Bondi@2026
Something missing in your life? Been watching reruns of Bondi Rescue? Missing your daily photos from Bondi? After five weeks of drifting up and down the New South Wales Coast, I’m back in Bondi. Everything is back to normal, breathe, breathe… Bondi is packed; Ben Buckler is where I remember it, and there are people […]
Cavvanbah
The Arakwal called this meeting place ‘Cavvanbah‘, which was the name of the settlement until 1894 when it became Byron Bay. Captain Cook originally named Cape Byron after Admiral Byron, not after his nephew the poet Lord Byron. Byron Bay enjoys a subtropical climate with hot, wet summers and mild, dry winters. It’s mild, temperate climate makes it a perfect joint to hang out for most of the year. […]
Byron Charms
Just mention the word ‘Byron’ and you’ll get a reaction from people. Words like ‘busy’, ‘lost it’ ‘exquisite’ and ‘paradise’ come up a lot. Some people adore the place, some people loathe it for its hustle. I’m here in peak season, yeah there are people around (lots from Bondi), it’s got young energy, but the […]
Da Pass
It’s been nearly four weeks since I’ve picked up a camera. Let’s call it a digital detox + long service leave combined. I’ve been posting up this daily Aquabumps thing for nearly 21 years now, so a little ‘tools down’ really freshens things up. I’m going to surface here, beautiful Byron Bay in peak summer. Yes, we’re back on! […]
Brown Town
It’s everywhere you look – brown smoke choking Sydney as 112 bushfires continue to rage around the state. Someone on TV last night said it was like smoking 40 winnie blues. Just imagine what it’s like if you were closer to the fires. There was chunks of ash in the water at Bondi today! Hats […]
SouSouEast
Plagued by an early morning low tide, a Sou-Sou-East swell is still kicking into Bondi. I saw closeouts around 3 foot at sunrise. 1 pm is high tide, as it fills up there should be some waves around (yep, just looked across the road from AB headquarters, there are waves 10:59 am). Head high too! […]
Maundy
That’s a wrap on our New Caledonia trip, I’m back in Bondi today. If you’re chasing blue water, damn, it’s Fluro blue in New Caledonia. I thought that colour water only existed in the Maldives. New Cal is much closer (2hrs40mins to be exact)! Watch this video summary of our time there… Watch New Cal […]
Sublime Saline +
Today’s morning swim was very fruitful. Not only did the sky spit out some pretty colours, we still have waves. I decided to shoot the middle and avoid the south end rapid/rip. Lots of crew out, pretty chaotic at sunrise. I only got run over 3 times today (which is good for me). Water temperatures […]
Rogue Chunks
Gee this swell really kicked in yesterday. Some wild chunks of water smashing into Bondi this morning. The Icebergs was smothered and swimmers were thrown into different lanes. South Bondi had a few, but they were quite rare and fickle. When they broke they’re in the 4-6 foot mark. Lots of water moving around making […]
Wild Thing
Big and brutal! Not a good day to go surfing out at Bondi. At sunrise, there was a small windless window where you could find some inside runners, but now, she’s blown out and big, big, big. Ok, maybe 6-8 foot. Southerly is in town…chill out until it calms down. Cloudy and rainy tomorrow. :: […]
Treasure
This could be the earliest Aquabumps update – ever. Why? What the heck? Well, the Spring Equinox was only a few days ago, and there’s so much sunshine, early, that you could go for a surf, jog, ava coffee, skate in the bowl all before work. Daylight saving will shift on October 6, so you’ve […]
Turbulence
At first light, I swam out the back of Bondi dragging a camera. It was a mistake; I ended up swimming against a rip for an hour. So much water moving around in the bay. I would get sucked out to sea, then across to The ‘Bergs, and then back out again! After 5 laps in […]
Diamonds in the Rough
It’s cleaned up a lot and still pretty sizey. I saw sets in the 4-5 foot range at South Bondi. The swell is now from the SE, and we have favourable winds from the WNW direction at 8 knots. The ocean still has plenty of wonk from its recent agitation – well, it has been […]