10…that’s how long you’ve got in the water before the shivers take over. The water is cold with all the northelies blowing. The land is hot and muggy, like Singapore. Gonna swelter up to 30+ degrees today. Waves – sure have. Swell has picked up. It’s 3 foot and SO FAT at 8am. Lower tides […]

Well, it’s been a pretty stormy 24 hours in Sydney. Last night it blew a gale. I am sure the winds will die and the sun will come back this afternoon. It’s already started to clear. The great news is that the weekend will mainly be sunny weather. Sunday is going to be a cracker […]

These are the days to look out for. The days that fall in the cracks. The ones that go under the radar. See…the forecast is calling hell windy today. But at sunrise the wind hadn’t hit, it was raining and looking pretty uninviting from the bedroom window…but…go down the beach and there was a glassy, empty […]

Things are changing. The morning fog was a good sign for change where cool air meets hot air. It’s a humid 31 today and then a cool 21 tomorrow. Dark clouds are congregating and I can here the tingling of rain on my gallery tin roof. We’re in for some indoor time – punch the work […]

A pack of groms owned Maroubra this morning. About 8 of them. All sub 30 kgs each. They can paddle into a ripple, pop an air, high five a mate then kick off. Heckling is constantly broadcasted from the channel – it’s awesome. I can’t wait for my little men to get out there. OK ‘nuf […]

It’s Monday. You’re probably back at your desk stressing over how much work you have to cover this week. You had a good weekend mostly spent down the beach (how good was Saturday by the way). Your skin is brown and your mind a little foggy. What were we talking about again? Ah yes, the beach. […]

Pretty standard morning around here. An outsider would call it manic, but we’re accustomed to local mayhem. What am I talking about? Well, to begin, hundreds of girls were waving around exercise balls at Bondi this morning trying to beat a world record.  A heavily pregnant woman was instructing the demonstration…all for the Fitness and […]

So, you like surfing…the peace and quiet of being out the back waiting for a set wave…the wind in your hair and salt on the skin. (insert scratching record needle sound) Well…today is not for you. It was a crazy full house down there this morning. Loose boards, big crowds, strong rips and not enough […]

Every day I wake up in hope for good light and waves. Sydney is pretty special in that you can surf something, most days. It doesn’t crank as much as other places in the world but it sure is pretty consistent for some sort of water activity. Bondi had a little wave on this morning. […]

Today is totally the opposite to yesterday. It’s raining, it’s grey, it’s cool and the waves are an onshore 1-2 foot mess. What a great day to show your boss you’re a hard little worker. On a very sad note, Bondi lost a true legend yesterday. Friend, columnist and true Bondi local Sam De Brito […]

Well whata we got ‘ere…classic Bondi today. It all began with a coloured sunrise over the Buckler followed by neat 2-3 footers. Mainly 2 footers. Long waits. Great rides. Good times. Feels like summer! (max 29 today). Ocean swimming season has just kicked off so make sure you’ve registered for the local events like Bondi […]

The south storm has arrived in Byron Bay, blackening the skies and bringing a new wind. Quite the contrast to the impeccable last 7 days. I’m hoping it kicks up a bit of swell as it’s been small. Today is the last update from Byron. Hope you’ve enjoyed something a little different. Cheers, :: Uge […]

Byron Bay is the most easterly point of Australia. It juts right out. Good for surfing as it catches most swells and has protected corners on all conditions. About 9,000 people live in Byron, plenty doing the sea or tree change from Bondi. This little town attracts 1.5 million visitors a year – yes – […]

Last week when I mentioned to people I was going up to Byron Bay their first reaction was a puzzled look…then the standard response “Hope you’re not going in the water…it’s too sharky” Yes, they’ve had a bad run up here with big fish coming in close. There are so many theories why. Everyone has […]

It’s warming up and feeling good. Bondi Beach was packed at sunrise and everyone’s happy. Even though the water was a tad chilly, it’s invigorating. The Blue Bottles have rolled into town – beware. Waves – yeah, saw some. Choppy onshorey types around your waist to chest. I didn’t surf – but if you had […]

Looking at the weather map there is a massive high pressure system hovering above us. That’s good news for beach lovers. In fact, we’re about to enter into a summer preview with 4 days in a row above 30 degrees starting Sunday. That’s uncommon for spring but fortunate as it’s a long weekend in Sydney! […]

How good was yesterday? Nice huh? Today – not so good. The southerly winds have returned today so the beaches are an onshore mess. The waves dropped out and you will only find 1 footers. The good news is that this weekend is a beach weekend. Saturday will boast a summery 27 and Sunday 30! […]

It’s back…sun + waves that is! 3 cheers! After a long week of pretty miserable weather  it’s finally come good. You’ve probably been indoors working hard so it’s a good day to take some time off and surf or swim. I am. Do you know 7 people work at Aquabumps? An empire. Kinda. OK not […]

Well…this storm currently lashing Sydney has plenty to it, doesn’t it? It’s been raining a lot lately with gale force winds. These storms are fruitless for surfers…the wind is just too strong and few surf spots are protected enough. Today is a great day to collect brownie points and get some work done. Should you […]

Plan A – shoot amazing waves at Bondi, with pink skies and guys shredding. Plan B – shoot Icebergs…always find something around there with good shelter from gale force winds and rain. Not today! Plan C – show some amazing shots from my recent trip to Italy. Tick. Let’s go with that. Hard day to get […]

