I elected not to shoot this morning and take the kids for a roll in the sand. There’s a nemesis shark in the bay at Bondi anyway. I’m pretty sure this is the last Aquabumps post for 2016 and now I am gonna vanish, go offline, and hide for the festive season. Just for a few weeks, […]

My first appraisal of the surf conditions came back with a poor result. It looked onshore, small and random. The beach was very quiet and I started to peel away from the shoreline to take ‘interesting’ photos of letterboxes in Bondi. I was kinda desperate. I took a look an hour or so later and […]

Hi. Hello. Hey. The swell is limping in as yesterday’s bumps have dissipated. Time to pop down for a swim as the sun is baking and she’s warm, real warm. It’s gonna rain later today. Kinda like it did last night. The Festive season is kicking in. Lots of people starting to peel off from […]

T’was a busy one this morning. The sun came out, the surf cleaned up and at 5:30 am the insomniacs filled the beach. It was 3-4 foot at Bondi, but unfortunately, a vast majority of waves are closing out. Maybe it will improve on the high tide? Maybe… Do you want our latest book? Order […]

If you’ve got a copy of my latest book, and read the intro, you’ll hear me banging on about the Bondi contrasts…how the beach can be rammed with 30,000 beach goers, then the next morning it’s deserted with just a few locals doing their morning rituals. Today is all quiet, after a big weekend. It’s […]

I have an unwritten obligation to you, our loyal readers, to come up with something interesting for you to look at every week-day morning. I too sat in a cubicle, once upon a time, in the big bad city, dreaming of places I’d rather be. I get it. A little 2-minute aquatic distraction goes a long way. […]

Mick Fanning, dubbed the fastest man that has ever set foot on a surfboard, came to Sydney on this salubrious, grey, onshore, wintery morning. The waves are VERY junkie…but at least there is something to surf. Mick’s taken a year off after 15 years on the pro surfing tour grind. I asked him if he […]

My favourite possession at the moment is my bedroom air-cond. I run hot on a normal day. If we get hot muggy Sydney nights, I don’t sleep a wink. My insomnia takes over. Last night was the 2nd warmest Sydney night on record hitting 27.5 degrees.  Steamy wasn’t it? I chilled my cryogenic chamber and […]

It is a hot day huh? 36 degrees is the forecast and you could cook eggs on the tin roof of our Bondi gallery. The winds are ENE and the swell is nonexistent. It’s super tiny. Don’t matter, go for a swim. It’s cold though after all that NE wind. I know you’re busy, so I will […]

I hope you’re all in a much better mood today seeing we’ve had swell for 3 days. Have you surfed? Today’s smaller, but still very fun. Multiple Bondi banks providing small morning runners. A board with plenty of foam would be the right choice. Facts about today: Sunny and 25 degrees The wind will blow […]

Everyone’s a little bit cranky due to the lack of waves. It’s been a while since we’ve really had something decent to ride, I know, I get it…breathe. Breathe. Breathe! Today’s ridiculously flat, welcome to Lake Bondi. It’s not often that the most die-hard beginners aren’t surfing Bondi. Glass half full – it’s been nice and […]

It’s surfable but definitely not pumping. It could get better as this brand new NE swell builds during the day. The wind, however, is going to howl 25-30 knots at 5pm today. Hide the Sulo bins, strap on the bbq cover – she’s gonna blow! Finally, after the recent swell drought, I have some nourishing […]

Good morning! I want to say it’s pumping, 3-4 foot, offshore crystal blue cylinders. I want to… But for a report like that, I need to be over in Hawaii right now.  (FOMO) Sydney is having a rough week for surfers, it’s a diabolical 1-foot dribble. Fortunately tomorrow afternoon there should be something to surf […]

Well, it wasn’t my most memorable morning down at Bondi. There’s definitely room for improvement. The waves are a dribbly foot, it’s semi onshore, raining and well – the beach is empty. I did get down there, 2 cameras in hand, ready for action. But my inspiration blew away in the first rain squall. I […]

“Don’t put up those bloody Hawaii shots! We want Bondi…” That’s how my morning started. The challenge was laid down in front of me as an avid reader piped up across the dog park. I had to try and make something interesting from the mundane. Bondi was a very bland flavour of grey this morning. It […]

Friday’s are always fun around here, especially in summer when it’s hot. We had a muggy morning with 1-2 footers that were OK on the incoming tide, but they have since been extinguished. Maybe again on the low, the rip bowl wave machine will turn back on for the loggers? Other than that – it’s […]

From the beach, the surf conditions looked very boring. I took all the time in the world to get down there (a tad uninspired with 1-2 footers and flat light). The tide seemed to push in around 6-thirts and a little rip bowl came to life – good timing! For its small size, it sure put […]

Today is the last day of spring and the beach was fully loaded this morning. I mean, what beach in the world has traffic jams at 5:45am? Seriously! In Paris, you don’t see humans until at least 8:30am. In Italy, they think you’re still out from the night before if you see the sunrise. At […]

