Latest Surfs...

[surf patrol]

Did someone get a left?

[Southsurfer]

A couple of cool lefts here, lets just say the waves were a lot better than my surfing

[oldmansurfer]

Nice retro fish twin fin

[surf patrol]

Nice empty lineup.

[Southsurfer]

Thanks, thats a friends board that i used to learn on (i know) but i like to borrow him from time to time. That spot is great because surfers who go very early go to one on the side of it which is wider and waves are better, the good thing of this one is that it always has the same quality of waves but more gentle since its narrower and because of that locals almost dont go there, so its a perfect spot to learn!

[drowningbitbybit]

Nice empty lineup.

On that note...
I went out at the point last night. I got there at about 3pm, and the surf was small but fantastic conditions, and the odd big set was coming through... but there was noone there!
One of the most popular spots on the Gold Coast, and there were about 5 people out

Usually there'd be 30+ on the point, no matter what day or time, plus the same or more in the bay. But, no, 5.

Wave after wave after wave after wave... none of them were lefts though

[oldmansurfer]

Two days of small waves at my usual sandbar break. I had a lot of practice doing speed turns and foam climbs to keep up with these little zipping waves. Small waves are the ones to do foam climbs on. It's just like turning on another part of the wave except when it is bigger then the foam gets bouncy. Today I managed to do a tail sliding cutback on a waist high wave with my 8 foot board a turn I learned to do on my 9'6" longboard. Fun but you all know I like bigger waves.

[CARBr6]

Managed to get out, first time since April!!
Made it up to Cromer on Saturday, some nice waves pushing in. Struggled at first but managed to catch a couple of steep ones that were driving pretty hard with the high tide. Fortunately the low tide waves were a lot calmer and a lot more forgiving and had a much better session in the early evening. Hopefully it'll only be weeks and not months between my next surfs.

[drowningbitbybit]

Another very small day on the Gold Coast! It's been about three weeks now since there was any size in it! But, looking on the bright side, there's consistently been something just about surfable and the conditions have been fantastic

Today was small and inconsistent, and a bit dumpy, but I had plenty of room and my pick of the waves that did come through. Got a couple of nice rights, and some very poor attempts at lefts that weren't really there

And had a few quite hairy wipeouts - its always the small waves isn't it?

[oldmansurfer]

Small days for me too maybe head high at takeoff. Yesterday was interesting bowl looking peaks all over the sandbar area I usually surf. Nothing too exciting but I did manage to do a cutback on one wave and a floater on another wave and a foam climb on another wave and a crouch down get in the closeout tube at the end of the wave and stand up when the wave covers me cutout. It was fun but today was smaller still some head high waves only one wave that I did a lot of turns on, it was like I was behind the break the whole way but keeping up by foam climbs. When I arrived today there was a kitesurfer with a hydrofoil board. Wish I arrived earlier to see him use it but he was packing it up.

[oldmansurfer]

Got to see the hydrofoil kite surfer today. I am going to guess that it wasn't windy enough for regular boards but the hydrofoil seemed to zip around pretty well. The waves were a little better today. Here is the foil guy

[oldmansurfer]

I pearled twice in the same day and worse yet on consecutive waves which were probably the two best waves I took off on today. I had a big laugh after the first one but so ashamed after the second one LOL but I am laughing at it now. the waves were overhead today YAY!

[drowningbitbybit]

I surfed for 3 straight hours yesterday in fairly large surf.
I shall not be surfing today. Pass the Deep Heat.

[oldmansurfer]

I surfed one day with a neighbor, young kid and he asked me if I liked growing up here which I did and I asked him the same and he said he loved it because he could surf every day if there were waves. He was riding a soft board and going through the waves that broke outside of him by paddling hard then standing before the whitewater hit. Then Sunday I went out to Horners and there were some nice waves but it was really inconsistent and I was always in the wrong place for the better waves. I did manage to do one turn off the lip that was fun. One of the peaks was breaking right and left so I dropped down went right and then hit the lip and came back down to the left and continued on left. Other than that I paddled a lot and got lots of exercise and caught a few waves not worth mentioning

[oldmansurfer]

The beach break I usually surf is becoming a peak fest. You paddle out and there are 4 or 5 peaks within striking range. But figuring out where to go in this mess of peaks is tricky. Some peaks are slow breaking and you have to be right in the right spot to take off. Some of the waves have a shifting peak and you paddle for the peak on to find you missed it because it shifted over 10 feet. What need to happen to groom the sand bar is a really big swell need to sweep it out. Yesterday I had a crowd at my break....4 other surfers. Three of them were women...oh well two women and a girl. It was a really fun day and I had lots of waves. Today I was playing tag with the peaks and the peaks were winning but I did catch a couple fun waves and even got to do a full cutback that went back into the whitewater.

