Surfing in Sydney

[nightwing]

Hi,

I'm wondering, do you guys need to wear wetsuits when surfing in the summer in Sydney? How about in the fall? I heard the water might still be cold even in summer?
How about sharks? Are there plenty of them? I'm thinking about going to Bondi. I'm from the Philippines, so I surf all year long wearing boardies only.

I'm planning to visit a friend in Sydney maybe next year.

Any tip would be appreciated. Thanks.

[drowningbitbybit]

Good grief, there's a lot of it about today

I'm wondering, do you guys need to wear wetsuits when surfing in the summer in Sydney? How about in the fall? I heard the water might still be cold even in summer?
How about sharks? Are there plenty of them? I'm thinking about going to Bondi. I'm from the Philippines, so I surf all year long wearing boardies only.

We're just coming into spring and Im in my 2mm shortie already
Boardshorts will be making an appearance in a week or two.

Water never really gets cold (unless you're Jimi) but the air temp makes a wettie a necessity in winter.

Not seen a shark yet - so far they've all turned out to be dolphins

Bondi will be... "educational" from a crowd point of view

[crepuscular]

lol, already started surfing in boardies 2 weeks ago...

yes, it was freezing eventhough the temperature was 30ish ;p


from late spring to early autumn, the water will start warming up around 10~11am, unless it's a cold day

Not seen a shark yet - so far they've all turned out to be dolphins

Bondi will be... "educational" from a crowd point of view

hahahah~ we do get sharks, but they tend to be small sharks, and there's chopper patroling the waters almost everyday during the peak season

[nightwing]

Good grief, there's a lot of it about today

I'm wondering, do you guys need to wear wetsuits when surfing in the summer in Sydney? How about in the fall? I heard the water might still be cold even in summer?
How about sharks? Are there plenty of them? I'm thinking about going to Bondi. I'm from the Philippines, so I surf all year long wearing boardies only.

We're just coming into spring and Im in my 2mm shortie already
Boardshorts will be making an appearance in a week or two.

Water never really gets cold (unless you're Jimi) but the air temp makes a wettie a necessity in winter.

Not seen a shark yet - so far they've all turned out to be dolphins

Bondi will be... "educational" from a crowd point of view

Cool. Educational, you mean the waves are for beginners? Thanks for the tips. I'm not sure if I want to surf in wetsuits, which I haven't really tried.

I'm still trying to work out some details, hopefully I get to see Australia for the first time.

If dolphins are present, sharks won't be around, or if they are, they won't attack you. Dolphins are deterrent to sharks.

Anybody here tried surfing both in Cloud9 in Siargao/Samar and in Bondi? I'm wondering how the waves are in comparison.

[Jimi]

Cool. Educational, you mean the waves are for beginners? Thanks for the tips. I'm not sure if I want to surf in wetsuits, which I haven't really tried.

By educational, he means that you'll learn about how many people will fit onto a single break and fight for the waves!

Oh, yeh, Sydney water is always cold. I wear a steamer all year round! Especially mid summer when the water is only 24C... brrrr freezing

Seriously though, from january to march, it's boardshorts and rashie weather. Beyond that, and you should think about a wettie of some sort.

[Thibb]

Don't go to Bondi. The risk of getting attacked by a drunk pom or a mad kiwi is much higher than the risk of getting attacked by a shark elsewhere.

Seriously though, the waves in Bondi are not too dependable in summer. It gets small, very small. Flat sometimes. Half of the beach is a no-go zone for surfers. The other half is crammed full of learners and swimmers who risk their lives in between the flying mals.

It's an acquired taste.

[crepuscular]

Don't go to Bondi. The risk of getting attacked by a drunk pom or a mad kiwi is much higher than the risk of getting attacked by a shark elsewhere.

Seriously though, the waves in Bondi are not too dependable in summer. It gets small, very small. Flat sometimes. Half of the beach is a no-go zone for surfers. The other half is crammed full of learners and swimmers who risk their lives in between the flying mals.

It's an acquired taste.

That's where Tamarama comes in

[Spiney]

Tamarama ? I will certainly go there on summer weekends when Bondi becomes too crowded, but isn't the beach too small to handle crowds ?

[drowningbitbybit]

Tamarama ? I will certainly go there on summer weekends when Bondi becomes too crowded, but isn't the beach too small to handle crowds ?

