Latest Surfs...

[oldmansurfer]

I forgot to mention the water was warmer than the air

[drowningbitbybit]

A wee bit bumpy and cross-shore winds this afternoon, but hey, it was monday...

Took the stumpy board out and stayed on the inside where it was a lot cleaner than the point. Fitness very poor after a month with very little surfing, but caught a few decent waves

AND... it felt really chilly in the water... which was 22ºC
Hard to believe that not so long ago I was surfing in 5mm rubber while it snowed!

[oldmansurfer]

sloppy small waves again but the wind was warmer almost as warm as the water. I surfed a shallow reef area in front of the river mouth. I got good exercise and caught some waves. Should be in good shape if a swell comes in next weekend

[drowningbitbybit]

The full Gold Coast Zoo this morning!

The surf was smallish and clean, but it was only really working on the points... so everybody - EVERYBODY - was at the points

Usually I can find a spot to surf on my own, but not today! On a mid-morning Tuesday for heaven's sake!

[jaffa1949]

Finally , out of the water for 14 weeks with Medial collateral ligament and medial meniscus damage, applying my own Chiropractic techniques and physiotherapy therabands, and Chinese liniments and self acupuncture..... I took myself out in an uncrowded 5ft bar surf , 7 out great conditions offshore rising tide.
Rock off and paddle to the break, noting paddle fitness quite a bit less than normal. So all about take off timing!
Will the knees hold the pop up and drop?
Had made a pact to treat first wave as if I had never been injured, FIXED or FAIL ultimatum .
Fairly promptly ideal take off and wave position, paddle on perfectly , knees unfold perfectly, lay over a good bottom turn , duck my head and tuck in quick lip slips over my head, headdip washes my bald head, brainwash and surge of happiness, back home in the green cathedral.

After six waves a wipeout or two from pushing the limit ,,pig dogging through some tight sections, top turns and cutbacks ok just a little less driven, particularly as I tired.
Happy , joy joy!

[dtc]

[oldmansurfer]

I went out to the break called Blackrock which is about 500 yards out. The conditions were awful other than the weather. I didn't really catch any waves worth mentioning except for the wave I caught after paddling back in. I still had enough paddle power after paddling over 1000 yards to catch a unbroken knee high wave which continued to not break for a while and then I rode in on the same wave with a young girl who was learning to surf. I didn't bother to tell her that by riding that wave with me had significance to the old Hawaiians. If a guy and a girl rode the same wave together long ago in Hawaii it meant they agreed to......date...... I was pretty sure she didn't subscribe to that tradition.

[Jester]

What she look like OMS??!

Went out for a third day in a row (Thank you bank holiday!!) It was lashing with rain, howling 40mph winds and onshore hahaha

Absolutely crazy as I nearly lost my footing just walking to the shore, thought what the hell though..stinging, whipping spray and rain in my eyes, messy peaks everywhere, got reasonably half way out back two or three times (there was no real out back as the waves were breaking as far out to see as visibility from the top of the hill would allow)

Loving how this board paddles and learning the duckdip, nothing to report though as only caught whitewater. Good for making me face up to a hostile crowd though!

[oldmansurfer]

The only thing I noticed was her huge smile and wide stance

[Jester]

Awww bless! Think that's why I like Carissa too..you can't beat a girl with a huge warm smile

[oldmansurfer]

I love watching newbies surf. So much joy in riding a small wave to the shore.

[Jester]

And THAT is basically what it's all about!!

[IanCaio]

To compensate friday's shameful session, I had some nice sessions saturday and sunday!
I think my wetsuit is too tight, my lower parts went through a rough day, until I decided I would rather surf in the cold than not being able to surf because my balls were hurting . Also realized I got 3 times more tired (just guessing a number here) while wearing a wetsuit, which can be a result of it being too tight or maybe it is normal.

Saturday I had some nice waves, I'm getting close to learning to snap, I think I'm halfway there but I need some more power and consistence, but it feels like it's coming you know? Rode some nice waves, tired myself so hard I even had cramps on my forearm (mostly because of the wetsuit holding my movements, so I took it off the last time I hit the water that day).

