter

Cold and damp.

The swell has dropped but there are still a few waves around. There is a fair sized crowd for the consistency and most are sitting on the reef.

The wind is quite strong and with a lot of south in it. It's making the waves wobbly and the tide is a bit high.

If you didn't get any yesterday it's worth a paddle provided you can accept only getting one or two.

Size : 2' with the very odd bigger one
Wind : SSE
Swell : 0.49 @ 12
Quality : wobbly
Desperation level : can you handle a crowd of kooks ?
Recommendation : worth a paddle if you have nothing to do

Footage

A few pics from this afternoon. The swell has stuck around but the crowd really built up. I'm glad that I got it first thing to myself. The waves were about the same and the lulls as long but I only had to battle myself for the sets. There was plenty of drop in and the frustration level was high. The warm weather seemed to bring out a few kooks who didn't know the rules.

0.71 at 12 seconds

Still

Plenty of waves. The mysto BP right is firing as is Juniors and the reef.

Bit of a crowd though.

0.69 at 11

Cyclone swell ?

Glassy, light ESE winds and a decent north swell. What are you waiting for ?

I have just had the best Juniors of the summer so far with no one out. The swell is clean and wally. The only problem is the long, long wait between sets. At the top of the range the waves are chest height and driving across the reef to dump you on the southern rocks.

Size : up to 3 foot
Wind : ESE
Swell : 0.56 at 13 seconds
Desperation level : low - get out there
Recommendation : hit it

Rain

Quick bit of rain and a strong gust of wind about 9.00 pm. The harbour buoy is rising quickly and is over 0.4,although Naturaliste isn't going up that sharply. It looks like there is a fair whack of north in it so we might be getting it first. Some of the cloud is from Cyclone Iggy, which is heading down past Carnarvon, so maybe we'll get some swell on the weekend from it. The forecast is for showers, offshores and up to three metres of swell for tomorrow. I'm always disappointed when I hype myself up for waves but my blistered feet might keep me out of the water and guarantee waves for everyone else. Plus school is back - no groms.

Ouch !!!!!!!

Went to Dunsborough to look at a new board today. Mark "Hillzy" Hills at Yahoo Surfboards lent me a 6'4" Kelvinator to try out.

There is hardly any swell but I decided to try it out at very small Shallows. Normally I wouldn't have bothered but it was clear, offshore and empty and I wanted to try the board anyway.

It wasn't that hot but to my dismay the path down was firey black sand. I haven't lived further than a k from a beach for 30 years, must have gone to the beach thousands of time and been down that path 50. Until today I had never burnt my feet. The soles of my feet and most of my toes are covered in blisters. It's a bit off putting when you stand up and can feel the blistered skin squishing around in your wax.

Regardless the board went really well, especially as it was so tiny. The board is a thick slab and I'm planning to replace my 7'6" mini mal with it. It needs to be able to surf crappy Juniors and if it can catch waves today, it can catch them anywhere.

Needless to say I put in my order and hopefully it will be ready soon.

Locally it is flat, proper flat. The harbour buoy is at 0.17 and the wind is blowing any chances of swell towards South Africa. The forecast isn't looking great but the cyclone could change it. Don't expect a Bianca swell though.

No surf

There is still a little swell but no waves.

There might be a wind wave later.

Ok

A few little one move waves at Juniors. It is really nice in the water so if you've got nothing to do and just want to get wet then get out there.

Size : 1 foot
Wind : NE
Swell : 0.5 at 14
Quality : fun but short
Desperation level : cool off
Recommendation : go south but if you can't have a grom bash

Don't come down

I'm going to test the remaining swell in choppy sideshore, low tide conditions.

Stay home because there isn't many to go around !!!!!

Arvo

Still plenty of swell but massive lulls. When a set does come at least two of the three waves is a close out. BP Reef does have a few rideable ones.

A spy tells me that Yallingup was pretty huge. The Naturaliste buoy is showing 2.3 after maxing at three last night.

Size : big 2 foot
Wind : NNE
Swell : 0.58 at 14 - dropping from a mid day peak of 0.7
Quality : ok if you get the rare one with a wall
Desperation level : about 10 degrees cooler than it is
Recommendation : wag work and go south for an early

Windy

The wind and the swell are up but the quality is down. There are plenty of lines but with a lower tide and the strong offshore there isn't much in the rideable range. To top it off the sets are a long way apart.

Size : up to the top end of 2
Wind : strong SSE
Swell : 0.53 at 14 seconds
Quality : long waits and close outs
Desperation level : can't get down south
Recommendation : keep watching

Fooling

Don't be fooled by the crowd there aren't any waves. It is still hot and there is a little swell but it is too inconsistent to ride.

I settled for a hand plane session at Barnacles to cool down.

Size : coming every now and then
Quality : nice if they were consistent
Wind : SSE
Swell : 0.42 at 13 seconds
Desperation level : 34 degrees
Recommendation : swim or air con

Littl

There is a smidge of swell and nice conditions. I took the mal out to escape the heat and got about half a dozen inside runners. Nothing great but fun anyway.

The swell feels like it wants to come up but the wind is starting to swing.