Take at look the photo above…that kinda sums up the beach today. Mush burgers. The wind is howling and we have isolated showers. You’re not really missing anything down here on the beach. Feels like winter. Do some work. Have a cup of tea. :: uge

What…an Aquabumps daily email in your inbox before 10:30am? Can’t be! Yeah, this is the new me. How do ya like them apples? Well…the sun is rising so damn early (5:30am) and I am waaaaay ahead of my usual schedule. In fact my biggest problem is that there is barely anyone out to shoot so […]

Been in the ocean yet today? You should. It’s good. And the rest of this week is a windy, rainy and cooler. There’s some little waves around the traps. Nothing really worth writing about. 4 things you need to know: The Aquabumps crew raised $16,000 for SurfAid last week. Thank you to all 108 people […]

I hear this all the time… “Don’t you get sick of shooting the same thing every day?” No…I like it… It’s cliche…but…there’s always something new down the beach. Kinda like a lucky dip. After 16 years and over 4,000 morning shoots at Bondi, I still see new stuff. Just gotta have the eyes open. 2-3 […]

We’ve got a new south swell streaming into Bondeye…it’s looking real pretty. There are waves breaking above a short man’s head…and it’s only gonna get bigger. Bondi suffers under these current conditions. It just can’t handle it. At sunrise some waves broke fat – most just folded and closed out. Needless to say…paddling out on a fine […]

I woke, peered at my phone…like we all do as we’re phone addicts…and saw the forecast was 28 degrees for today. How could I not go for a swim. Coming down? There were tiny waves on a central Bondi bank. Best suited to beginners and longboarders. North Bondi is looking the biz right now with […]

I am back in Bondi and lovin’ the Spring weather. I missed the waves whilst I was away! Some fun lil’ 2 footers around, clean…and warm. From Friday’s poll – 92% of our readers said that they like a healthy mix of overseas and Bondi photos on Aquabumps (30% overseas 70% Bondi). I better book […]

G’day. How’s your Friday going? Are you ready for a beach weekend in Sydney? The weather forecast looks perfect. I was lucky enough to spend most of this week on the coast of southern France. Amazing place…just so different. Good water colours and clarity. I don’t often visit places without waves…so it was really quite a different […]

Capri is an Italian island hanging off the coast of Naples. It’s a rugged chunk of rock that sticks out of the sea. It’s a huge holiday destination and pretty packed at this time of year. The Blue Grotta (or sea cave which is lit from below) is pretty special – write that one down for your […]

The forecast for today on the Amalfi Coast…34 degrees and sunny. Just like yesterday. In fact, just like the last 3 months. Lucca, who makes my morning coffee reckons it’s only rained once in 2 months (Disclaimer – Lucca’s English is as good as my Italian, we make do with lots of hand movements). It’s the perfect […]

Bonjourno! Welcome to The Amalfi Coast of Italy where it’s a roasting 33 degrees – everyday. Like Australians… the Italians love the beach (or Spiaggia). They celebrate summer by baking on every rock, pier, lilo or 100m super yacht. It was a full house yesterday – everywhere. Positano would give Bondi a run for it’s money with beach […]

By the time you read this post I’ve flown the coop… On a work adventure of course. Hard work. Where we going now? You ever been to Italy? Yeah baby…we’re gonna try something a little different and check out The Med beaches of Capri, Amalfi and South of France. Surfing? Definitely not. Not even packing. […]

How wild was that storm last night? Crazy huh? Any hail damage on your vehicle? Roof hold up? Do tell… I was a lil’ surprised to see the sun pop out this morning after such a prominent storm. I think it will whip into rain and greys later today. Shark fever continues…Pama Davies, our local […]

In comparison to recent months, Bondi was a ghost town this morning. Humanless. It’s very rare to see the water completely empty (8am it was). No waves and grey skies. Time to catch up on work. How good was the weather on Saturday? Amazing for this time of year. Watch this and you’ll see. Hawaiian […]

Once the swell breaks through the head high barrier it maxes out our delicate Eastern suburbs beaches – limiting surfing options. This morning there was a whole lot of standing around in car parks trying to work out where to go. The answer on low tide – coffee! I am hoping the higher tides will […]

Today I elected to spend my morning underwater…in the blue. The water temperature has stepped up a tad and the clarity was really decent. The 2-3 footers at Bondi were fun, but mainly closing out on the lower tides. Higher tides should show an improvement. Father’s day (Sunday September 6) is fast approaching. Suggested gift ideas:  A […]

Gee we’ve had some pretty decent, fun-sized surf lately. Not too big…so our sand banks can hold it…not too small so you can get shacked. Head high mostly. Offshore winds to boot! Friday is going to be a fun one out of town…need a reef facing south. Enjoy the great weather (again). :: uge

These sunny days just keep comin’. I reckon we’ve had around 100 sunny days this winter (and only 2 or 3 rainy days). Magic isn’t it? The surf was good earlier, but the wind is in now. We’ve been thriving off this small south swell that has been here for 5 or 6 days. Most […]

An 8 foot Bronze Whaler shark has claimed South Bondi to be his new home. He’s been pottering around ‘The Boot’ freaking people out for a few days now. The beach has been closed a few times since Thursday. For once, I was quite happy to surf with 100 people, a jetski, Clubbie IRBs, helicopters […]

Everyone is talking about it…and I mean everyone! S S S S H AAAAAA R K S ! The Bondi lifeguards have confirmed that there was a 8 foot Bronze Whaler shark in front of Icebergs yesterday – just cruizin’ in the south end rip scaring the fine diners upstairs. The beach was closed yesterday […]