2 Months in Sydney

[FLSurf]

Hello,

I am planning to do an International Engineering Internship through my University for June and July in Sydney, Australia. Before I go, I wanted to get some information on surf spots and travel. I believe I will be staying on the north end of Sydney, across the bay. I will be working four days a week (Monday-Thurday). I am an intermediate surfer from East Florida. I have ridden waves up to 8ft and have surfed in Puerto Rico a couple times as well. I prefer rights, and I don't have much experience with riding barrels (but I want to learn ). I am 5'10 155lbs. I understand it gets kinda chilly at that time, so Ill bring my 3/2 suit and booties in case.

Here are a few questions I was wondering about:

1. Where to surf?
Looks like Manly is the closest option, but i would like some more options. I don't really like crowds, but I know it gets busy over there. Is it still pretty packed in Winter? What are the waves generally like in June/July, steep & barreling, or slower & mushy?

2. Transportation
I wont have a car, so how can I get to the beach with a board that is not too expensive? I have Fri-Sun off, so I would be interested in traveling to some more secluded spots if I can find a good way to travel.

3. Boards
Should I bring my boards? I ride a 5'10 quad fish here, but It doesn't work well with steep waves. I also have 2 short boards (5'11 super thin, & 6'4 thick&buoyant). Not sure if I should bring two boards or just buy a cheap used one when I get there? I will be there two months, so I think renting is out of the options.

4. Entertainment
What are some cool things to do nearby, other than the usual tourist spots?


Thank you very much for the advice.

[jaffa1949]

Fl welcome to Australia , you will have fun and nothing too daunting, north of th HARBOUR , not bay ( remember that) the Bay is Botany Bay , from Manly north there 23 main beaches often with more than one break per beach.
I am assuming since you are an Fl you come from Florida ?
Lots of beach breaks and points and reef breaks with different swell outlooks.
Manly is surf city no matter what the season and can be crowded, but the beach is long and there will be less crowded banks. A 3/2 wettie should suffice, booties optional.
Transport without a car will be difficult but depending if you are based say at Manly then the long stretch accommodates a lot of different options on the one beach.
Optimum right hander capable of size Fairy Bower, take your point break a game! the crowd there is very capable.
Other than Queenscliffe bommie another big beast, the beaches can throw surfable wave the well overhead.
The drive to the north along the northern beaches will show you why this zone has generated more world champions than any other stretch of coast in the world, each beach has both a hot crew and the range between aspiring to outright beginners.
There are no trains on the northern beaches ,only bus services! You'll need to find a motorized surfing friend ASAP.
Two hours north or south of Sydney there beaches just as good but somewhat less crowded,
If you get a little specific about the suburb where you'll live I can help mor.
BTW Sydney has a population of over 4 million and one of the biggest urban areas in the world.
It is divided against transport by the Harbour and deep ravines so everything is a bit circuitous .
Ask more, more advise can given.
Last bit you can pick up a board similar to those you had at home second hand ride and on sell should be easy to get one cheaply ( a quality board).
Come and enjoy yourself

[FLSurf]

Hey, thanks a lot for the information! It looks like I will be staying in North Sydney, pretty close to Pacific Hwy and Berry St. Is there a bus nearby that would take me up to Manly with a surfboard?

I was looking at flights, and some of them allow board bags for free. If so, would it be wise to bring my fish and one other board (if it fits)? Are there nearby breaks that a fish would work well with? I'm just worried I wont be able to get a board there or sell it before I have to leave (for a decent price). What size board would work best with the conditions? I am 5'10 155lbs, and intermediate.

Thank you

[dtc]

If you go to the NSW Transport website http://www.transportnsw.info/ you can plug in the details and it comes up with your transport options. It looks like there is a bus from Crows Nest (about 1km away) to Manly; plus various other options. But it takes 45min+ The most direct route (with a car) will take about 20min give or take traffic (mostly give, it being sydney - perhaps think 1/2 hr at least as the main road - Military Rd - is notoriously clogged). So its not a hop over the road for a quick surf; but perhaps something to do on a spare day.

There is also the train into the city and from there you can get a ferry over to Manly. Will take about the same time if you get a fast ferry.

The northern beaches, which start at Manly (and head north) are not the best in terms of public transport, and what there is tends to head mostly to the city rather than north sydney.

Manly can get very crowded, mainly outside of work hours (so 7am is the busiest time of the day). If you went over mid morning, between 9-12, then there wont be too many people there (unless its school holidays). Weekends, however, get busy again most of the day. That said, during the cooler months, the crowds do drop off.

In terms of waves, its mostly beach waves as Jaffa said, plus a few point waves. Probably the waves are pretty similar to California but will be steeper than Florida (as I understand Floridian waves). Waves vary from flat to perhaps 1.5overhead, depending on the swell (sometimes bigger but rare). Mostly in the 1-4ft (knee to overhead) range. A fish should be fine, they are fairly common. Indeed, at Manly you will have everything from 12ft SUPs to quite a few longboards to fishes to short boarders to annoying 10yr old grommets showing you how its done, all on the same wave. With skill levels ranging from world class to Swedish backpacker.

If you want to suss out boards in Australia, check out gumtree.com.au. This is like craig's list and where all the backpackers list their boards. But if you can bring your own board over for nothing, then bring it.

Also as Jaffa said, at least once during your trip hire a car, get out of the city and head north or south for a few hours and experience almost total isolation.

[FLSurf]

Thank you dtc, that website was very helpful. I hope I can find some buddies to surf with when I get there. It would be nice to have a safe place to leave my stuff when i'm in the water. I would like to surf further away from the city, but Manly should do at first.

I'm still working on getting the flights set up. Ill plan on bringing my boards if it works out.

I'll keep you updated when I get more information about my trip. Thanks again.

[dtc]

Thank you dtc, that website was very helpful. I hope I can find some buddies to surf with when I get there. It would be nice to have a safe place to leave my stuff when i'm in the water.

Are you going through an Aust university? They might have a surf club. Otherwise ask around your work, no doubt someone will surf.

I dont know about other's experiences, but I've never had anything stolen from a beach. Of course, I dont take any money or valuables down, but I guess if you are travelling you will need some cash. But in general people leave stuff all over the place and its usually safe.

However, I dont surf at Manly, so who knows!

I understand, in good news, that there are lockers somewhere around Manly, in some odd places (eg the Manly internet cafe has them), so you can hunt them down.

Keep in mind that Australian money is waterproof, so you can have the money on you when surfing (along with credit card etc). Clothes and random house keys etc probably arent a high risk target. I would only worry if you were taking a phone or camera. Then again, having to catch the bus home in your wetsuit because someone stole your clothes might not be much fun.

[jaffa1949]

These guys offer board storage so may be of use to you!
http://www.manlysurfguide.com/site/EXTRAS.html
Good luck Manly is a long beach so there may be a sand bank there for you!!

[surfstrengthcoach]

hey FLsurf, I'm originally from FL. I"m currently living in manly. give me a shout when you get over here. we'll go for a wave