They sure love a deep, dark tan in Italy

Solare

It’s raining in Bondi this morning, and shooting wasn’t high on the priorities. No, I didn’t jump on a plane headed for Italy, do not worry. Pre-Rona, we did a handful of tours in Italy and spent all our money on helicopters – my shooting platform of choice. One heli even stalled over Capri, luckily […]

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Pinkie skies over the Lifeguard tower, Bondi this morning

Swell pulse

Geez, Bondi is quiet. So many have left for Europe. We’ve got a little pulse in the south swell, and Bondi had a wave in the shoulder to the head-high range. The banks are a little funky, and Jetty reckons it wasn’t worthy. WSW winds are keeping it frosty, especially exiting the water. The new […]

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Glorious winter sunshine, not so glorious winter swells though.

Monday Chills

How many small, flat days we’ve had this winter is incredible. It starkly contrasts the everyday cooking waves of our recent Autumn. (In my mind, it was one of the best Autumns). Today it’s knee-high and very slow. You’ll need a very positive attitude, a longboard over 9 feet long and plenty of patience to […]

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Frothin' grom, Noah Bowler shredding

Dim.

Now that we’ve passed the winter solstice, the year’s shortest day is behind us. It’s allllll gravy from here, folks. The mornings will be brighter, the days longer and 4-6 foot daily. Ok, maybe the last part is a lie. This morning it was incredibly dark, hard for me to shoot. The swell has plummeted, and three […]

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Fraser Dovell thinking this is warm compared to Kamchatka

Hit’n’Miss

It’s a little odd today. Whilst I saw some cracker waves I also saw a lot of close-out junk. Needless to say, my morning swim was brisk. Submerged in the brine you’re fine, but the dash up the road into the morning offshore winds is torturous. The waves have slipped gears, it’s only shoulder high. […]

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Chilly plumes from a fresh south swell at Tamarama

Brutal

Every swimmer that ran past me on the shoreline cursed the same thing “!@#!@$!@#$ it’s coooooollllld” Yeah, it is chilly init? Officially it was only 4 or 5 degrees, but, after a swim and a gust of icy wind, you’ll think you’re in the snow naked. The swell is back and waves are over head-high […]

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So many whales off Ben Buckler this morning

Mobys

It’s the splendid time of year when whales migrate along our east coast. This morning there was plenty, randomly breaching and coming in close. My 600mm lens acts as a whale-repellant; should I stalk a breach with my camera, the whales know it and never surface! Argh. Finally, the waves have returned, breaking around waist […]

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The ocean is calm and the colours are insane

Flat Spell

Overnight on our Instagram channel, 100,000 people viewed my footage of Bondi, flat as and looking sublime. We’re experiencing a prolonged flat spell, and the lack of rain this winter is creating some idyllic ocean clarity. It’s a welcome sight after a couple of years of La Nina, where these conditions did not exist. Everybody […]

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Just another day in Bondi

Feeble

The waves are tiny, weak, feeble and JUST surfable. Select high-volume surf vehicles with a positive attitude, and yee shall find stoke. Mini stoke. The weather is cold yet pleasant. The skies are clear and 8-knot westerlies are keeping the temps down. Some say this winter feels colder; I think we have no cloud cover, […]

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Dawn carves, Bondi 6:20am

Cryogenics

After being in the tropics recently, it takes a little adjusting (yes, still) to swim presunrise. I’m a wuss in the cold; I reckon something to do with my heritage from the equator. I will say, a cold morning swim will always kickstart you into top gear and fill you full of energy. Overnight we […]

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Not often do you see Bondi this flat. 7am

Decumbent

It is so rare for Bondi to be this flat, swell-less and calm. Typically there’s always something moving. Not today. It’s cool, though; 18-26 knots of chilling westerlies will ensure you’ll keep your jumper on for most of today—beautiful clear skies to match. Finally, Thredbo is a mountain of white after a late start to […]

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Bronte gets the sun first and it's welcomed when you're about to dive in

Brrr.

A very chilly start to the day, with a late sunrise as we approach the winter solstice of June 22 (the shortest day of the year). The skies were clear, and the solar welcome. I love how Sydney people still swim, no matter what. The waves are dwindling, and tomorrow they will even get smaller. […]

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Today's pink edition of the sunrise

Rosy

The early low tide wasn’t conducive to producing rideable waves at Bondi this morning. Waist to chest high surf, limping on shallow banks, mainly closing out straight. Perhaps a fuller tide will be more enjoyable. Fortunately, the skies were relatively clear, and a nice ban of hot pink clouds was strewn across the atmosphere. I […]

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The Silver Surfer : Bondi 7am

Drainers

I swam out this morning, not quite sure what I’d find. The horizon was blocked with thick clouds, dampening my light. In the south, I came across a very shallow sand bank, a new one. Little tiny waves were draining on it, piping momentarily before closing out. My boy said, “It’s fully pumping, Dad”. I […]

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Today kicked off like this, then went all grey

Mixed Tape *

Today was an awkward morning for my morning rituals of Bondi documentation – it was very dark, and then lots of drizzle. The precipitation forced me to retreat several times, so I only captured a wide shot of Bondi as the sunrise presented pinks. The rest of the pics included today are randomly plucked off […]

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Freshly laid on Bondi, a huge dump of plastic sh!t in tangled fishnets

World Environment Day

Since 1973 today, June 5, has been World Environment Day. Today is a reminder that people’s actions on plastic pollution matter… No, it’s not Sculpture By the Sea – it’s a massive pile of plastic sh!t on Bondi Beach this morning. Like many on the promenade, it’s laid in a fabulous curly fashion! United Nations […]

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Watch 1 minute of Island magic

Vanilla

This morning was a bit vanilla in comparison with yesterday’s dawn extravaganza. Today’s sunrise was smothered with thick grey clouds, so it was rather dark and flat for my morning shots. The waves appeared to be growing, it was only shoulder high at 6:30 am, but I noticed long period larger sets as I left […]

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The pinks were so intense this morning

Virga

Wow, what a crazy morning! The sky was a blaze, and an odd coloured rainbow decorated our skies. I’m told we’ve got VIRGA to blame. Virga refers to a meteorological phenomenon that occurs when precipitation falls from a cloud but evaporates before reaching the ground. It appears as streaks or wisps of precipitation hanging from […]

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