After two days of persistent rain, it’s stopped. Alleluia. The onshore winds have also backed off and the ocean is starting to clean itself up. Bondi was still a very messy 4-5 foot, 3 guys out. I would say wait a day or so, and it should improve (but be smaller). Cold day again today, […]

It’s been a while since the surf has been pumping. This time of year just doesn’t seem to crank. Today’s surf check was disappointing but predictable – hell onshore, super mushy, pouring rain – the sort of rain that is horizontal and no one around. Its winter. The swell did kick up…to 3-4 foot…but the […]

The sloppy foam balls got bigger overnight, from 1 foot to 2 foot. You’d have to be pretty keen to get out there on such an ugly morning. A wintery day with onshore SE winds, grey skies and a maximum temperature of 18. Expect some rain and a increase in swell tonight. Tomorrow should be […]

Yesterday was a much better day than today. At least there were a few waves, the sun was shining and the perfect offshores created the ultimate beach weather. A south change rocked in last night bringing clouds, onshore winds and turning the waves into mush. 1ft dribbly mush. Yesterday was a big day down at […]

Oh my, what a day. Escape the financial mess…hit the beach. Who needs shares anyway. At sunrise there was only one guy out at Bondi, local shaper and all-round nice guy Andrew Harris (AH Surfboards). Everyone had slept in as a stealth little bump broke in the corner defying the swell charts. AH picked off […]

There is a little bump pushing into the corner of south Bondeye. Heard it’s the only wave in the eastern suburbs today. Its small, 2 foot max and lacking substantial push, nevertheless its rideable and a nice morning to be paddling around in the sunshine. There are no decent swells due for at least 7 […]

Bit of a non-event down the beach this morning (wave-wise). 1 foot chop broke close to shore, yep, there were still a few people out scrappin’ for the-chop-of the-day. Interesting cloud formations at sunrise before a thick blanket of south change brought rain, wind and cooler temperatures. South winds will howl 20/30 knots later today […]

This time of year the northerly winds start to kick up, the water gets that bone rattling icy current and the decent swells become infrequent. After the joy of last week we’ve got very little to talk about today. Predominantly flat morning with weird 2 foot sets every 15 minutes. Paddle-boarders dominated the line up […]

Good waves this morning, and everyone seems to know it. I think Bondi is the only beach breaking in the east attracting a large early morning crowd. The swell is dead south at 9.6 seconds with NNW winds. Text book optimal Bondi conditions. Unfortunately this swell will continue to decline throughout the day from 3 […]

Some good waves out at Bondi earlier today. Crowded 3-4 foot. Not much wall though…take off out the back, dodge 40 surfers, then dodge a couple more, race…get all excited about a nice whack, then unfortunately it has faded into a burger. Some of the smaller ones were worth looking into to. This swell will […]

A pulse of long period, southerly swell entertained the masses this morning. The left was working consistently, the right fattening out. Looked quite good really… and I’d say the next few days should be decent. Swell will pick up this afternoon as the period hits 15 seconds overnight. 15 seconds is Indo style…so it’s a […]

After that violent south change last night we’ve got some fun ones this morning. Bondi had 3 footers, but a bit wobbly since its a brand new swell, but it should settle. The massive crowds of last week have disappeared as the weather is much cooler. The regulars out enjoying the consistent peaks in the […]

Gonna be a stinkin’ hot day – fat and salubrious thirty-five. Doesn’t get any better than this. Sensational morning down the beach, don’t be fooled by this hot weather- the water is still a chilly 16 degrees. Tomorrow is much cooler day (25) after a dramatic south change later – soak it up, wag work. […]

Sun drenched morning with a the odd 3 footer at South Bondi. At 5am the crowds were already onto it and a small bank in the corner provided a few fun ones. Water seems very cold, like 15, but the land today is going to be a crackin’ 30 degrees. By midday today the waves […]

The combination of… a) A recent 2 week flat spell b) Plenty of early morning light c) Sunny and warmer water d) Small 2-3 footers (no clean up sets) …brings anarchy to Bondi. Massive early morning crowds. Boards flying everywhere. 4 surfers per wave. Flared tempers and a whole lot of paddling in circles. We […]

There were a few small waves in between the huge early morning crowds. It was seriously busy for the poor quality of surf. Chaos. The 8:30am high tide was putting a load of pork into the bump this morning…fat as. No wind early, NE later. I just checked it at 10am and there were some […]

Well you know summer has arrived in Bondi when 5 pissed guys asked me for a light at 6am (who look like they’d been up all weekend, wired, and just wobbled out of the Bondi hotel). Or maybe it’s the fact that the beach is coated in litter, a two seater lounge has been left […]

It seems we’ve made the switch from a chilly winter in summer overnight. Not only is the sunshine saturating the mornings now, but also the powerful winters swells have dissipated. Today it’s so flat it looks like a lake. Lake Bondi. Any smaller and we’d be gettin’ into negative values. People out? Of course, its […]

I am a big fan of this weather. Doesn’t get much better. Even though it’s only toppin’ 20 degrees, today is soaked with sunshine, there is hardly any wind and Bondi had a beginner’s peak in the southern corner (scrappy 1-2 foot). There seems to be a decent chunk of sand under that peak so […]

Yesterday’s talked up storm was a fizzer. Those gale warnings downgraded. There was enough wind last night to stir up some local wind swell for the early risers down at Bondi. 2-maybe close to 3 foot. Short rides seeing this locally generated swell is lacking grunt. The odd wave was worth pursuing. Winds: W/SW about […]

