In memory, this has to be one of the best Easters on record — and the good times just keep rolling.
Autumn is a good time for surfing around Sydney. There always seems to be something to ride. Today served up a fun little 2–3 foot shorey on the 8am high tide, with a few short, punchy ones in the mix. When the tide’s that full, it breaks right up on the beach, so there’s not […]
Eugene Tan (::Uge) started taking photos when he was nine. He’s a self taught tinkerer, a constant experimenter and a relentless documenter who likes to shoot unassisted, mainly at sunrise. If conditions permit you’ll find :: Uge swimming with his camera or dangling out of helicopters, …constantly hunting for new angles on his favourite subjects.
Photography is a way for him to explore his first love, the beach. And since he lives at the beach, that means documenting his home, Bondi. He’s a beach bum. Most of the time he’s either on the beach shooting, digging holes in the sand with his kids or in the line up. And because :: Uge and his family live smack bang in the middle of Bondi, a stone’s throw from his Aquabumps Gallery, you’ll rarely find him further than 300 metres from the shoreline. Close enough to catch those magic Bondi moments when they happen, with his camera, his board or both.
Aquabumps started in 1999 back when the internet was brand new and social media didn’t even have a name. It began as a hobby … a photo a day from the beach emailed to mates. It grew organically. Twenty years later Aquabumps’ photographs are now seen by hundreds of thousands of people, daily.
The best of :: Uge’s work hangs in the Aquabumps Gallery 64 Hall Street Bondi Beach NSW 2026 Telephone 02 9130 7788 Australia. Yes, they can be shipped globally.
In memory, this has to be one of the best Easters on record — and the good times just keep rolling.
Where do I start? The water’s been impeccable. Warm days, cool nights. Ocean like a bath — I’ve gone days without a scrap of wetsuit rubber.
And waves… every single day we’ve found them.
Not in Sydney though — we’re on the annual pilgrimage, up and down the coastline of this great state, chasing it like so many others.
As per usual, I’m stepping away from the Bondi beat for a bit, hanging with my tykes. They surf better than me now… and aren’t shy about dishing out a few pointers.
Enjoy the weather and these chunky swells.
And remember — when in doubt, don’t go out. It’s proper size in Sydney today, peaking this arvo.
:: uge
Autumn is a good time for surfing around Sydney. There always seems to be something to ride. Today served up a fun little 2–3 foot shorey on the 8am high tide, with a few short, punchy ones in the mix. When the tide’s that full, it breaks right up on the beach, so there’s not much runway, but no complaints here. The water is sublime — still warm — and it’s a pretty fine way to start a work day.
After lunch, the northeasterly should kick in, and we’re looking at a top of around 22 degrees. The sun is now out after a cloudy start, and it’s shaping up as an absolute cracker for some beach time. Reports this week also point to a warmer, mostly dry lead-in before wetter weekend weather arrives.
Tomorrow, Wednesday 1 April, the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach waiting period kicks off, running through 11 April, with competition only on suitable surf days.
Looks like small, fun waves for the Easter long weekend, although unfortunately Saturday and Sunday are shaping up wet.
:: uge
We’ve got a new Aquabumps board… phwoar!
Our father-and-son crew at Campbell Designed have just dropped the latest in our art board series. Ocean Confetti — a Bondi water shot — now beautifully inlaid into an exquisite 6’6” mid-length.
She’s a looker. Hang it on the wall or take it for a spin — your call. Comment ‘CONFETTI’ for a link…
@campbelldesigned
Missed most of the weekend’s serious surf action while I was down in Victoria. By all accounts, it was a proper one — big, powerful, the kind of swell that lights up the charts and gets people talking.
Back in Sydney now, and you can still see the remnants hanging in there… but Bondi’s not exactly putting on a highlight reel this morning. No carpark sand drifts or bent hand rails, it’s all getting back to norm.
