by Franck Gazzola | Jul 3, 2012 | Daily Updates
At Bronte, as I was packing up my camera gear and about to head to Bondi, I noticed a pod of dolphins lurking and waiting for a set wave. Sure enough – they scored the wave of the day putting all the others in the water to shame. Just like everyone else you could tell that they were stoked there was a few waves around.
We have a new round of south swell pounding our beaches. Bronte is 3 ft and Bondi a little bigger on the sets. Both beaches have some good rides but I have to say Bondi was the pick of the two. The south corner in particular was showing some potential although there was some wobble on the wave face evident. It should build through the day and tomorrow you might need your step up board.
Guys – If you need a cool present for your Mrs then check out www.skyparlour.com.au – So much easier than heading up to Bondi Junkyard and looking for a car park. Order online and be done with it!
Rug up! – Brad
by Franck Gazzola | Jul 2, 2012 | Daily Updates
It was a fresh one this morning and you could tell. Compared to normal the beaches and line ups were fairly empty. Only the true fitness die hards and regular routine masters were up and at it. Was it the chilly conditions or just lack of swell? Possibly a case of mondayitis? All I know is that its a classic winters day and I was glad to be amongst it early.
All the action this morning was on the midway bank at Bondi but regular early riser and longboard slider Keiron Lewis made the most of the empty line up in the south corner – scoring a few waist high waves to himself before heading off to work.
Keep an eye on it today if you have the day off. It should build from the SE as the day pushes on. It's going to get solid through the week. Maybe another coastal on the cards!
Enjoy your Monday – Brad
by Franck Gazzola | Jun 29, 2012 | Daily Updates
There was plenty of activity this morning along the beaches. People training, surfing or just grabbing a coffee. The rain has stopped but the clouds were still thick at first light, before burning off a little to a patchy, pinkish sky just after sunrise.
The swell has swung to the east and is quite clean with a nice off shore westerly. It's only 2-3 feet but definitely worth a surf.Tama, Bronte and Maroubra are the pick.
I am still so fascinated by that amazing big Cloudbreak session in Fiji a couple of weeks ago. It has been classed as 'best ever' by so many. The websites won't let it die, so I'm not going to either.
This article compares last year's amazing big day to this year's day of day's, what the differences were and why. It also contains a video of Reef McIntosh's incredible tube ride . It's worth a look just for that! Click HERE.
Have a great weekend!
Billy
by Franck Gazzola | Jun 28, 2012 | Daily Updates
G'day folks. Apologies for the late write up today but this report is coming from three Bronte groms on the road.
Brad thought he would take advantage of the the good sized S swell and light NE winds which are a great combo for waves down the south coast. After a last minute call up from Brad late last night and a 4am start we were finally in the water a few hours later.
We arrived at a legendary surf spot which Brad has asked us not to name. We were greeted with epic waves and more than ten whales frolicking not far from the line up. It was crowded out there with lots of guys on boogers! So we were sort of left fighting for the scraps. We don't have enough weight to throw around just yet. Maybe in a couple of years we'll come back and give them a good run for their money.
We hope you like the pics today and we hope you have scored a few waves yourself.
Thanks – Luke, Tom and Ethan. From Bronte Baby!
by Franck Gazzola | Jun 27, 2012 | Daily Updates
I had made plans to do the update from down south this morning. The 18 second period and 2 meter swell on the forecast chart had me a little excited last night. Needless to say, I wasn't impressed when I peered out through the rain and blackness this morning, only to find the swell was still a junky 5 foot mess.
The two pro surfers I had arranged to shoot bailed out on me straight away, as they do and who could blame them? I was left to try and salvage something for the report the traditional way. On my own!
With the rain still falling, I grabbed my umbrella and trudged down to Bronte. In the end, I didn't get the great surf shot I wanted but it wasn't all bad, as the sun broke through for a while and gave me the chance to at least bring you a little colour.
Things don't always go to plan but as Franck showed in yesterday's report, if you have a go, no matter the conditions, you can usually bring something back to the table.
So, is Kelly Slater the best athlete of all time? Here is an article where he is compared to the best. The public comments at the end are the most interesting. Click HERE for a read.
Billy
by Franck Gazzola | Jun 26, 2012 | Daily Updates
It was like the whole landscape was grey this morning, like a natural black and white.
There is swell. But there is also a devil wind with strong gusts and at times heavy rain. There is also some gloomy looking clouds out there and only 5 surfers were brave enough to get into their cold and water logged wetsuits thanks to last nights heavy down pour. I only saw one wave being ridden. Choppy and mushy as.
This weather was challenging enough to make my shooting a nightmare. Cameras and lenses hate the rain, and between 6:45 and 7:30, there was a lot of rain – so much so that the horizon line completely vanished.
However, this weather did not discourage the runners. It looked like everyone is trying to beat their records in the City-to-Surf. I know I am.
As Brad said yesterday, the other end of the week should be much better surf wise. So, if you didn't manage to wake up to check the surf this morning, no regret!
Bill has posted a bunch of surf shots from last Wednesday at Bronte. It was smoking! Selfie's prints are only $30 so it's worth while having a look if you were out there.
Have a good (rainy) day. It's winter, after all…
Franck
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