This is the last Aquabumps update for 2010. I’ve taken thousands of shots and today I’m showing you some of my favourites taken this year. You can see more of 2010’s best at this link. It’s been a big year. I still spinout when I think that this little update started in 1999 just sending […]

Hiya. There’s a little wave out dere. Bigger and cleaner than yesterday. Not smoking but surfable(ish). A few of the larger 3 foot sets were showing promise, but the banks weren’t doing much. I reckon it will improve with the incoming tide. High tide 10:20am, low tide 5pm. 1.5 days left of shopping – If […]

An severe drop in swell energy and early morning southerly has ruined your plans of a good wave this morning. After yesterday’s delights we now have 1-2 foot onshore junk. Pass. Nice day though, 25 degrees. Tomorrow ‘may’ have a little bump with NE winds, other than that it’s going to be a Christmas of […]

What a difference 24hrs can make. We’ve gone from Lake Bondi flatness to 3-4 foot pumps in 1 day – hooray! Finally something to wet your appetite…it’s not perfect, bit fat, could be bigger, but in comparison to recent times – gold! So many south facing beaches would have a little wave today…if you’re already […]

Very rare to see the ocean this flat. I know sometimes I say it’s tiny, or flat and there still is ankle biters or knee cappers….well today when I say it’s flat, there’s basically no movement in the ocean at all…like a lake…caputo…zip…nada…pancakes. It actually looked quite odd…can’t remember the last time it was this […]

There was a little sumpin’ flappin’ around out there, but I didn’t think much of it. The left more towards the middle had the odd wave worth slaying, other than that – junk. At least the water temperature has come up. So the dribbles of this east swell will dissipate as the day progresses. The […]

Nice’n’calm, still morning. Barely a ripple to surf and yep, there’s 10 human torpedo’s in the southern corner causing chaos. I reckon it’s more dangerous today than 6-8 foot days. Those china made mini mals can kill. It’s hot’n’sticky 28 now, but a south storm is approaching. Can feel it getting darker as I write […]

The plague of small swell continues. Bondi had 1-2 footers and is still very weak (windswell). Not much else to see down there – apart from a whole pile of people. Nice weather, max 27 degrees, maybe a thunderstorm later. Pretty flat until some good stuff arrives next Monday/Tuesday. Sit tight. Most of you probably […]

It’s not often you’ll get a daily email from me this early – nup. I guess it’s a combination of no decent waves to photograph today and an abundance of early light for the insomniacs (me), so I’m ahead of my usual schedule. Yesterday the wind finally swung south, this is good. A) it means […]

What a big weekend around the beaches of Sydney. Phew. Bondi was jammed packed. I’m talking Australia Day crowds – police on horseback, Oprah and Jack Johnson all visiting Bondi yesterday – no, Big O didn’t make it into the gallery (probably ‘cause of the traffic jams of spinning rims and hotted up Datsun 120ys). […]

Nice’n’clean’n’neat this morning after yesterday’s blow. Shame there’s barely any swell. It’s still from the NE, but struggling 1-2 foot. Seems to be dropping fast as well. The water temp. was the topic of convo this morning – it’s plummeted to a ridiculous temperature and colder than that freaky cold Sunday 2 weeks ago…my guess […]

Yesterday’s howling northerly stirred up some wind swell that hasn’t hung around long. Last night we had 3-4 foot, this morning 2-3 footers, and now 1-2 foot. Quite surprised how fast it dissipated. Oh well, hope you got a few whilst it was here. The outlook isn’t looking that great. A rapid decline in swell […]

I realise you’re probably gonna look at today’s shots and think I’ve gone a bit long on young Bronte surfer Caleb Reid, well, I have, but I also think it’s well deserved. Do you see many dudes tearing 2 footers? The surf wasn’t spectacular earlier – but sufficient. Even less spectacular now that the northerly […]

Well look at that. A little south swell snuck into Bondi this morning amongst the morning heat. It’s only 2 foot, fat and weak, but rideable. It was hot early, like 25 degrees and the water has finally heated up a little – 19. The nor-eater will howl 20 knots today…creating a new wind swell […]

Summer has finally kicked in and silly season has begun. Scores of people hit the beach yesterday, and some didn’t leave (see exhibit A above, must’ve strolled at of the Bondi hotel at the wee hours, fallen in Hungry Jacks, then passed out on the beach). Onya buddy. Poor fella has probably only been in […]

It’s always a nice surprise to have good weather after expecting dreary rain and greydom. Don’t always believe the hype. The water has that chilly bite to it, 17.9 degrees, but it’s nothing on last Sunday when we visited artic waters (sub 16). Ridiculous wasn’t it. We’ve got some junky wind chop resembling waves…Bondi was […]

Bigger and better today – and it’s not raining can you believe it! Still junkie, but you’ll find 2 footers around the traps, with the odd 3 footer at north exposed beaches. Wind is going to blow 25 knots from the NE and yep, the outlook is for more rain. I suspect this tiny spike […]

It’s not often that rain hinders my morning shoot so much, that I have to show you something else to distract you from your busy day. But hang on, 3 days of rain in a row? It’s real wet and grey outside. Welcome to the first day of summer kids! Where the hell is it […]

These wet, onshore Sydney mornings give me a good opportunity to sift through archives and find some gold. This morning I worked out that I’ve caught 48 flights this year (no medal please) and covered a lot of ocean from Maldives to Hawaii, shooting thousands of frames, most of which have barely been viewed and […]

Aloha. A very uninspiring morning down at Bondi today. Only one guy out, Mr. Enthusiasm Benny Back Door Lucas. He actually got 1 decent wave in the 15 minutes that he was out there. Spent the rest of the time drifting around. I dug around in my camera bag, looking for lenses I haven’t shot […]

