Some mornings it can be a punish peeling out of bed before the sun rises. You’d think after 15 years of daily dawn photography I’d have it down. I’m human. I need a java hit to switch the brain into gear and steer me in the general direction of the beach. As I rolled down […]

Hola! The waves looked a little confused this morning. Perhaps it was a mixture of NE and south swells and a low tide. I didn’t really see anything worth riding, but try again on the 11:40am high tide (soon!). Bondi is full of rips at the moment. They’re on turbo and it’s quite dangerous for […]

The conditions flipped and it seems most Bondi surfers headed to Maroubra this morning to reap the benefits. Good move if you did. Some fun ones out there in a weak NE wind swell. I saw a wave break overhead high! Just one. The winds are quite strong and from the SW. Protected corners essential. […]

It’s going to be another tough day for our brave fire-fighters as the mercury creeps up to 31 degrees. I can’t stop thinking about all those poor people that lost their homes and property. I gotta say though, all this smoke in the air has been creating some unique photo opportunities around Sydney. The sun […]

Sadly New South Wales is being ravaged by 100 wild bush fires. Say a little prayer for those families who’ve lost homes. The skies were filled with smoke last night and asthmatics will find it hard to breathe. Last night was very unique down at Bondi with all this smoke, some of the strangest light […]

Yesterday’s swell has run out of gas and we’re back in Dribbleland. It’s micro and best suited to long boarding and newbies to the sport like my new son Spike (Ok maybe we had better wait a year or two as he’s only 2 weeks old). The water is 10 out of 10 though. Just […]

It was an all-star cast down at Bondi Beach this morning. Pamatatua Davies, Sam Mac, Brett Anderson, Ian Wallace, The Gonz, Brucey Stafford, Sam Jackson… hell even Tom Bird paddled out for the early. There’s waves around head high. The banks aren’t that great but there is a rip bowl in the middle of the […]

Good times to be had down the beach, the sunshine is back with plenty of south swell. Today I chose to shoot Maroubra as the banks at Bondi were a little patchy, plenty of waves in the North corner (with a big crew to match). I reckon Bondi was bigger though – with some sets […]

Yin/Yang Hot/Cold Sunny/Rainy Packed/Empty Black/White Northerlies/Southerlies Tired/Hyper Bondi/Manly Yesterday/Today Out. ::uge P.S. Some chunky 4 footers coming in, just need better form.

You could not get more different days…that’s today and yesterday. Sydney’s weather moods are so Bi-Polar. Yesterday was a sweltering hottie – bit like sitting in the oven. Now this morning it’s raining, cool, onshore and the beach is deserted. Are we in the same country? Swell is up, chest to head high onshore goodness. […]

Today is shaping up to be the hottest day ever. Ok, maybe just the hottest day in October, but it’s still hot. By the time you get this email it will be 30 degrees. Then by the time you head out for lunch (or wag work and split for the beach) it will be a […]

This morning I dug deep into the camera cupboard and pulled out my first lens – the 15mm Canon F2.8 Fisheye. For about 8 years it was my only lens to shoot in the water with. That’s all I could afford. It’s all hacked up now, the auto focus button is missing and Dave Kelly […]

It was quite a big weekend around here. Bondi was packed on Saturday and the Roosters fans have been going berserk over their big win. The beach was quiet today and there are a few fun little rights towards the middle of the beach. My call is 5/10. Nothing worth racing down for. Pro Surfing […]

All beaches have a specialised set of ingredients that the make for good surfing. For Bondi, for me, it’s a slight onshore day, sunshine and south swell with 3-4 footers. Just like today. There’s a little left rip bowl at second ramp that looks like fun. I reckon the onshores give it a little push […]

Damn flat down at ‘The Pond’ this morning. AKA Pond-I (thanks Evan). The ocean was exhausted by yesterday’s howling winds and there wasn’t a ripple to ride this morning at 6am. Fortunately this flatness will be short lived as a new south swell kicks into gear – just about now (I look at my watch […]

Sorry about the radio silence over the past couple of days. I’m back online now (call off the search party)…and what stunning conditions I’ve got to report. Perfect sunshine and a fresh swell with 2-3 footers. The beach is packed, schoolies have taken over, and it’s a damn fine beach day. Do it! Yep…it’s true…overnight […]

These 4 foot swells don’t hang around long at the moment. Friday was big, Saturday was small (but fun), Sunday was big and now today is tiny. Waves are breaking around your knee caps to belt line. But that’s about it. Of course it’s clear skies, sunny and 28 today. Just like every day. Small […]

After a long flat spell we now have waves. No lie. Phew. Thanks Hui. The SSE swell has kicked in strong and Bondi was closing out at 7am (std). Get in the car and drive away from Bondi – you’ll score for sure! Winds are perfectly WSW offshore, the sunshine is out and today will […]

I like today. Not for its surfing prowess as there are NO waves. More for its warmth and clear skies. It’s a corker and it’s gonna hit 30. Tools down. Hit the beach. You deserve it. Swell should arrive tomorrow. South. Boom. :: u g e

Mmm feels like summer doesn’t it? (27) The waves are flat and the water is warm. You must go for a dip. I owe you an apology. Yesterday we promoted a Herringbone board giveaway which had expired, goneski…done. Yep, after we contacted our buddies at Herringbone before going live and got the green light, they […]