[drowningbitbybit]

After a couple of flat weeks, some solid swell turned up today, with a good offshore breeze too

There were a few too many missed opportunities due to the 2 week's downtime and subsequent lack of fitness/balls, but still scored several good waves with some good walls and some cover-up lips.
All good.

[drowningbitbybit]

Absolute perfection out there today... but unfortunately, everybody - EVERYBODY - thought the same

I don't do crowds.

[oldmansurfer]

With the hurricane bearing down I thought there would be some big surf at my usual beach and there was but only at Horners which is a left. I didn't go out there yesterday because there were 4 or more guys out so I went to the sand bar middle area where I normally go and it was the usual fun small waves. Today Horners was bigger but breaking inconsistently all over the place so I went back to the sand bar area and had to paddle all the time to stay lined up because the current was so strong. Still it was fun. I hope the current was strong enough to groom the sand bar a bit. Horners when it's big like that is punishing if you get caught inside but later today I saw it had come down a bit and was in better form (I had already used up my allotted time for the surf.) I was the only guy out in the middle part both days.

[oldmansurfer]

2 days of small gutless waves the first with lots of waves and several other surfers including at least a couple females. Today just me and the turtle and a huge log. The waves were head high so I paddled right out through them to get some practice going through waves.

[oldmansurfer]

2 days surfing the left called Horners. Yesterday it was a little bigger maybe overhead to double over head and slightly larger. The swell was breaking inconsistently all over the place and I hadn't been out there in a while. I caught a nice wave on the inside (where we call the break Middle Horners) before going outside but outside it was about trying to figure out the lineup and trying to be in the right place at the right time. I was in the perfect spot at the right time for one wave but I didn't react quick enough. I should have been paddling before I realized I was in the right spot for it.... the wave was on me already to late to try to swing around and take off. This break really sucks water up the face and you have to paddle strongly to catch the wave. End result I caught a couple waves that weren't too exciting.

Today was another story. It's one of those days where the saying "It's better to be lucky than good" comes into play. I started out all by myself again outside Horners. It was similar sized just a little smaller so more friendly. The first wave I caught I knew I was in the right spot but there was a big crease or chop the entire height of the wave like the wave was two waves joined together so I took off at an angle because I didn't want to hit that chop. The wave was so steep my board was slipping sideways down the face but I somehow put my foot on the inside rail right before the wave crumbled on me covering most of me in whitewater temporarily but I popped out the whitewater and made a few turns. I really don't know how I managed to not wipeout on that wave. I caught another wave at that same peak and did the same thing, this time the whitewater didn't engulf me but I could feel it on my back as I dropped down the wave. I am pretty sure if someone was watching me both days they would think I was a different surfer. My neighbor paddled out to join me and mentioned he liked those waves.

Even more lucky I had used up my time so had to catch a wave in but nothing was coming to the peak I was lined up to so I went to the next one over and managed to get into a fairly good sized wave that had already broke and I made a few turns then there was a steep section I went to the top in that area and got hung up while it got steeper below made the drop straight down and cranked what I am sure was an awesome backside bottom turn then into a couple more turns and right where I cut out was another smaller wave immediately so I caught it then made a few turns and kicked out right next to the rock. Horners has a bunch of rocks that sticks out of the water and I was really near to it but it turns out I could have just kept going but I cut out already before I saw the rock. However right there was another wave this is the break we call Middle Horners and I took off and rode it well to the outside of the break we call Inside Horners. I was starting to paddle in but another wave came I rode that one and actually did a backside speed turn and made it through a long steep section. I don't think since I restarted surfing that I have done a powerful effective backside speed turn like that one.... well maybe once before.

Anyway I figure if someone saw me they would mistakenly think I know how to surf. And if they saw this overweight out of shape old man on the beach they would never think it was him out there. Just can't beat being lucky.