![Little fun bumps in the south, Bondi](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/10/AQUABUMPS_20-10-22__A1X6288-binnie-rights-800x533.jpg)
DIM*
Clouds are back and smothering the light; what a dark morning! Clean little dribbly waves at Bondi, nothing much over chest high. Decent day for groms and learners. Gentle 5 knots of wind, dropping tide, 18-degree water. Winds should be NE all day…showers today and tomorrow – stay dry! The Zimmerman girls are Bondi locals […]
![Bondi - moving water](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/10/AQUABUMPS_19-10-22__A1X5286-bondi-shorebreak-800x533.jpg)
Daily Contrasts
What a contrasty day – weatherwise. This morning was dark with a ceiling of thick cloud; now…well, it’s spring paradise. Toot toot! It was a clean morning, small waist-to-chest high surf – large crowds.Winds are barely blowing from the north at only 2 knots. I was on one of the banks up north with the […]
![Nedd Brockmann being welcomed by Bondi last night after running 3952km](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/10/AQUABUMPS_17-10-22__A1Z6144-1-800x533.jpg)
Nedd for PM
Last night Bondi came alive as Nedd Brockman trotted along the prom, completing his 3952km odyssey. The vibe was incredible as thousands lined the final leg of his countrywide schlep – such a fantastic feat – an example to us all of what a strong mind can achieve. Raising 1.5 mil for the homeless is […]
![Luke Brumby on Saturday in the Aussies at Bondi Beach](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/10/AQUABUMPS_15-10-22__A1X2459-bondi-surfing-luke-brumby-800x533.jpg)
Bucketing
After a mighty fine weekend of sunshine, we’re back to the default settings (constant flood rain). It’s gushing down as I type this, and small rivers flow down roads. Hectic. It was good to see Bondi in full swing again – people everywhere on the weekend! George Pittar and Rosie Smart won the finals of […]
![Bondi - waves in-between fences and rain squalls](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/10/AQUABUMPS_14-10-22__A1X2170-800x533.jpg)
Volatile Gaps
It’s turning out to be a very volatile day, weatherwise. Every 30 minutes is different to the previous 30 minutes. Dark/rain – then sun/blues. What I do know is that it’s a warm day (23 degrees) with summerly NE winds howling across the bay. The swell has kicked from the ENE and I am guessing […]
![Wilbur Ryall - cover shot. 10 year old doing airs - too good](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/10/AQUABUMPS_13-10-22__A1X1629-wilbur-ryall-bondi-800x533.jpg)
Mix.
Under NE breezes, we’ve got surfable chest-to-shoulder high morning surf. The banks are quite strange towards the south end, a bit of a lucky dip. Moments of sunshine earlier before clouds are thickening, in preparation for tomorrow’s showers. Good day to churn out the work tomorrow. The next few days will be an East small […]
![Freddy Carmody throwing out some morning heat, Bondi Beach](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/10/AQUABUMPS_12-10-22__A1Z4321-fred-carmody-bondi-800x533.jpg)
Ripping Tykes
This morning was a nice little break from the daily drizzle and persistent onshores. Clean little peaks littered the beach whilst the grom squad took over a ferocious rip bowl in the middle. It was pumping this morning for tiny humans (sub 30 kgees). Bondi is full of frothing groms these days; they’ve all graduated […]
![The Bondi golden arches, new pavilion](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/10/AQUABUMPS_11-10-22__A1X0586-bondi-pavilion-800x533.jpg)
Luminous
We had glimpses of light this morning – no lie. Then, as the sun rose over the horizon, it shot gold across the bay. Perfect! Oh, but I still got rain to sprinkle on my back as the sun came out (standard La Nina madness). With the devil wind from the east in town, surf […]
![Mid-length driving from the bottom](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/10/AQUABUMPS_07-10-22__A1X0410-bondi-surfing-800x533.jpg)
Intermission
Oh, how nice, a little reprieve from the constant rains this morning – hell – I even saw the sun! How good. We are experiencing the wettest year since records began (164 years). Around lunchtime yesterday, we surpassed the record of 2194mm of annual rainfall from 1950. The thing is, we still have a couple […]