The crazy warm weather continues and a huge crowd down the beach at 6am working on their summer rigs. Busiest morning of the year I reckon. 30 degrees today with strong NW winds = bad for fires. The surf is dismal. Really small stuff, good for beginners or logging. I don’t think you will surf […]

Goedemorgen! OK, it’s actually ‘afternoon as Aquabumps headquarters has been a little busy. The swell has slipped a few gears and Maroubra had a small shorey worth slaying. Not much else seemed up to scratch. The wind is hooooowwling, 30 knots of W/SW and it’s a nice day outside. Might be a wave at Bondi […]

Here’s the vitals of today. It’s a good one to be outside and a bonus to be at the beach. 2-3ft east swell. 12 knots of WSW wind. Hell fat high tide at 7:50am. Low at 2pm. I drove around all the Eastern beaches and they were all suffering under high-tide-itis. Tamarama had the wonkiest […]

With all this north swell in town I felt compelled to shoot something different, something more exposed. I ventured over the ditch and ended up in Manly. Manly loves a bit of north swell. Did you know that Manly was named after the indigenous people that lived there? Captain Arthur Phillip said the “”their confidence […]

Oh man it blew last night. It blew so hard that balconies are collapsing in Bondi (read news). What a storm hey? She brewed up some beefy swell for this morning though. Bondi had waves in the 3-5 foot range with a new ENE swell. Fortunately the winds have passed and now it’s time to […]

Don’t be sad about those grey skies. It’s those grey skies and low pressure systems that create waves. The swell has arrived and Bondi was fun yesterday/today. So fun. I can’t believe we are surfing waves that break above our heads! Let’s party. It’s been a while. Today was relatively uncrowded at Bondeye – being […]

Very different down there today. Less sun, colder, some rain, more antics, plenty of wind with pretty average surf. (But at least there is surf) Towards North Bondi had a few…South End looked horrible. Have a great weekend. Rain forecasted for tomorrow, Sunday looks nicer. Waves will be OK for both days. : : u […]

The sand banks at Bondi have reached an all-time low vrtually making it unsurfable. We need a serious storm to change the setup. I noticed someone has proactively hired a bulldozer to move sand around – that’s a start but nothing beats a raging north storm to push all the sand into our corner. A […]

Bush fires always seem to create interesting sunrises. There’s stuff in the air from smoke that illuminates at the right times of day. Bondi was looking it’s best at 5:40am. Hope you saw it. The waves were OK. Bigger than micro-yesterday. Most waves were closing out on shallow straight banks but worthy of a shred. […]

New government, new week, new (wind) swell and new season. It’s all changing right here. The sun was up super early and so was the heat. 22 degrees when I woke at 5 sumpin’ o’clock. There is some wind chop around from the north that you can ‘surf’. But it’s very small. You’ll need the […]

There is a little wave on offer down at Bondeye. It’s not hot, but rideable. It is going to be 24 degrees today. Swell should increase this afternoon and be OK for most of this week. Finally after weeks of dribbles. It’s Monday, I know you are busy…so this email is very short. O u […]

At 5:50am it was shaping up quite nicely. Glassy conditions, small East swell and colours sprayed over the Buckler. Real pretty huh? By about 6:30am a small south change hit, messing the surf up and the skies filled grey. It’s now 11:38am as I write this and I can see sunshine baking through all windows. […]

After what feels like eternity we’ve finally got surf to talk about. The swell drought has broken with fresh waist to shoulder high waves this morning. The surf is trickling in from the East so beaches facing that way will attract more (i.e. not south facing Bondi) The wind is a gentle 7 knots NW […]

Today is just like yesterday. Same Same. Sunny, warm, immaculate, glassy and FLAT. Ok, maybe a wave for the log that is breaking around your shins to your belt. Yesterday I was lucky enough to go flying above Bondi in ‘The Bird’. Oh boy, the colours up there were incredible. The water clarity is so […]

The ocean lacks energy and the sky is 100% clear. Damn this weather is mighty fine. Go outdoors – it’s just too good and those damn election TV commercials will make you lose your mind. (How bad are they?) Your next surf will be this weekend when a south swell arrives, other than that…grab the […]

Today we enter into Spring. True. I know most of you probably feel like that happened a few months ago. But it is here now, and looking real pretty. Today is a cracker. Go outside. Bask. Surf – nope. Still nothing. Later this week you will see some swell, but most days of this week […]

The swell has flipped and now coming in from the NE. I guess all that wind last night stirred up some wind swell. It’s nothing special. Wind swells never really are. The beaches are mushy, junkie and random. Good for a grovel. 26 today. Wowsers. Go for a swim. GRAND CUCINA. Sounds like some exotic […]

Not a spare seat in the house down at Bondi this morning. It was that comfortable combo of tiny waves and sunshine that attracted a lot of rookies. Great day to learn. The water temperature even bumped up slightly. The wind is coming though, 25 knots of NE will shake it up a little and […]

The morning magic continues…glassy, sunny, warm morning with a small wave pulsing in the south corner of Bondi. It was pretty quick, so I reckon more tide will provide makeable sections. High tide 1:40pm, low tide 7am (when I took these photographs) The water was kinda chilly…I’d say 16-17 degrees. Can you believe it is […]

Seems to be a bit of a swell drought on at the moment. The lack of low pressuries makes for fine weather, just not fine surfing. South facing swell magnets (AKA Bondeye) would draw a little mal wave, but don’t get too excited. Waist to occasionally shoulder high perhaps? Looks small all week. Tomorrow is […]