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 the beach. It will keep rising during the day, and Bondi should be pretty solid this afternoon.
Everybody knows the Mentawais has waves, but what they don’t talk about much is how exquisite the islands are. It’s such a beautiful remote location. See what I mean.
: : uge
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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Mahon
For something different, I ventured south today to Maroubra. The waves were smaller as it’s very south and missing the bay, but Mahon Pool at the North End was a buzz with morning swimmers. Mahon Pool was originally a naturally formed rock pool along the cliffs to Coogee. During the Great Depression, the public requested […]
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Machines
It’s oh so damn straight at Bondi; I can’t help but think the current beach of machines rearranging the sand has got to be a good thing, right? It can’t get any worse…so the dozer was tearing up South Bondi this morning, pushing sand into the water. Fingers crossed, it forms in 4-5 superbanks for winter swells. […]
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Back to work
Today it’s looking pretty good! There are waves around shoulder to head high, and barely anyone around (odd). Winds are light, and surfaces are optimal. The cold weather and late sunrises de-motivated many. Not enough time to surf before work as many finally return to the office. (WFH party is over). It will be sunny all […]
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Bondi Bowls
I’m back in Bondi and acclimatising to the cold. Brisk. Hard to believe it will top 23 degrees today after such a chilly start. Bondi had a little left, bowling on the rip. It was empty too, which is rare for here, so the groms took it on. Today is your last day to support […]
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Pulau
The indigenous inhabitants of this region – the Mentawai people – are known for their intricate tattoo art. Tattooing holds immense cultural significance for the Mentawai people, representing various aspects of their identity, such as age, social status, postcode and spiritual beliefs. They live in harmony with the lush rainforests of each island – mainly […]
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Bon Voyage
As our trip comes close to an end, we make our way back to the central part of the island chain, where crossing overnight to Padang is easier. There are endless breaks along the way, so we drop anchor at many, hopefully timing it with the right tides, winds and crowds. It’s been days of […]
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Flotilla
It’s been a different trip to the Mentawai’s this year: we’re trying a new boat, small swells, heaps of sunshine and large crowds. Everyone is travelling madly after missing two seasons during the pandemic. I would say 50% would be from Australia and the other half Brazilian—the odd American, British, and Italian at some reefs. […]
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Ments
Selamat Pagi! Indonesia is good to surf as it’s near the equator, and the winds are generally light whilst attracting raw southern swells from The Roaring Forties in the Indian Ocean. The islands are a myriad of nooks and crannies for these consistent swells to break on, creating hundreds of surf breaks each with their […]
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1hr with Italo
I know, I know, it’s been a while. Welcome to the Aquabumps offshore edition, where we broadcast from the wave-rich Mecca of Mentawai – a very remote part of the world that I visit annually. Yesterday was a classic; whilst farming a nuggety left, filling our wave quotas, a blue catamaran sped into the line-up. […]
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Large
It’s still big and unappealing for surfers. Rogue sets are breaking in the 2-3 times head-high range. While smaller than yesterday, it’s still wild to ride. The icy west offshore winds are not helping either…hard to get out of bed today. Maybe tomorrow, but it will be surfable/enjoyable mostly Thursday and Friday. My family and […]
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Mental Monday
Everybody loves these mental days when the waves are gigantic and wild. I get asked how big – gosh, I saw sets in the 12ft+ range. The entire bay sometimes closed out as water ran up and hit the ramps. Icebergs was inundated whilst spray at Ben Buckler was at least 4 storeys. Is it […]
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