Update 22nd June 2012

by Franck Gazzola | Jun 22, 2012 | Daily Updates

I was rugged up this morning when I left the house. The weather had predicted strong westerly winds and very cold conditions but when I arrived at the beach before first light, it was just the opposite.

The winds were practically non existent and after clambering around the rocks at South Bondi to find a vantage point, I broke into a sweat and found myself stripping off my jacket and hoody in the unusually warm conditions.

As the sky transformed from crimson to blood red , I began to hit the shutter button, firing off images at an amazing canvas of wild changing colours. It's mornings like this that make you thankful for being alive and also not forgetting to set your alarm.

I'm sorry to say that there is no surf at all today. It's a lake! So apart from the sunrise opener and the struggling longboarders shot, I'm giving you a look at the amazing day of waves Bronte experienced on Wednesday. We will upload a swell event feature over the weekend. Maybe you will be able to find a shot in there if you were lucky enough to be surfing that day.

The wonderful people at 18seconds magazine have kindly published a portfolio of my work. If you care to have a look, click HERE.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Billy
 

Update 20th June 2012

by Franck Gazzola | Jun 20, 2012 | Daily Updates

Winter Rocks! Summer is soooo January 2012! It's another crisp and sunny winter morning at the beach, bringing clean waves, offshore winds and a lot of life on the sand.

Seriously, mornings like this are amazing. Things happen. The light is pretty, people run, surf, drink coffee, wander about for a hit of sea breeze before heading to work. With the tourists and backpackers gone, the Eastern Beaches are entering into winter-mode, but not into hibernation. Winter-mode? Yes, winter-mode: sunglasses AND beanie! It's when you realize it's time to invest in a better wettie as the first duck dive gives you a little chill down the spine. The after-session boiling hot shower is a blessing, especially for the feet. It's when we carefully protect the sun tan marks of last summer under a few more layers. It's also when we use both hands to cradle the coffee cup, while watching the sunrise. Or, we dress up like we're about to climb the Himalayas, so we can catch a table outside for brunch.

Well, that's it. That's winter on the Eastern Beaches! If you were lucky enough to be born here, you might not even realize how lucky you are. But, I can tell you that this type of winter day makes all Europeans jealous.

There are a few more of those nice and sunny days ahead, with (small) waves, so if you can't enjoy today outside, hopefully you'll get lucky later in the week.

Have a nice winter day! Franck

Update 19th June 2012

by Franck Gazzola | Jun 19, 2012 | Daily Updates

A beautiful winters day outside today and surprisingly, there is still a few waves to be had.

It has been such a good run with surf over the last couple of months that I am afraid we will all start to get spoiled. Even though its sunny, off shore and clean out there right now, I'm not as frothing to hit it as I usually am but I'm sure I'll pull on the 3/2 full suit later and have a go anyway.

Apart from the opening photo this morning of Bondi, the rest are from the magic weekend we just had. I did a little run to The Royal National Park on Saturday with Perth, where we had some beautiful waves at Garie. Then on the Sunday, I shot some water photos at a pumping Bronte with Andrew Mooney and Asher Wales.

That amazing Fiji swell at 'Cloudbreak' last week is still on my mind. It was the best big wave paddling session so far in the history of surfing, so I want to share it more with all of you. This clip of Hawaiian surfer, Kalani Chapman's wave doesn't really do the size justice but it's big! You can tell by how tall he stands and it gives you the closest feeling to what it would be like to ride inside this amazing wave. Click HERE.

Billy