There’s still 4–5ft on offer, a bit wobbly, with a handful of crew poking around the middle and up north, trying to make something of it. A light 4-knot WSW is keeping things tidy enough, and with the tide dropping, there might be a moment or two if the banks decide to cooperate.
Over in comp land, Bells kicks off tomorrow — get your tips in. We’ve fired up the “Aquabumps Gang” league (please join), and the winner pockets 42 million dollars rupiah… or about a tank of diesel these days.
Quick heads-up: Aquabumps Gallery Bondi is closed Good Friday, open Saturday, then shut again Sunday and Monday over Easter.
Avagoodone,
:: uge
There’s a bit going on this morning… one of those dawns that delivers on all fronts for photographers.
A late sunrise pulled a proper crowd, all eyes fixed on the skies above Ben Buckler — it didn’t disappoint. High cloud lit up in a fast-moving wash of pinks and reds, the kind of colour that stops people mid-step, phones half-raised, jaws slightly open. The sort of fleeting magic that makes dragging yourself out of bed worth it… and yeah, one for my 100MP medium format beast (that’s a fancy camera). Might even hang in our gallery in Hall St.
A punchy east swell also rolled in from the deep, throwing a bit of weight at the shoreline — one of the first proper pulses of the year. We’ve been a bit starved so far, but autumn’s flicking the switch. And right behind it… there’s a big rogue swell brewing. A proper south swell lining up for Saturday — cold, raw, and likely a bit wild (think 10-15 foot). The kind that rearranges sandbanks and humbles egos.
Mornings like this put a smile on the dial for everyone before heading to work.
:: uge
Bondi lived up to its reputation this morning as one of the busiest, nuttiest joints on earth at dawn. The sheer volume of humans packed into postcode 2026 was really something.
I started at Icebergs, and it was heaving — in the pool, out of the pool, up on the Aquabumps sunrise sky deck… choccas. Everyone was waiting for that late sunrise to poke through, phones at the ready.
As I made my way down the beach, four volleyball courts were in full swing, a large women’s yoga session was set up on the sand, while the Roosters cheer squad was deep into a photoshoot (well that’s new!). The amount of content coming out of Bondi between 6:50am and 7:30am would have been phenomenal. Everyone had their phones out, and the 5G towers would’ve been working overtime.
The waves were busy too — standard — but not exactly firing (2 foot and tide too low). The overnight lift in size wasn’t really visible at Bondi, as this east-north-east swell is better suited to places like Manly and Maroubra, which are more exposed to that energy.
Enjoy this glamorous day — sunny, perfect, and 25 degrees. Hard to argue with that.
:: uge
P.S. 8:30 am, beach empty as was the line up!
It’s a beach day.
22–25 degrees and looking so good outside it’s borderline distracting.
An ENE swell is trickling into Sydney, but it’s very weak — waist to a generous, optimistic small bloke’s chest. Still, with just 2 knots of NNE wind, it’s about as clean enough. I even ventured over the hill for a few different vistas…
The real chat this week is what’s lurking on the charts. A low is expected to squeeze past Tasmania around Friday, and it’s got a bit of grunt. Today should see a small lift, building into some decent stuff Friday, before things go properly oversized on the weekend.
How big? Think 6 metres… the kind of size that turns heads and empties lineups.
Hard to see the junior regionals running at Maroubra on Saturday — it’ll be maaaaaassive down at the Bra.
:: uge
Dark one this morning — proper late start. Cloud cover didn’t help, felt like the sun forgot shine – but then came to the party around 7:45am.
Daylight saving’s on the way out (ends Sunday 5 April), and you can feel it. Sunrise clocked in around 6:58am today, sunset about 7:08pm — just over 12 hours of light, but the mornings are definitely losing their edge.
There’s been a little wave hanging in on the banks — nothing epic, but something to ride most days, which is more than enough. No complaints here. Crowds, though… yeah, hectic. Always is when it’s small.