You have noooo idea
If tamarama is working, it'll be even more packed than Bondi (much smaller take off zone). Summer weekends on the city beaches (but dont you just love that phrase?) are just insane. Get in there if you're happy with crowds and not worried about fighting for your spot in the line-up, but otherwise forget it. Get yourself a cheap car and travel a bit. You dont have to go very far and you can surf on your own

Pre-work dawnies are a good bet too - although even then the crowds can be a bit of a shock

[drowningbitbybit]

Hmmm... I see a SurfingWaves Sydney meet coming on

[Spiney]

You have noooo idea
If tamarama is working, it'll be even more packed than Bondi (much smaller take off zone). Summer weekends on the city beaches (but dont you just love that phrase?) are just insane. Get in there if you're happy with crowds and not worried about fighting for your spot in the line-up, but otherwise forget it. Get yourself a cheap car and travel a bit. You dont have to go very far and you can surf on your own

Pre-work dawnies are a good bet too - although even then the crowds can be a bit of a shock

To be really honest I don't have a car, nor do I have the money to rent one on weekends. It might change in a few weeks, but until then I'm stuck in Sydney, all I can do is travel by train and bus to surrounding beaches, but I will do that if we finally get more that 1ft waves on weekends... But don't get me wrong : I DO hate fighting for waves, and I'd rather get a sloppy wave by myself than fight with 30 guys for a better wave

Pre-work dawnies are my thing, I'm in the water as much as I can and I can confirm : it is really crowded.

[nightwing]

Wow. I never realized it could get that crowded. Here in the Philippines(except for Siargao) we get to surf just 5 of us the whole afternoon. It's not even considered by locals as a "secret spot".

Are there are a lot of boards for rent near the bondi area? I won't be bringing my board because I think it might be too expensive.

If I don't get to surf, I can probably do a lot of other stuff in Sydney.

[drowningbitbybit]

Are there are a lot of boards for rent near the bondi area?

Not as many as you'd imagine, but there are some. Manly also has some rental shops. If you're staying for more than a couple of weeks, you could easily buy a cheap second hand one, and then sell it for the same money a few weeks later.

If I don't get to surf, I can probably do a lot of other stuff in Sydney.

Oh, dont be silly. You're coming to Sydney, you have to surf.

[nightwing]

Are there are a lot of boards for rent near the bondi area?

Not as many as you'd imagine, but there are some. Manly also has some rental shops. If you're staying for more than a couple of weeks, you could easily buy a cheap second hand one, and then sell it for the same money a few weeks later.

If I don't get to surf, I can probably do a lot of other stuff in Sydney.

Oh, dont be silly. You're coming to Sydney, you have to surf.

I'm not sure how long I'm staying. Probably 2 weeks. I'm not too worried though if I don't get to surf on my short stay. I'm planning to apply for migration, so, I think I can get all the surf in Australia if I'm succesful. Hehe. If not, New Zealand might be an option.

[Jimi]

Don't talk to dbbb about that - he came over for a holiday, and the surf was good... He moved here, and it's been a flat spell ever since!

[drowningbitbybit]

Don't talk to dbbb about that - he came over for a holiday, and the surf was good... He moved here, and it's been a flat spell ever since!

But even in a "flat" spell, there's still waves... you've not seen a flat spell until you've seen an english summer

[nightwing]

Hahahaha. How flat? Will a long board work?

Now I'm having problems with my travel plans. Probably caused by too much excitement. Hahahaha.

[Jimi]

yeh, a long board will work for sure! I've only had a couple of days where it's actually impossible to surf. Normally there's a wave somewhere that's rideable!

[Aloha]

Don't talk to dbbb about that - he came over for a holiday, and the surf was good... He moved here, and it's been a flat spell ever since!

Oh that's who's to blame?!!! I thought it was my last Indo trip that used up all my good wave karma. I've a feeling this summer is going to be a shocker, I've got a new board on order and that will definitely guarantee an extended flat spell.......

Oh and people do get attacked when dolphins are around it's happened a few times recently, what do you think likes to eats dolphins?

Sydney has the top 3 sharks to deal with, Great Whites in the Winter, Tiger sharks in the summer and Bull sharks in the harbour and estuaries all year round. chomp chomp chomp

As you are a warm water person, and live in a warm climate, I can pretty much guarantee that you'll need to wear some sort of rubber all year around. Get a spring suit, much warmer than a vest, you can pick one up for $80 at some surf shops.

[nightwing]

Thanks aloha! I'll keep that in mind.