![Cabarita, North Coast Gem](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/10/AQUABUMPS_03-10-22_DJI_0820-800x533.jpg)
Mixed Bag
I guess this is the new norm, waking to rainy days with all this La Nina talk. It’s not my favourite kinda morning – but makes me highly productive in the office. Need anything done? Today’s a mixed bag of photos from the past few days – as I was roaming, school holidays and all. […]
![Bronte, sizeable waves clipping the corner](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/10/AQUABUMPS_04-10-22__A1Z1660-800x533.jpg)
Reconvene
After a week of school holidays (where I rarely picked up a camera) I’m baaack! The daily fix should flow from here… A nice morning to kick off this working week (well, there are still plenty of school holidays). A sprinkle of colour at sunrise, light winds and a consistently breaking 3-foot ESE swell. All […]
![Slotted, Indonesia](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/09/AQUABUMPS_04-09-22__A1X8554-800x533.jpg)
Shower time
It’s raining in Bondi, and we’d better get used to it – with another wet warm season heading our way. Not the most inspiring day in Bondi, with tiny surf, no light and intermittent showers. Rain will flow into tomorrow before clearing for most of the weekend. I’m still sifting through my shots from the […]
![Bondi, middles, frothers, happy](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/09/AQUABUMPS_20-09-22__A1Z8261-800x533.jpg)
Bounce
A neat little (surprise) bounce in south swell this morning has provided hungry frothers with a lil’ something to muck around on. I saw sets touch the head-high mark…clean too. Huge pack on the middle bank – pretty hectic out there – a lawless peak out back, but everybody seemed happy. It’s really a mal […]
![Yesterday, Bondi looking the goods](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/09/AQUABUMPS_18-09-22__A1Z6656-800x533.jpg)
B.D.E
How good was yesterday? One of the finest! Grooming offshores illuminated the ocean blues whilst warmed land temperatures drove the masses to the coast for a Sunday hang. It was packed everywhere I looked. Packed! Traffic jams locked up Bondi as spinning rims and reflecto sunnies made their way down Bondi Road. Good to see […]
![Bondi, not a quiet place, especially on Fridays](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/09/AQUABUMPS_16-09-22__A1X0555-800x533.jpg)
Like Summer*
After a night of rain, we’ve got a glamour, 10-outa-10 day. Feels like summer as Bondi fills up – the beach, right now (2pm) looks like January. Believe it or not, the weather is going to be good for a few days now – I would maximise this opportunity, as you know it can default […]
![Icebergs morning rituals, this morning 6:15am](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/09/AQUABUMPS_14-09-22__A1X9497-800x533.jpg)
Overhead
An excellent supply of fresh southerly lines was creeping into the bay at sunrise. Fortunately, the sun was out, a bonus, as we look to be slipping into our third La Nina wet season. Winds are currently from the East, 6 knots. Surface quality seems to be holding up. This afternoon this swell will peak, […]
![Gold plated South Bondi and the girls getting into it](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/09/AQUABUMPS_13-09-22__A1Z4050-800x533.jpg)
Squally
The rain has been on and off all morning, the winds are twenty knots of dead south, and the water is a cool 18. The head-high surf looked pretty junkie and uninviting – but empty. Very few people down the beach as the forecast was for rain. A great day to be productive! :: uge
![Good weather and kites = very busy Bondi!](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/09/AQUABUMPS_11-09-22__A1X9323-800x533.jpg)
Festival of the winds
Bondi was in full swing on the weekend with the annual “Festival of the winds” and clear skies – it was crazy! It has been years since Bondi has been that busy due to our Covid problem – so good to see the traffic jams again (never thought I would say that). The local businesses […]
![Paradise found, Mentawais a couple of days ago](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/09/AQUABUMPS_05-09-22_DJI_0838-800x533.jpg)
j.lag.
