We’ve got a sloppy south swell and south wind down at Bondi this morning. The weekend’s clouds are still here and the rain is on and off. Quite a wintery picture down here with only 2, maybe the odd 3 footer. Quality is very poor as squalls roll through, yet the line-up is basically empty. Either you are all still on holidays, or tucked up in bed.
Young Perth Standlick, who’s just returned from Scotland’s 7 degree water (Thurso), was out hunting sections for the his trademark punts.
So you’ve probably heard 30 year old Coolie kid Joel Parkinson won tour stop No.2 Bells. Man he was ripping out there in big chunky Bells. Sally Fitzgibbons also won her debut event for the girls. Oh and Rip Curl announced their plans to have their nomadic “the Search” ASP world tour event at San Francisco, Ocean Beach, Nov 1 to 11 2011. Interesting choice. I hear (never surfed) it’s a quite a fickle break. So that’s 2 tour stops at big US cities (NYC’s long island and now the Golden Gate bridge) both locations not famous for smoking consistency. Pray for swell.
Have a great week, :: uge
Looks like poor surf all week but theses shots make it look ok, check out previous days comments if you want a laugh.
Perth Ripping, some great shots especially shot 5 “chop hop”. Good stuff Perth.
Thanks Garrick. Pretty average out there today – you didn’t miss anything. Perth makes it look good.
I wish you were doing that frontside air on the board I did for ya Perth, instead of wrapping it around the rocks at Maccas.
I surfed Ocean Beach for my five years in San Francisco, and it is an unrelentingly fickle and at times demoralising break. Because of the proximity to the Golden Gate outflow, there are virtually no channels – try taking 20 walls of freezing white water on the head pushing you back to the beach. No PWC rule for the contest will be very interesting if there’s a solid swell! But when it’s good, it smokes…
Hey David, I was just up at Snapper Rocks tour stop no.1 and realised how much surfing has to go down to make a ASP tour event work well. Basically 4 days of full on surfing – which Snapper does well. So basically they’ll need 4 days (hopefully consecutively) to run a decent competition. I’ve never been to Ocean Beach, but the fact that I don’t see many pictures of it cranking eludes me to think it takes a lot to get it going…and for 4 days, that’s would be very lucky. I pray for swell for the comp…hope it does crank…
Agree, they’ll have to be lucky. Also an interesting choice because SF doesn’t really have a strong surf culture – most of the crew are older hardy types who don’t take kindly to interlopers. It’s not surf city – but nor is New York. If they were looking for sizzling waves, 60 miles south in Santa Cruz would have had them blessed with riches. But who knows what lurks in the minds of the ASP barons…
Great shots today Uge of Perth – and love the sunset. I used to slide down those slopes as a kid, and now my own three are doing it – as yours will be in 4 – 5 years. Congrats!
Agree that OB can be fickle – often too big/stormy in winter, generally inconsistent in summer – but during the Indian summer months of October/November, warm offshore winds groom the late season south swells and early season winter swells, and during this time I’d go so far as to rate it the second best beachbreak in California, behind Black’s. And on the contrary, I find that the tide rushing in and out of the Bay helps maintain the endlessly varying sandbars and rips which give the waves their shape, even during the big swells. However 20 walls of whitewater is more often 30+! Will be interesting to see if the pros opt for boards with a bit more volume out there, you need all the paddling power you can get.
Hey Uge.
What was the location for the sunset shot?
Thanks.
@simon….not far from Bondi…just up the hill a bit.
Any chance for an exact location for a fellow photographer? I’m not familiar with the area.
Thanks.
@simon,
Why? na not really. Lately my special spots have been crowded with other shooters in the mornings – I’m talking 4-5 in the one spot I’ve bookmarked as a good angle. I guess thats the trick to photography. shooting it is easy, being at the right spot at the right moment is another thing.
my advice: a) eyes open b) have a good look around, there’s thousands of angles.
thanks
too true – but…..even if you are in the right spot i bet most people could not frame it so well
i reckon that shot is taken on that little grassy patch as you drive up to vaucluse – you actually have to get out the car as unless you walk up the incline you dont see the bridge
when i lived in sydney i got to know every nook of the eastern suburbs by getting on my bike and being out there at 0500 every day makes you learn when the light will be sweet! Good luck
Uge, I love your work- you make it sound too simple!
Comments from David R. above make me think he didn’t surf OB much during his ‘5 years living in SF’. I pretty much disagree with most his comments. From my experience – the scene is thick, the waves get really really good, there are decent channels on good days, and its pretty damn consistent in peak season (nov-jan). But hey, the fact that people over look OB is the very reason why the local culture there has thrived for so long unnoticed. And believe that the locals are none to happy about the decision to hold the Search at OB. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KvBx5EJEno&feature=fvwrel
John, if that youtube link is one of the best examples of how OB gets then I am not overly excited, couple of shoulder barrels and long fat slow walls …?? sorry if i am wrong but on the evidence of that clip, I am not stoked.