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!


View Larger Map

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.


View Larger Map

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.

Surfing royalty

Just got back from a two hour surfing lesson with a truly excellent teacher, Rusty Miller. I'm staying up here in Byron Bay with my kids, sister and mother-in-law (I know - just get me my knighthood now...) and got a referral to Rusty from one of the locals. Apparently Rusty is a longboard expert from California who lobbed up here many moons ago and never left. Among many strings to his bow he is meant to have taught Elle McPherson to surf. Shared lessons anyone?

I arranged to meet Rusty at The Pass (on the way to the Cape Byron Lighthouse) at 7.30am - and he arrived dead on time in a battered Subaru with two enormous longboards on the roof. He got me to head down with a board and do some warming up on the beach while he got his wetshirt on.

For those of you who haven't been to the Pass - this is what it looks like:



Rusty got me to do the intro type stuff on the beach and then we headed out with his 10' Surftech longboard and proceeded to catch some little waves from right near the rocks at the tip of The Pass. We weren't using a leg rope at this stage, and whilst it was a bit exhausting retrieving the board, I can see why Rusty was doing it.

All in all, a great lesson from a Pro, and my first chance to surf the waters of another beach other than Manly. I'm really starting to gear up for my own board now!

The road to Damascus

I'm rapidly discovering that Manly may be Nirvana for aspiring surfers. Today is a good example. I rock up to the beach at about 8.45, and start pulling on my wet-suit, fully planning to cross the road and grab a hire board from Dripping Wet, just like I have the last three times. As I sit on the stone wall and have a look at the waves, it occurs to me that a few more tips from an expert might be nice - and then I remember - Manly Surf School is only metres away - down the stairs and based in the bottom of the Surf Club building.

So I grab my gear, hop down there and find that the next lesson starts at 9.00, costs $55 (including board hire) and they'll look after my sports bag for me. If I didn't have a wet-suit, they'd even have given me one of those. Bargain!Our instructor, Dana, matches us with a board (all nice safe foamies in good nick) and asks us to head about 500m down the beach.

This is the bit that threatens to undo me as when I arrive at the start point, my arms are like jelly and I'm not sure if I'll be able to list myself off the board. I can see that some of my fellow trainees are feeling a bit the same, but no one is admitting anything.Dana takes us through a quick but solid intro to reading the waves, a basic approach to standing up on the board, and a few tips about rips, types of waves and paddling techniques. This takes about 15 minutes all-up and then it's into the surf!

One of the great things about going out with the surf school, is that if you're wave catching technique isn't fully developed, they'll help you catch some waves with a push in the right direction. I can't say how much this helped my mood and my learning, as it can be very frustrating trying to catch a wave a missing all the time when you're in the early stages. You've still got to learn those techniques, but at least you get to catch some waves along the way.All up, the lesson lasts 2 hours and I caught 3-4 decent waves in that time.

If you're a beginner that doesn't sound like much, but believe me, just one good wave is enough to make you come back for more. It's just a unique feeling, and one that's slightly different every single time.So - if you're like me and you're looking for a good way to learn, or improve your technique, the very nice people at Manly Surf School will only be too pleased to help. I know I'm going back.

Smaller, but just as fun

Went out today into a much kinder, gentler surf on a beautiful Sydney autumn day. Didn't really manage to stand up, although I had a few nice lying-down rides into shore, my plan of attack is to try and get up a lot earlier into the catching phase. Water was cool but not cold, and it was pretty packed.

The one that's really two.

Today was really my second-ever surf (on a board that is).

I had my first lesson three weeks ago with my mate John who showed me the basics of paddling, getting through waves, and the early principles of turning into a wave and catching it.

We surfed at Manly Beach, just north of the Surf Club


View Larger Map

and it was a beautiful sunny morning with nice little waves. Perfect for my first time. John helped me choose a foam longboard from the surf shop across the road, explaing that the long board was easier to learn on, and that the foam would stop my head from splitting open if I happened to connect with it in the water.

This first lesson was fun but exhausting, and my ribs ached like hell for a few days 'cause I'm not used to lying on a board. But if one can be hooked after one experience, than I'd say I probably am.

Fast forward to today, and I'm sitting on the same beach, my heart rate at about 900 bpm, looking at a malevolent ocean that has just tried to kill me. But, if I'm fair I should say that it's my lack of experience and deep lack of fitness that has me sitting here feeling like a cheetah that tried to chase down Casey Stoner.

Suffice to say that the waves are a lot bigger than last time, and I've just spent twenty minutes trying to get past the first line of breakers - not much further out than the end of the outflow pipe that's right beside me.

After 20 minutes I gave it up as a bad joke and here I sit, my heart rate falling slowly and a rueful smile spreading across my face. I feel a little two-steps-forward, one-step-back at the moment - but I'm determined to continue - so bring on next weekend!