Tried a couple on the handboard later and broke it ! The old glue and wrong clamps finally gave way. I have a new piece of wood, rescued from a wardrobe, waiting for version four.

Size : 1 foot set
Wind : SE
Swell : 0.37
Quality : ok
Desperation level : fun way to stay cool if your board is long
Recommendation : lunch time clean

Late blogging

Bit late but I have been busy.

There were a few wind waves this afternoon up to about chest height on the odd bigger one at Juniors. Some faces as it was a little full.

The kite boarders and windsurfers were out in force. Some of the kiters were getting some nice waves but the guy with the red kite needs to give the surfers more room. There was plenty of space to share but this guy kept coming within a couple of metres of surfers. He probably thought he wouldn't hit anybody but there was no room for error.

The forecast is for the swell to hit four metres tomorrow afternoon. It's going to be stinking hot as well.

Dark water

Grey and with the odd flash of lightning to the north. The wind is onshore and the swell non-existent.

Size : flat
Wind : side/onshore
Quality : zip
Harbour buoy : 0.21
Desperation level : building
Recommendation : stay away from tall metal things !

Its back

Finally the harbour buoy is back in service, even if it only showing 20 centimetres of swell.

Click here or on the link down the right side or on the weather/swell page.

Needless to say it was flat today, with the swell kick not really showing and some very high tides.

Sorry

Sorry if you went down the beach to check things out this morning. It was flat.

This afternoon wasn't any good either.

More dribble

But cleaner. Onshore mush-burgers again this afternoon and about the same size as yesterday. The wind was more westerly so the wave faces were a little cleaner.

Not great but I had some company for a change.

Size : knee to hip
Wind : SW
Quality : mush
Desperation level : up there
Recommendation : mini-mals

Dribble

The wind didn't pick up much and it had heaps of south in it. There was the smallest wind wave for the surf starved with big boards (me).

The forecast tomorrow is for a strong SW blow and a rise in swell to 2.5 metres.

Size : knee height
Wind : SSW
Desperation level : equal with mine
Recommendation : got wet but you didn't miss anything

Bumps

Light onshore and just a couple of really small bumps. I went for a swim at Juniors and two desperation dribbles came through in thirty odd minutes.

The forecast is for a SW change so there could be enough to break the absolute flat spell. Won't be good p, just better than nothing.

Swell : 1 footer every fifteen minutes
Wind : N
Desperation level : two week flat spell
Recommendation : watch and hope

Promises

I know I promised more surf reports but it has been flat and is getting flatter. There isn't any positive news on the horizon either.

Dolphins

Watching a pod of dolphins doing their best shark impressions at Barnacles.

Surf wise it is frustratingly small. The wind is light SSE but the waves are only thigh height. The lulls are huge and the ones that might be mal surfable are weird and crossed up.

Add to the low tide and I should have stayed in bed !

Size : 7"
Wind : light SSE
Quality : looks nice
Desperation level : fun day for learner when it warms up
Recommendation : bring the kids

Mushier

The wind has been in all day and there size is now big enough to surf. There is a lot of weed around.

It is really fluky and you could end up paddling a lot more than surfing.

Size : 2'
Wind : SW
Quality : onshore mush but rideable
Desperation level : bored
Recommendation : only if you don't have something better to do

Mushy

Small and mushy this morning. The wind is SSW and moderate with the swell only about a foot.

If you're really desperate you might get a wiggle but it is probably better to wait and see if it improves.

Size : 1 foot
Wind : SSW
Desperation level : high
Recommendation : watching brief

Moving

Currently moving house closer to the beach. I'm planning to increase the number of "surf reports" because BP is so close.

Today it is onshore mush. The cloud is starting to burn off but the wind is SSE and looks like it has settled in. If it warms up I suspect that some boogers on holidays will have a bash but it's got to get a lot better before grown ups hit it.

Recommendation : work

2012

On the eight day there were waves. Had a surf at Juniors this afternoon around three. It was a very small window between tides and winds but short fun rides anyway.

I surfed my mal and was able to grab a few. But I blew the best one by nose diving on takeoff. It was really inconsistent with long lulls but there is the start of a link between the reef and the beach.

It was grey and overcast and I was alone so the shark vibe was turned up a little. Funny how after this many sightings every bit of chop is shaped liked a dorsal fin !!!

Day Seven

Last chance to surf in 2011 and there is swell but no waves. There is a little pulse in the water but the tide and banks means its just surging and dumping.

Bit overcast and sharky as well.

Day 7 - 31/12/11
Waves : 9 inches
Wind : SSE
Quality : 1.2 out of 10

Day Six

Bit of thunder, dribble of rain and south winds. Nothing wave wise this morning but a few little peaks this afternoon. Two guys were tempted out at Juniors but it was way too small to ride.

Day Six 30/12/11
Waves : 8 inches
Wind : moderate southerly
Quality : 1.1 out of 10

Day Five

Just as flat and hot. The wind has moved to the north and by evening it has clouded over.

The forecast has gotten a little better but it isn't showing in the water.

Day four

Flat and hot. The end.

Day Three

Read days one and two but think smaller and not as windy.