The beach wasn’t looking that inviting this morning: rain, dark clouds and heavy jetlag. At a glance, I saw the odd 3-footer with north winds – the groms having a blast on several banks. I’ve opted to show you some more salubrious imagery from my recent excursion to the Indo islands. The good news: The […]
![Big sets, but not much joy](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/09/AQUABUMPS_08-09-22__A1Z3220-800x533.jpg)
Summer Winds
Can you feel that? Yep – north winds and solid SSE swells….feels like spring to me! Such a warm morning to return to Sydney – everyone’s been telling me how cold it has been. Bondi had waves in the 3-4 foot vicinity. North winds are welcome here, and North Bondi looks very inviting for a […]
![Tim Scott, digging in to find he pocket, Mentawais](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/09/AQUABUMPS_04-09-22__A1X8482-1-800x533.jpg)
Titi
This is our final episode from the Indonesian island paradise (sigh of relief from some of you). We’re heading home, sore, battered from reefs, sunkissed, and memories of tubular perfection. This trip was quite different to my 16 other voyages – lousy weather, funky winds, random spikes of swell from 3ft to 10ft in 24 hours. […]
![Mentawai line up - Indonesia](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/09/AQUABUMPS_31-08-22_DJI_0436-800x533.jpg)
The Mentawai Regency
The Mentawais are a chain of 70 islands off Sumatra, Indonesia. It’s about a 150 km area that hosts dozens of surf breaks, mostly only accessible by boat. It’s remote out here; there’s not a lot of infrastructure and a whole heap of jungle. When I first visited, logging used to be a big industry […]
![Islands of all sizes (and surrounded by surf)](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/08/AQUABUMPS_31-08-22_DJI_0384-800x533.jpg)
Island time
I booked and paid for this trip three years ago. After many pandemic delays, it was an incredible feeling getting on a plane again, with four boards and cameras to drift amongst the islands of Indonesia – such a treat! This trip is my annual pilgrimage to the wave mecca – a place where we […]
![Shorey nugs, mid-Bondi ripbowls](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/08/AQUABUMPS_24-08-22__A1Z1026-800x533.jpg)
Up/Down
The swell is up, and the temps are down! Oh boy, when that cold front rolled in yesterday, the temperatures plummeted 10 degrees in minutes. (min. 7.1 °C and max so far today 11 °C ). This morning we’re greeted with frosty well over head high surf and an empty beach. Two frothers tackled the […]
![Tamarama golds - haven't shot here in aaaaages](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/08/AQUABUMPS_23-08-22__A1Z0536-800x533.jpg)
Disappeared
Gee that swell certainly disappeared – quick smart. It was 3-4 foot yesterday, and this morning it’s barely breaking. That’s OK, as it was a warmer, spring-like vibe at sunrise today. Sun was out, the winds were calm…and the ocean was inviting. Go for a dip. Did you see Aquabumps spreads in the latest edition […]
![Bondi double up](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/08/AQUABUMPS_22-08-22__A1Z9610-800x533.jpg)
Burgertown
The 5am high tide was certainly porking up any water movements this morning. Bondi is perfect for 100-litre mals, with long lefts from way out back (shoulder to head high). You’ll struggle on a shortboard unless you’re hunting the shore break, which is pretty tight and short. SUN! How good-looking is today, it’s gonna be […]
![Icebergs, this morning with a clean pool](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/08/AQUABUMPS_19-08-22_CF007981-800x533.jpg)
Runaway swell
There’s been talk of a new swell last night, but I haven’t seen it. Maybe the direction is neglecting us – but it doesn’t look that big at exposed beaches either. Have you seen it? Quite a grey, quiet morning at Bondi. Sombre mood as the incredibly sad news of a young 29-year-old passing last […]
![Love those winter sunrises, hungry pack at Middle Bondi](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/08/AQUABUMPS_18-08-22__A1Z8788-800x533.jpg)
Thaw
A cold morning but luckily, we had a burst of sunshine at 6:30 am. It’s been dark and cloudy ever since. I don’t think it will rain today; higher probability tomorrow. The waves were a little lacklustre; the lower tides seemed unfavourable with the current bank setup. I reckon more tide as the day progresses […]
![Formerly Lil' Pete, now Big Pete squaring up this one](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/08/AQUABUMPS_17-08-22__A1X4507-800x533.jpg)
Belated
What, a 6pm Aquabumps update? Has the world gone mad? I would like to blame the work experience kid, Covid, staff shortages or say I’ve just got in from a 6-hour surf – but none of that’s true. I shot at sunrise but got tangled in many other things all day. So here we are…the […]
![Bronte Board Meeting at sunrise today](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/08/AQUABUMPS_16-08-22__A1X2251-800x533.jpg)
6’s to 9’s
I’m loving today. Those dull, grey, rainy mornings (6’s) are now exquisite sunny, calm, clean sessions (9’s). The whole week looks decent. The central bank at Bondi had a wave this morning, but it’s fat, so you’ll need a high litreage in your surf vehicles. A big bunch of frothers feasting happily on the 2-foot […]
![The new old Bondi](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/08/AQUABUMPS_15-08-22_DJI_0164-800x533.jpg)
Middle Peak
A beautiful start to the week with clean & calm conditions. At sunrise, the skies were completely cloudless, and tiny peeling waves on the middle peak – best suited to mal-riders. It was a big weekend in Bondi as the City to Surf was back on after a few years off. Loved watching so many […]
![Lil' Pete (now big Pete) is our local aerial master at Bondi](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/08/AQUABUMPS_12-08-22__A1X3774-800x533.jpg)
Gromfest
The waves had shrunk overnight, and there was a semi-closeout shorey at the south (1-2 foot). It wasn’t inspiring to surf, but the groms make it look good. Especially Blake’s shredders. A rainy day ahead – but the good news is that Sunday looks dry for the City to Surf fun run. In the good […]
![Bondi 7:00am, hiding under a dolphin](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/08/AQUABUMPS_11-08-22__A1X3037-800x533.jpg)
Oops.