Each morning is very unique down at Bondi. I guess that’s what makes it interesting in the 10 years that I’ve been shooting these sunrise photographs. I mean, the first thing I saw at 6:30am was a 60 foot luxury motor yacht going hell for leather across the bay. I thought to myself that can’t […]

After spending a week with 20 friends on a secluded 1 acre island, returning to 31 degrees and a crowd of 30,000 on Bondi was quite a bit to get your head around. What happened? This hot weather is nuts – and 30 degrees again today followed by a wintery 20 tomorrow. So make the […]

After two days of a stir crazy flat spell here in Fiji the predicted swell arrived. (no wind either) The boats were full at 6:30am heading out to the distant reefs in the middle of the Pacific. 3 foot with the odd 4 foot bomb provided satisfaction to this frothin’ group of man grommets. Now […]

The waves have subsided and the winds are howling – the kite surfers are celebrating. The waves here in Fiji are only 1-2 foot on the nearby right, and sloppy 4 foot at a piece of reef in the middle of nowhere (Despos)…so the 22 people on this island had to think creatively how to […]

Not much happening in the wave department this morning. The trade winds came in really early making a mess of things. Also a strong tidal change makes paddling back to the lineup a tough job…had to get a boat ride  most of the time. One of side of the island remains perfect and calm. The […]

Out here in the Pacific the good times continue. The waves are holding their size at 3-4 foot and local breaks are relatively uncrowded. The wind does kick in about lunchtime but there is plenty of other stuff to do at this aquatic playground. For example being dragged behind the boat holding a giant ski […]

After a long cold winter in Sydney spending 4 hours in the water only wearing boardies is pretty special, not to mention the 4 – 6 foot joys of yesterday. Yep, we’re back in Fiji staying on the tiny island of Namotu (right next door to Cloudbreak). This idyllic paradise boasts 30 degree days, 26 […]

Quite a special day out there today as we heat up to a salubrious 23 degrees. The waves have halved overnight, but Bondi still has a 4 footer worth slaying. Looks like a lot of people thinking the same thing as two huge packs of early morning crew scrapped over incoming peaks. I am talking […]

There are a lot of places I’d rather be right now. Don’t get me wrong, sitting in a dark room above the Aquabumps Gallery pumping out the daily ritual of 5 photos and ramble is better than licking stamps or diggin’ a holes for a living. A mate of mine, Sam, just walks around his […]

The swell has kicked up overnight and waves are breaking around 6 foot. Small time Bondi isn’t handling the new big conditions well – max’d out. In fact I couldn’t find anything worth surfing along all the eastern suburbs beaches. North Bondi has a confused 3 foot hollow left that predominantly shuts down. Bronte was […]

After last night’s strong winds the ocean is all angry and agitated. The swell direction has switched from the east to the south-east making it bigger at Bondi. At daybreak is seemed onshore, but by the time I left the beach (7:45am) it was SW offshore-cross. North Bondi, which rarely breaks has a little peak […]

After a wild weekend of typhoon rain and rogue surf – conditions are calming down. The east swell is still with us, but half the size of yesterday. The Bra was exposed and had decent 4-5 footers this morning. It was quite random and required a lot of moving around to find the right one, […]

Trying to write a small, semi-intelligent paragraph about the surf this morning isn’t too easy. It’s pretty much onshore mank down there today. The nemesis east-sou-east winds are infecting all surf breaks in the eastern suburbs region. If you’re surfing today, it would have to be somewhere facing very north – Manly perhaps? The weekend […]

That brief interlude with spring is all over…the claws of winter have crept back in. Rain and wind dominate the morning as we max out on 16 degrees. 25 knots of south easterly is decimating anything in its path. Bondi was a sloppy 2-3 foot. Not a sole out. Says it all really. Back to […]

The waves today are about as bad as waves get. Onshore, 1 foot and overcast. I didn’t see anything that vaguely resembled a rideable wave. Didn’t really have much to work with this morning, so I threw in some old gold to distract you from this morning’s onshore mush. The early morning south easterly winds […]

Not much doing down the beach this morning. Well, pretty much carbon copy of yesterday. Clear spring skies, a floppy bump breaking on 2 shallow sand banks. Hand full of mal riders dominating the peak. Sets got up past your waistline, 1 or 2 even up to your chest, but they were quite infrequent. Seeing […]

We’re in the home straight for summer now, you can feel it. 1st day of spring and the sun is belting down. With a maximum of 20 degrees today you should try and get outside – especially since the forecast is for rain from Wednesday onwards. After a unexpected great weekend of surfing (yes I […]

What a surprise to find a pumping wave down at Bondi this morning around 7:30am. The prediction was for tiny, weak and barely surfable waves. The goods will be short-lived – if not all over by now – as the South Easterly onshores prepare to blow 18 knots. Good while it lasted. Even inspired me […]

With a rainy start to the day Bondi was pretty much deserted. The storm drain in the south was pumping out all kinds of gooob…didn’t look that inviting. In the middle of the beach a lefthander was trying to work as two guys took it in turns, Wal and Luke Kennedy (Tracks editor). Swell is […]

The swell has pulled right back overnight leaving south facing beaches with 2-3 footers. Bondi is liking this smaller swell and a left in the middle has started to work quite consistently. Large morning crowd enjoying the early offshores…by 9am it was full blown onshore (southerly 15-20 knots). Shows over people. The forecast is for […]