Yeah - BRA.

Road Trip

We were up early in the dark, stalking rideable waves. We ended up at Maroubra, just south of us. It was a quiet morning down there. The nemesis SSE 15-knot gale is getting in everywhere, so quality is low; waves are overhead high though. These breezes are leftovers of that tropical cyclone – I’ll be […]

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Lip strike, 6:20am

Excursion

I took the mini-froth-lords on an excursion to an east-facing beach – hoping for bigger waves and less crowd. We weren’t the only ones with that idea! We discovered 3-4 foot bowls amongst an early (chaotic) crowd. I always thought Bondi was the pinnacle of surfing chaos – we’re not alone! NW winds and plenty […]

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Built in the 1930's Mahon is all action with a bit of swell

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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Coogee, cooling off after a very hot night

Peaky Windswell

After a restless, hot night, many were up for the early as the NE wind swell continued to deliver. At exposed East facing beaches, waves broke in the head-high vicinity. South-facing Bondi had fat shoulder high waves amongst a very full morning high tide. It’s cloudy now and reasonably cool compared with yesterday. The sunshine […]

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The french express, South Bondaka 8:20am

Extra Effort*

I hope you like today’s batch of photos. I put a lotta effort into ’em. Extra effort. In very chilly pre-sunrise conditions, I buzzed all the way to Maroubra on the scootie…eyes watering, knuckles numb (no medal required). I stopped at the usual spots – snapping away a few. Most locations were deserted due to […]

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Mullumbimby is flooded, hope everyone is ok

Northern Rivers Relief

You’ve probably seen the devastation of the NSW Northern Rivers and Queensland floods – incredibly sad times and our hearts goes out to everyone up there. Thousands of people are displaced from their homes as towns go under. The footage of Lismore is unfathomable – 14.2 metres! Fortunately, the sun is now out up north […]

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Bronte pool, a hub for sunrise swimmers

Feb so far…

I saw the sun last night, around 7 pm. I swear. There’s proof of my Instagram stories. It was hot, clear(ish) and beach weather, for about 1 hour…blink and you missed it. #notfakenews When is the rain going to stop? Mid next week, hopefully. Until then, we’re in for a deluge. There are small waves, […]

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Blake ‘BT’ Thornton - charging this morning

Crank

In the words of Strider Wasilewski, said with the same enthusiasm, “It’s firing out there”. Well, it was firing this morning before the wind came up. After days of constant onshore breezes, we finally scored a diamond day, gentle offshores with 4-6 foot chunks and spitting barrels. I swam for hours as ferocious rips tried […]

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Blake Thornton, always finds them

Murky Waters

All that recent rain has created some strange coloured ocean water in NSW. It’s currently an unattractive green-brown colour – stained from all the muddy river outflows along this state’s coast. Just imagine how much water has been flowing from the land out to sea this week – incredible. Warragamba Dam alone spewed out the […]

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Mahon Pool, first light

Happy Ending

That’s how I like to finish a week – on a high. After weeks of volatile La Nina weather, we’ve got clear skies, 24-degree water and a small east swell on decent banks. Bingo! You know it’s a good morning when I’ve shot in the water, on land with sticks and filled up all my […]

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Early fog, 1st light, burnt orange

The Steamroom

It’s been a steamy 24 hours in Sydney. Very muggy, and sticky. Today we woke to a thick layer of fog, blanketing most beaches. The water is fresh, and as I type this it’s just started to rain. If you didn’t get down the beach for a swim earlier, your window has now shut. Rain […]

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Lifeguard, ex QS surfer - Blake Thornton

Relief

After days of onshore, it’s was clean this morning. As I write this post, the winds are swinging from the SW to the N. The beaches (all East beaches) were packed as everybody has been holed up at home, hiding from the rain. A cracker day ahead. 23 degrees. I like those digits. For the […]

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Good morning Tamarama

Deprived

It’s been a tough week for us surfers due to a lack of swell. I bet there are some cranky pant foam riders reluctantly working from home…looking very detached in their zoom calls. I bring good news; next week has plenty of swell – but also plenty of onshore wind (and rain). I don’t care, […]

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