Heard a rough one from the weekend — a lady broke her jaw after copping a 100L foamie to the face. Nasty, big cheek laceration too. So yeah… keep the head on a swivel out there.
Next couple of days looking nice — sunshine, light winds. Worth pencilling that into the calendar.
Adios,
ugios
The 10am high tide really porked things up out there—so much so the swell machine pretty much parked as the water filled in. I know… I was out there waiting for the elusive “just one more.”
There were some fun ones early. Mostly 2-foot and a bit weak, but a few runners along the shallow bank if you were in the right spot (and a bit lucky).
Crowds did the usual rotation. Started with the super groms and the Scots surf squad, then by around 8am the Friday regulars came sniffing… hunting. It got surprisingly busy through that 8–9 window before the tide took the legs out of it.
I reckon everyone was trying to beat the southerly. It’s feathering the surface now—not terrible, but you can feel the shift.
Weather can’t make up its mind. Grey, then sunny, then back to grey. Bit of a lucky dip out there today.
The Aquabumps Gallery is open all weekend, 10–6 at 64 Hall Street. Swing by if you’re in the hood.
:: uge
Left the ridiculous sunshine of Perth and landed straight back into Bondi’s grey skies — classic east coast muggy welcome.
But hang on… we’ve got waves.
Nothing cooking — 1–2ft and a bit chubby on the early high — but there are a few peaks, it’s clean, and definitely rideable if you’re keen (and if you’re reading this… you are).
Light winds stick around into the arvo, a cheeky sun cameo possible before some drizzle rolls through around 3–5pm. Autumn doing its thing.
Top of 24°. Water still firmly in boardies-and-bikinis territory. No excuses.
Bit happening around the beach too with Ocean Lovers Festival this weekend:
• March 19, 6–9pm: “The Plastic Country” preview by @kalglanznig
• March 21, 9:30–11:30am: #BigBondiBeachClean with @take3forthesea
Good excuse to get amongst it — in or out of the water.
P.S. Always blows me away how many West Aussies read Aquabumps… inbox lights up the second I land. Short trip, loud crowd.
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I’m in Perth for a quick stop — the land of endless sunshine. I checked the 14-day forecast and it’s 30+ degrees every day, perfectly clear skies the whole way through. Incredible. An enviable autumn.
The downside of such hot, stable weather? No waves. If you’re not on a boat at Rotto or heading down south you won’t be surfing. Unless, of course, you’re happy with 0.5-foot Scabs or Triggs, where you may get to your feet if the ocean’s feeling generous.
I’ve timed my visit well with the annual Sculpture by the Sea, so the typically empty, sprawling beaches are actually busy for a change. Mostly around Cottesloe though — wander a kilometre either direction and you’re back to what Perth does best: endless empty white sand beaches.
Autumn’s a good time here. Cool nights, warm days, and the Freo Doctor backs off a bit. Occasionally the ocean even goes calm in what some claim is the third windiest city in the world. Perfect conditions for the Port to Pub swim — the annual crossing from Leighton to Rottnest, a lazy 19.7 km paddle.
I’ve never done it. Not for me.
I water-skied across to Rotto once though.
Back in Bondi, under grey skies, the cams are showing decent waves.
Out you go.
:: uge
A little different today. The swell’s coming from the ENE and the southerly wind kicked in early — real early — around 15 knots. That combo isn’t great for Bondi… we face south, basically turning our backs to the swell source.
So I went for a wander around the corner.
Other beaches have been suffering from a lack of sand for ages, so even with the favourable swell direction and the southerly winds (they face a different way to Bondi), I rarely saw anyone riding a wave of quality. Mostly just a whole lot of people duck-diving all morning.
Currently a comfortable 23 degrees, partly cloudy and pretty pleasant. Tomorrow looks a touch cooler — the first cooler one in a while — with a bit more swell expected, though likely textured by the onshores.
Adios, ugios.
