Update 4th May 2012

I’m a bit late getting the update through to you today. Night shift at the Fire House and a trip to the Doc’s to get some drops for an ear infection has slowed my usual early start. He said, "what ever you do, don’t go surfing". Yeah right! Now, where is that panadol and blu tac?

The waves are small but clean and the southwest wind has the mercury in the thermometer feeling a little sluggish to move – a little more akin to what we can expect to feel in the mornings from now on I guess, as we head towards winter.

The Southside Regional Titles for juniors and cadets are on tomorrow at Maroubra Beach. Apparently, the numbers are down compared to previous years, so if you are still keen on your chance to make the NSW State Titles or even have aspirations for possibly the Australian or World Titles, this is how you get there. Beach entries will be accepted tomorrow morning for all ages – under 12, 14, 16 and 18 years. Help keep our impressive Southside record on the map and compete. It will be a fun day.

Looks like the swell is coming up over the weekend too with Sunday looking quite nice at this stage. Get some froth on and get amongst it!

If you are looking for little gift for the person who brought you into this world – your mom, we have some quite reasonably priced options for you starting at $30. Our Bronte gallery is open all weekend at 145 Macpherson Street, from 9am – 4pm. Grab a coffee next door and check us out.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Billy
 

Update 3rd May 2012

It's Franck here, live from the Maldives. Brad is so busy trying to chase the dolphins that I'm in charge of writing today's report.

The backaches, the sore muscles, the coral cuts to the feet, the chafing on the ribs, etc…are the proof that we are probably having the best week of surfing of our lives!

For the past two days, the boat has been anchored next to a long mellow left called ''Tiger Stripes''. Why? Because the stripes of sand cutting through the coral reef create those ice-blue stripey reflections in the face of the waves. This wave has been keeping us all ''busy''.

Brad came in here as a photographer, I think he's now ''one of the boys''. His stories made us laugh so hard that we started to get sore abs, especially after so many hours surfing, snorkeling, swimming, filming, etc. Nothing I can share with you of course: what goes on tour, stays on tour! If you want to here those (lifeguard) stories, book yourself in for the next Frothers surf trip with the Perfect Wave.

We've just heard that the surf is small back home but the water is still sensational. Be patient. Easy for me to say…

That's all for today folks. Enjoy Brad's shots!

Franck

Update 2nd May 2012

Well, it certainly isn’t like the Maldives today and I’m sure I was a hell of a lot colder standing on the shore at Bronte at 6am than Brad would be on that boat, sweating bullets and diving into the crystal 29 degree water. If I sound jealous, it’s only because I’ve been there a few times myself and know what I’m missing – heat and some of the clearest water in the world! If you want to go, the people at The Perfect Wave will sort you out and make it easy. Check them out.

Anyway, time to stop dreaming and give you the low down on the home ground and for the surfers, I have have good and bad news. The good news is; there are still waves. The bad news? It’s not as good as yesterday. The swell is more east but has a bump on it from the north wind last night. This new direction also means Bondi isn’t catching it and Bronte isn’t lining up as well anymore. Maroubra would be your best bet before the northerly hits again. However, it is a nice sunny day and the water is still so warm for this time of year. So if it’s at all possible for you, get down there and enjoy it because winter is coming on fast.

For all those people who love watching surfers riding crazy waves and there aren’t many that don’t. Here is new feature I found on Surfline.com which may get the Ooo’s and Ahh’s going. I even have a few shots of my own in the mix. Click HERE.

Billy
 

Update 1st May 2012

I had one of the most physical days of my life yesterday, here in the Maldives. In a single day I managed to jam in two great surfs as well as three sessions with the water camera. My body is aching this morning. Where is that masseuse?

It's not quite 5:30am here. It's still dark. But the crew are readying to lift the anchor and throw us into another action packed day of fun. There's nothing quite like sipping on early morning mud coffee while cruising into a new day's sunrise in search of perfect waves. I've got that warm fuzzy feeling! We are aiming to surf a left hander named 'Love Charms', just across the way from 'Five Islands' where we were yesterday.

French frog Richard got the wave of the day yesterday on his SUP. He paddled into a bomb with not an ounce of care for the shallow reef ahead – resulting in a half hour leisurely stroll back along the coral.

At home it looks like nice fun conditions this morning. Get out there before that wind gets up! For us, the swell is set to increase which should make things interesting. And that's all from me today, as I sip on my morning brew and prepare myself for another day of ocean endurance. Brad.