The bad news is that I totally missed today’s early pink sunrise. I saw it blossoming as I raced out the door. As I approached the beach, someone swiftly turned down the saturation dial and it returned to dark grey skies for my arrival. Bugger! Not even pink crumbs…just 50 shades of grey. I’m still […]
![Chris, he's on Aquabumps everyday. Lucky guy](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/08/AQUABUMPS_10-08-22__A1Z7050-800x533.jpg)
Chunks*
It’s chunky but not that great. It’s surfable but lots of hard work. It’s cold, but Surfline still suggests boardies and a vest will do (dreaming). On this very wintery Wednesday, we have some light showers, 17-degree water and a pretty deserted beach. There were some surfers out towards the north whilst south Bondi continues […]
![Flyboy Petey Kavanagh in morning shoreys](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/08/AQUABUMPS_08-08-22__A1Z6001-800x534.jpg)
Happy Mondays
Mondays are the quietest days at Bondi, especially when it’s cold. We had some rain earlier – that seems to have passed, thankfully. As we talked about, the swell is up, and there are 3-footers with an odd 4-foot set out there. It’s pretty junkie and confused but surfable. The banks are pretty weird at […]
![Nils, back for Eurotour](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/08/AQUABUMPS_05-08-22__A1X1429-800x533.jpg)
Chaotic North
I risked my life venturing North of the tower this morning with the Wildlings. It’s Australia’s most dangerous surf location – the treacherous North Bondi – a spot where absolutely anything can happen. Riders go right on lefts, 10 Wildlings per wave, loose (10ft) boards in every direction – I’m on amazon now looking for […]
![There's those pinks I was talking about.](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/08/AQUABUMPS_04-08-22__A1X1048A-800x533.jpg)
Flat Spell
This week has been the longest flat spell of the year. La Nina brings rain but also plenty of swells. Not this week – we’ve had very little to ride, and some of you may be getting a little twitchy. How warm was it last night and this morning? – weird huh? Spring coming? Kinda. […]
![Nothing stinking about this ocean pool gem at Coogee](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/08/AQUABUMPS_03-08-22__A1Z5884-1-800x534.jpg)
Koojah
Uncle Google reckons the name Coogee has derived from the Indigenous word ‘koojah‘, which means ‘bad smell’ or a ‘stinking place’. (I’ve got two little ‘koojahs’ running around my house!). The pungent smell was from the piles of seaweed on the shores of Coogee. No smell down that way nowadays…just sunrise community ice baths and […]
![Very rare to see the ocean this calm.](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/08/AQUABUMPS_02-08-22__A1Z5552-800x533.jpg)
Lake Bronte
Ah, now…these are winter mornings that I remember! Cold mornings, clear skies and windless calm. What a cracker. Loving a break from La Nina. It is rare to see the ocean so calm as today. It’s flaaaaaaaaaat az. I’m talking nada, pancakes, ironing boards – the lot! Bondi was the only wave on offer, and […]
![Dribble from the pack, North Bondi](https://www.aquabumps.com/content/uploads/2022/08/AQUABUMPS_01-08-22__A1X9633-800x533.jpg)
Gaps
In between morning showers, I ducked down to Bondi to see what was happening. Not much! Waves are tiny, half a foot to a foot. Winds were light, and the sun smothered in clouds. It’s chilly, and I bet there’s snow in dem mountains. Tomorrow is a fine sunny day, like this afternoon. No waves […]