Just like yesterday we’re stuck under this bit fat high pressurey and who’s complaining! Sun is bakin’, the wind is from the NE and the water is FROSTY. Looks like the mercury will hit 27 degrees and you’ll find messy 2-3 footers at northern exposed beaches. High tide midday, low tide 7pm. Young master Perth […]

Good old typical Sydney summers day today. NE winds, NE wind swell in the 2-3 foot range and hot temperatures predicted. Might even hit 30. The beach is overrun with mad schoolies and the water is crystal clear. Simply put, a damn fine day – get outside. enjoy. We’ll be stuck in this northerly wind/swell […]

There is plenty going on down the beach, just not in the surf department. We’ve got wind chop coming from the NE…but it’s barely breaking. Tomorrow we should see an increase in size, from the north again (not suited to Bondi). Probably one of the busiest mornings down the beach in a long time. Exercise […]

I’m not gonna promise you much today, it’s damn small and dribbling on a bank in the corner. Mighty fine day though with blaring sunshine, little wind and warm temperatures. Moose from the Icebergs reckons its 18.8 degrees in the water (21 in the ‘Bergs pool). 18 degree water is chilly, so don’t be fooled […]

Finally the weather has turned a corner and warmer temperatures are here – but so is the typical small waves of summer. Bondi had a 1-2 foot bump with plenty out. The water wasn’t exactly warm and you still require a springy or wettie top. Not too bad though. A good wake up rattle. The […]

So different to yesterday. It’s howling. Was actually difficult to keep the lens steady as the gale pulls it to one side. Bondi was 3-4 foot and full of mush. The odd wave showed potential…well… no one around so it’s all yours. Enjoy. The Aquabumps Book Finally, after 11 years of shooting pics, followed by […]

Whoa, how about an early report this morning. Just got out of the water and there’s a neat little right chuggin’ into Bondi. I was quite surprised to see it breaking at all considering the charts revealed little or no energy. The 12 year old groms thrived in the 2 footers. Thick hungry pack out […]

One of the best things about getting up at sunrise every morning and heading down the beach is the people. At that time of day most people are positive, highly motivated and basically good people. Ok, there may be a few left over benders from the Bondi Hotel on a big night/morning, but they generally […]

Sometimes writing a short couple of paragraphs about onshore, grey mush can be a little challenging. I don’t think you’d be too keen to head out there for a surf or a swim…the temperatures have dropped and it looks like a wet week ahead. Boo. I am not sure what’s going on over in WA, […]

Kinda odd morning, incredibly still and foggy…Bronte had cool air, Bondi hot…weird. The weather is a bit like a A380 engine at the moment…unpredictable. One things for sure…it’s about to POUR, big time. Even warnings of flash flooding this afternoon as up to 25 millimetres of rain is about to fall. Bring in the washing. […]

It’s just one of those mornings that you just can’t get enough of… One of the first warm mornings of this summer and everybody was up doing something down at Bondi. Very small, insignificant waves on offer today – 1 to 1.6 footers at Bondi. Perfect for the 25 kilo groms. It should be 3 […]

Small small. Smallest day of the week and really small at south facing bondi ‘cause the swell is coming from totally the opposite direction. Two options a) swim and enjoy this salubrious weather (27) or b) drive to a north exposed beach and have a play in 2 footers. The weekend may have some fun […]

The swell direction has changed overnight so you’ll see no action at Bondi today…need to pop over the hill. There was good little waves yesterday wasn’t there? I found some gold out of town (nope no pics, had to sample a few for myself). The sun is now blaring and finally a decent warm summery […]

Not even Merrick’s media stunt of swimming across Bondi could get me down there this morning. It was bucketing down and a good one to sleep in…onshore 2 foot slop can be a little demotivating. Rather than subject you to 5 photos shot from the car with the windscreen wipers hammering, here’s some images from […]

Blimey, summer is sure havin’ a rough start. Rain and wind dominate the landscape this morning. Bumps down at Bondi were breaking 2 foot with some 3 foot junk. It’s onshore galore and not ideal for surfing…pass. Outlook – yep we’ve got swell, but plenty of wind. What you really want to know is when […]

Incredibly sad news this morning…3 time world surfing champion, Andy Irons has reportedly died travelling back from a tour event in Puerto Rico. It’s said he died in a hotel room in Dallas of Dengue fever (unconfirmed)… Condolences to the Irons Family…just devastating news of the Hawaiians sudden death. Live every moment to the full […]

Where is everyone? Are you kidding me? Are you already well lubricated in Melbourne Cup celebrations? There are plenty of waves around generated by two distinct swells, 1 east, 1 dead south. The winds are SW (mostly offshore), wooo, but I could barely find anyone surfing them…well, a pod of dolphins at Bronte were going […]

There’s not much to write about today (surfwise). I’m a little stumped for words. Onshaw, small and grey. If you find yourself paddling out there you’ve got plenty of spare time. Pass the crumpets ol’ boy. Tomorrow – same same but cleaner. Saturday – bigger 3 feet…and some east swell action approaching. Better still, 27 […]

I like the mornings. Especially this morning when it’s warm in and out of the water. The swell has evaporated overnight but I still found a tiny bump in the middle…plenty out, plenty to dodge. Meet Ethan Davis (1st pic of today’s update). He’s 12 years old and only been surfing for 8 months. A […]

On my way home from the gallery last night I saw sets at Bondi tipping the 4 foot range. At the time I was quite impressed, thinking this morning might have something decent to ride as a predicted wind change was imminent. And SO…rolling down the hill (in a hurry) this morning to catch the […]