Sunday, the weather was a little cold, the water was just a little warmer than the air, but still cold (not cold for UK surfers, but enough to make me shake a little ). While everyone out was wearing long johns (except for one guy), I was there with my shorts and no shirt! If my wetsuit wasn't so tight, it would have been a great session, there were still some nice waves (2ft-3ft hawaiian) and not many people out. Guess the weather kept them home. It was still good though, could do a small little snap on a backside wave, and rode a long line on a frontside one (that could be even longer, but I got up on the lip and was facing too much sideways, so the lip just hit me before I could face down again). I'm surfing backside better for some reason. Not something I feel bad about though, I like backside surfing!

[Jester]

congrats on getting near that snap!!!

Also "Free the Nuts!!" Hahah that's gonna start trending on twitter soon

[drowningbitbybit]

Pretty ordinary conditions out there this afternoon with some small, crumbly and gutless waves on the point. But hang on, there seems to be a clean steep section in the middle of the bay with noone on it. Surely not? Yup, clean steep peak all to myself for half an hour
Caught a couple of shoulder-high waves. Short little rides compared to the longboarders on the waves off the point, but a bit more face and oomph made up for it.

Then I slipped off my board due to still using warm-water wax despite it cooling down over the last few weeks
Time to go home!

[oldmansurfer]

I went out this weeekend to try out my new board. Couldn't go two days because my wife just had a surgery and needed someone there. The day was beautiful, sunny skies, clean water and small waves. Lots of bikini clad women all over the beach for some reason. I was the only surfer in the water. Went out to Horners which was barely breaking. I almost went over to the next break which I call Crabs because Buster Crab used to live in front of that break long ago. He was one of the guys who played Tarzan on TV long ago. But Crabs breaks in really shallow water so as I paddled the waves at Horners looked ok to try out my new board (as in I didn't want any reef mishaps to occur). New board seems good. No transition problems to speak of. Did not catch the first two waves I paddled for but wasn't quite in position still paddling out. The best wave I caught I ended up with the leash stuck between my toes on my front foot so my stance was too narrow and the nose of the board was popping up and down and I wasn't able to do much. But it seems to handle well and better than my bigger board in small mushy surf.

[drowningbitbybit]

Unexpectedly large and barrely out there this morning

...and having just got back from a long weekend of eating (meat meat meat) and drinking (beer wine beer wine something sticky with an umbrella), my fitness just wasn't up to it

A few windy rest days coming up, so I'll be hitting the gym

[oldmansurfer]

New board and no waves but I still went out. Yesterday I surfed the middle part of the beach. Where I picked to go out the waves were really crumbly and difficult to catch, you had to be right in the right place before the wave breaks because once it broke there wasn't enough power to get into the wave. I paddled around looking for a steeper wave. I thought I found it but when I tried to take off I realized it was breaking into 6 inches of water and 4 feet from the dry sand on the beach. Today I went to the only part of the beach I didn't try yesterday the sandbar in front of the river mouth. It breaks like a point break but small and over a shallow sand bar. It was much more fun and I got my ankles in a tube and on one wave crouched all the way down and got my shoulder in a tube.

It's funny I think people will look at me and say he is crazy for surfing when there isn't any surf and probably also say I am crazy when I go out when it is big and dangerous. Ok so I am crazy...about surfing.

[Big H]

Been taking my girls out to Kuta (6 & 7 years old) on Sundays...wasn't planning on it today but wound up at the beach so I rented a big foamie and took them into the whitewater. I pushed them for awhile and into some small green faces as well then they got tired. I thought "what the hell..." and got on and paddled for the outside....waves were about 3-5ft faces but a lot of fun on that big thing....I didn't know that you could move as fast as you do paddling a foamie and I had to check up to keep from overshooting takeoffs....I had a lot of fun and caught a bunch of waves and threw a few good turns here and there...compared to where I usually go and my approach (bigger surf, longer paddle outs, currents, generally more serious)....this just felt like fun and like I was 13 again just playing.....have to remember this when things are a bit dour and "serious" and while taking all the necessary situational gravity into account to remember to have fun like a 13 year old.

[oldmansurfer]

Once again a weekend with no (sizeable) waves at my beach . I went to the river mouth yesterday and out of frustration I surfed the inside shallow reef break at Horner's today. It was a fun wave but breaks over a very shallow reef (maybe 1 foot deep in places). It had a sandbar over the usual takeoff area which was nice but then it was a choice of risking kicking out before the shallows or kick out in the shallows or try to ride all the ways to the very inside where it is sand. I checked my board out really well after the surf and it seems all good so I am happy..... fun waves