Green poles - just what it says on the tin.

I surfed green poles at Dee Why yesterday on the recommendation of Willy. To get to green poles, just go to the Dee Why Beach carpark at the end of Dee Why Parade, and walk up the beach to the ....green poles.

It was pretty rough and I got smashed mostly - but one or two smaller waves were worth the trip. I really need to improve my base level of fitness if I'm ever going to get better at this.

Frustrating at Manly this morning....

Lots of big, broken waves, very dumpy - really only one good ride.

Willy (my work surfing mentor) says I should check out Collaroy, Dee Why or Longreef this weekend....so that's what I'll do.

Gorgeous Monday at Manly

Just got back from a great session.  Perfect hot summer morning, not too many in the waves because of the hour, and great little chest-high waves that were easy to catch and loads of fun to surf.  They would probably bore a short-boarder senseless, but were just great for me.  This is the first time I've really had a chance to try the new board out (shocking, I know) - and it goes like a beaut!

Google Map of Longboarding Beaches in NSW.

I found this great list of longboarding beaches in NSW on SMH, so I made a little map of them in Google Maps - and now you can see them too!


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I haven't been this excited since Xmas when I was 5 years old....

Just bought my first surfboard. A very nice fibreglass Mal - 9'4" long with a great colour scheme and it looks immaculate. Taking it out first thing this next weekend. Yippee!!!

Jonesing for a surf....

3 weeks since I was last in the water. Gah! Must. Go. To. Manly.

I'll tell all on Monday....

Surfing meets Google Maps

I'm not sure how long this will last (probably until Google gets new imagery for this area) but you can actually see a Manly Surf School session happening, just slightly north-east of the North Steyne Surf Club. Cute.


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A bit of reflection

Well, I started this whole learn-to-surf caper back in April, and I've been out in the waves about 10 times now, and it's time to reflect on what's happened so far. It's fair to say I'm already addicted. I can point to the moment that galvanised my senses - the moment when I thought 'Yep - I'd like to get really good at this one day'. It was my second lesson with Manly Surf School, and we were out in a fairly tiny swell - if it was more than 3 feet it was a big wave, and I'd had a few brief runs, always ending with me falling one way or another off the board, grabbing the leg rope and then paddling back out to the rest of the group.

One of the instructors came over to have a chat about technique, and then pushed me onto what was a fairly innocuous little wave - that is until you get on it with a board. I managed to get to my feet, didn't fall off, and instead of petering out with white water sliding over the top of the board and bringing me to a stop - it kept going! Now for a sequence of events that probably lasted no more than 25 seconds, it's one of the more vivid memories I'll ever have. The sensation of floating over the water, being carried by the power of the wave, of being focused on the tiny patch of wave just in front of your board - yet still being aware of everything around you - is truly one of the more remarkable sensations I've ever experienced.

The wave eventually carried me all the way to the beach, and I stepped off onto the sand, with barely an inch of water over my toes. I turned around to hear the shout of congratulations from my instructor and a real feeling of euphoria swept over me. I was hooked.

There's another thing I didn't realise about surfing until I'd done it a few times and it's this - surfing is actually pretty enjoyable even when you're not on a wave. Sitting up on a board (a skill I'm still perfecting), floating out the back with a bunch of other surfers - 97% of whom are better at it than you - is a profoundly relaxing, peaceful experience. Having pretty much surfed only at Manly, there's never been a single session like any other - the waves, the colour of the ocean, the sunlight or shadow - none of these things is repeated, and it's very pleasant just to sit there and take it all in, waiting for that next set to come through.

So, it's all a tad grandiose to pontificate about the pleasures of a sport you only took up 4 months ago, but I still wanted to do it, because a lot of surfing's gifts are revealed quite quickly, if you just give it a chance.