Magic carpet rides with Darren

Back Burn

There’s smoke in the air, reminiscent of the bushfires two years ago. Hazard reduction burns must be happening west of Bondi – hopefully making our summer safe as they forecast a dry one. This weekend is going to be 28 & 30! Yes, hot.

There are waves! (head high) But they’re not breaking great. Frustratingly, we have a growing south swell disliking the morning lower tides (L 6:20 a.m.). Most waves lacked opportunity, but the kids (and man grommet Darren) still found a little inside rip bowl that put on the odd rideable wave. Our beach is so damn sensitive to the tides at the moment.

After watching the Netflix show “The Minimalists,” I’m trying to declutter my life. I’m selling a pile of Sony camera gear on eBay. Oh, also, I’ve ended up with a spare brand-new Mavic 3 drone (unopened – epic drone). I’m throwing in an Aquatech water housing with this Sony camera body (A7RIV). This is the perfect travel lens (24-70 F2.8 Version 1). 135mm F1.8 is an ideal portrait/wedding lens or a hi-res, 61-megapixel Sony A7IV body.

All items are on eBay, and all auctions end this week; I am happy for you to view items before bidding (at the Aquabumps Gallery).

:: uge

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Nah, nothing to see here, move along

Friday Swim Club

I clocked five k’s and 45 mins before snappin’ my first shot this morning (rare). That’s not good. That means we’re served up a mundane, vanilla flavour Bondi morning, and there’s not much to shoot. Typically, I’d shoot between 50 and 400 shots in a morning session. Only 10-12 make it to this post. I […]
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Double head high for little Wilbur Ryall. Charging!

2-5

Today will be the warmest day we’ve had in a long time. 25. As we transition into spring, the sun rises earlier and the days longer. The swell has bent around to the East, meaning south-facing Bondi will be neglected and small. Other east-facing magnets should be attracting the odd head-high wave, but I found […]
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Every now and then, a decent set

Humpday.

Another mighty fine start to a day: sun, waves and light winds. It was very cool (7) at sunrise but rapidly heating to its forecasted maximum of 21 degrees. (tomorrow will be 25!) Unfortunately, like the rest of this week, mornings are a terrible time to surf with the dawn lower tides. These abundant sandbanks […]
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23 degrees forecasted today, suns out

Ebb tide

The 5:30 am low tide was detrimental to wave quality at sunrise this morning. There’s quite a lot of sand in Bondi’s Bay, and it needs sufficient water levels to provide waves that don’t completely shut down straight. It was an excellent start to the day; the water felt cooler, typical of northerly winds. Waves […]
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Go big or go home!

Flourish

This morning started dark and cloudy but has blossomed into a magnificent spring day; go outside! We’ve got a SE swell at 130 degrees; that means that east-facing beaches will attract a bit more size. NW winds early swinging NE. The sun is out, and it’s warm – max 21. (but it feels warmer). Watercolours […]
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Spikey and Owen

Owen

Former Aussie WSL star Owen Wright, heard about our heavenly sand banks and has driven down from Byron to see all the excitement. His visit coincides with the first day of Spring and Surfaid’s “MAKE A WAVE” September program. MAKE A WAVE is a Surfaid initiative where you raise money for remote communities of Indonesia […]
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Careful with the roof down on the Rolls. Volatile weather

Town Gossip

Welcome to your Thursday edition of semi-factual, sometimes riveting, Aquabumps daily photo email thing – since 1999. How wild was that hail storm in Bondi last night? My backyard looked like Thredbo! It’s all calmed down now. The swell has plummeted, leaving 1 foot, maybe two footers on various heavenly banks(fact). Today conditions suit the […]
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Mack Truck jamming on the breaks. #mansfieldsdominate

3rd Day

It’s the 3rd super fun surf day in a row. Yes, it’s much smaller this morning and on its last legs, but it’s a superb week in the brine. Multiple peaks have distributed the crowd, but Bondi’s finest frothing grom squad typically will be hogging the best bank. I wouldn’t expect too many scraps if […]
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Yes Wilbur, hammering this section. Bondi 6:45am

Unleashed

After a night of thunderstorms and the odd sprinkle, we’ve woken to a spectacular Bondi day. Only two more days of winter, then these mornings become warm and long. That’s exciting. The waves have been interesting lately; it’s incredibly inconsistent and tied to specific tidal requirements. This morning, bang on sunrise, I saw some fun-looking […]
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Long period, south swell with plenty of close outs. Bondi 7am

Chilled Mondays

Mondays are much quieter at Bondi, especially in contrast to that epic weekend of sunshine (and big crowds), just gone. Yesterday was amazing, with hints of summer. Last night, we were served a fresh, long-period, south swell. An extended period means significant gaps between waves – so you can be sitting there, surfing 1-2 foot, […]
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Fraser Dovell, opting for large surf vehicles in the small conditions

Bondi Odyssey

It’s Friday, it’s sunny, it’s initially cold (9) yet warm now (13). It’s surfable, but it’s small. It’s offshore with NW winds and will stay like that for most of the day. Rain is coming on Sunday, so enjoy today and tomorrow. Super sunny today! Things to note: Boardriders on Sunday, but it looks small… […]
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Step into liquid, best start to the day. Bondi 6:30am

Bondi-rama

Don’t get too accustomed to super early Aqaubumps editions. With more morning light, I can get ahead of schedule (but it only allows me to have 1 Java before posting). The waves were pretty unattractive on the dead low tide. It just needs more water to break in an orderly fashion. Winds are currently WSW […]
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