Three more sharks were seen yesterday including one believed to be up to five metres long. Imagine Luc Longley standing on Luc Longley's shoulders and that's about the length.

Day Two - Part Two

The wind swung onshore this afternoon but not very strong. There was some chop but no waves.

Day Two - arvo
Waves - 7 inch wind chop
Wind - moderate SW
Quality - zip

Day Two

Still flat, not that it matters because the tide is so low. There is reef sticking up everywhere.

The pluses - there is just a trickle of swell and it's offshore, very offshore.

Day Two - 26/12/11
Waves : 6 inches
Wind : strong offshore
Quality : 0.9 out of 10

Seven waves in seven days 2011

For the past three years I have been documenting the last seven days of the year at BP/Juniors. This year I'm going to try and do the same.

Looking back we should get at least one clean small swell but the forecast isn't that great.

Today started as a dud. No Christmas swell or even an afternoon onshore bash. The wind was offshore all day swinging strong SSE late.

Day One - 25/12/11
Waves - less than 6 inches
Wind - SE turning SSE late
Quality - 0.5 out of 10

To see the previous year click the 7 waves in 7 days label on the right side of the page.

Merry Christmas

Hope you get what you want and spend time with those who you love.

Special shout to all those that have to work.

Andy Davis Holiday Animation from Billabong USA on Vimeo.

Eleven

Eleven seems to be the number this year. It's 2011, Slater won title number 11 and there were 11 sharks sighted in Bunbury yesterday.

Apparently the sharks were following a big ball of whitebait. They were in close and quite happy to strand themselves on the reef at Juniors for a feed. My source watched it happen and was on the water as shape after shape hit the pack.

And it wasn't just sharks. The dolphins were having a go as well. So much for dolphins scaring off sharks.

Hopefully they will all move on soon. If you are interested in a feed there is some good sized taylor chasing the bait as well.

This week

The Naturaliste buoy is back over a metre after the super flatness of last week. The chart looks like there is a massive spike but it's just that it got as low as 40 centimetres.

There was just the slightest wind wave yesterday afternoon but with silly beach closures it was empty. I'm not sure how closing the beach between the surf club and Hastie Street but leaving BP open makes sense.

Weatherzone.com.au through Swellnet.com.au predict a jump in size today for Marges but easing for the rest of the week.

Margaret River 5 Day Surf Forecast
Monday

New SW swell to 2-3ft, building further to 6-8ft during the a' noon. Light S to SSE winds with light S'ly seabreezes.

Tuesday

Easing SW swell with a morning peak to 6-8ft, easing during the day. Light SE winds with SSW'ly seabreezes.

Wednesday

SW swell to 3-4ft, easing during the day. Light WSW winds.

Thursday

SW swell to 2-3ft, easing during the day. Light SSE winds with mod S'ly seabreezes.

Friday

SW swell to 2-3ft, easing during the day. Light SSE winds with mod S'ly seabreezes.

Six sharks a swimming

PerthNow.com is reporting six sharks sighted by the surf life saving helicopter off Bunbury this morning. The helicopter attracted a bit of a crowd as it hovered over Noah's at Hungry Hollow, Mangles Street, the harbour and Dalyellup.

Add that to yesterday's story and there are fins everywhere. That's what happens when someone is looking, they see stuff !

Still flat

Another week almost over and still not even the smallest glimmer of a wave. The Naturaliste buoy was a massive 0.6 metres this morning, an very rare occurrence even in the middle of summer.

I have no confidence that there will be much of a turn around in the next few days although Coastalwatch is predicting a little pulse on Monday. Weatherzone is similar and has thrown up an all day onshore and maybe some rain tomorrow.

The only other thing of note in the last week was a report from a fisherman at Hungry Hollow that he caught a salmon (unusual) and then watched a 2 metre shark launch itself onto the reef. He thinks it was a bronze whaler. I'm sure there are always sharks around here so be careful. No weeing in your wetsuit !!!

Good call

Set my alarm for the early just in case the swell from yesterday afternoon formed into something. But after a quick check of the net I decided to stay in bed.

Still here

It's been a very busy few weeks. I have been away from home for most of the last three weeks and busy working or getting ready to move house when I am here.

Add that to the fact that it has been FLAT and the ASP events boring and in the middle of the night and you get no posting for a little while.

This afternoon there was the first inklings of a swell in the water. It had a very long period and was only showing spasmodically at a few places with the high tide. Nothing surfable around 5 but with a little potential. The Naturaliste buoy has jumped from just over a metre to three today but has started to drop. The period is over 14 seconds.

It's meant to be strong-ish SSE winds over the next couple of days so maybe there might be a wave. With just under a full moon the tide might be a bit funky.

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.

Taj wins

Taj Burrow has won the Reef Pro in very un-Hawaiian waves. This obviously gives him the lead in the Triple Crown.

The waiting period for the next event at Sunset starts tomorrow. Taj has done well here in the past as he has at Pipe so he must have a good shot at the crown.

Yesterday

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday was good and today is crap.

There doesn't look to be any swell and the wind is howling from the north. Your best chance for a desperation session is if there is a small sideways wind wave later.

And it's going to be hot.