After a steamy night, we have refreshing southerlies to cool us down. Sticky night, wasn’t it? The southerlies have roughed up the ocean, and those 3-4 foot treats from yesterday have now gone below par. In fact, the rest of the week looks very small and not good at all. Party’s over people! We had […]

Hey…how’s the weekend? This week has kicked off with plenty of swell, hazy skies, and some crazy birds. I did a little swell-stalk between Bronte and Bondi and found some surfable waves in the head high and above range. Bondi was shutting down, straight as. Bronte had the odd fat set on the reef – […]

Today I had the pleasure of spending some time in the brine with Josh Constable. Josh is a fine human, great surfer and ex-world longboarding champ. He’s in town launching a new range of boards called the Creative Army which look the goods. Bondi had some waves as the swell switched to south. The weed and banks aren’t great, […]

The shark alarm cleared North Maroubra this morning around 6am. Rumor has it, there is a friendly shark looking for a few mates in the lineup. He’s been around all week the local boys tell me. Do you get out when you hear the alarm? Comment here. With a new north wind swell, there are a […]

Bronte Pool has been resurrected from the violent June storms. Gates are open! (Insert crowd going wild). It was a very busy morning, everywhere. I guess everyone knew it was going to be a balmy morning after that sticky 26-degree night. I never sleep on those hot nights, do you? The swell is on the […]

Top morning. One of those special ones where the air and water were sooooooo warm, you just can’t get out. If you came down, you would know what I mean. Waves. yes! Plenty of swell but Bondi was mainly closing out. Sets were head high. The backwash was full-on, water surging up onto a shallow sand […]

She’s gonna hit 33 freakin’ degrees today. How YOU doing. It’s only 28 now as I tap this out, but 33 is gonna cook it. Can I suggest an early knock off from work and an invigorating dip in the ocean on sunset? I’m gonna. Surfing conditions are less exciting with a massive drop in […]

Edition 4,656 of Aquabumps morning glory. Bondi Beach, 2-3 foot and a tad on the junkie side. Surfable yes, awesome, not really. Today started with some light rain. That didn’t discourage a few thousand people from hitting Bondi at sunrise. Fitness classes everywhere, walkers, talkers and mad keen surfers buzzing around. Tomorrow morning will be […]

Good morning to the good people of Aquabumps. Today has all the right ingredients, clear skies, warm air and light winds. It’s a good day to have off, middle of the week, go chill down the beach.  Stuff like that… 32 banging degrees on Friday – now that’s another day you should have off. Benny’s boardroom, […]

Aroooooo! We had a big bright moon last night and loads of people came to Bondi to witness it. To me, it kinda looked the same as it always does, even being 50,000 clicks closer to Bondi. OK, it was just a little brighter and you could see more detail on the surface. The good […]

Rain, it’s coming. Those morning clouds are telling. You will get wet around 7pm tonight, other than that, it will be a cooler partly cloudy day around Sydney. Swell – nope, nada, flat. It’s so tiny it’s not worth writing about. Tomorrow – swell will return and be kinda solid. It’s a south swell and […]

We have a new American president AND a new swell in town. I know which one I prefer. Who’d thought? wow? WOW! Amazingly the sun still rose today, the world hasn’t ended and we have decent waves to surf. Bondi was super fun with head high sets and running lefts. It did seem very, very quiet […]

We’ve got a weed problem in Bondi. It’s everywhere. It’s pretty serious. A fresh batch has rocked up and has taken over the joint (excuse the pun)! Some people love getting on the weed, I’m not that keen, I find it slows me down…sometimes holds me under. Stinks too. Waves – gone. From 4-5 foot […]

The swell went from flat to thumping over the weekend. It’s still here…and thriving. South facing Bondi was up to her old tricks, breaking straight…closing out. It’s dropping off tonight, so we will return to smaller waves in the morning. I trust you’re enjoying the salubrious 27-degree day. Like yesterday, another big south swell is […]

We’ve had a good run of summery small waves in Sydney lately. I don’t know about you, but I’ve surfed nearly every day for 2 weeks. I’ll surf anything I can get really but I’m having a good time! Today – 2 foot, maybe a bigger set around head high. Clean morning with perfectly clear […]

It’s always good heading down the beach with low expectations and getting a little surprise. Today the swell pulsed – contradicting the 1.3 foot forecast. I saw a set around 6:20am that was definitely over head high…it spun off into the south corner like a freight train. I frothed. I didn’t see too many more […]

Looking for some fun, peaky, 2 footers? Say no more. This morning was for you! Swell came up you’d arvo and put on some pleasant (not pumping) surf conditions. Swell is SSE and winds are WSW – good combo. Unfortunately, the swell is on the decline – but you’ll be at your Melbourne Cup lunches […]

It’s one foot…or un piede. Really lacking surf conditions today. The swell charts show an increase later to head high. That sounds good to me. I hope it arrives soon! Did I see the Dolphins today? Yes, but they were far out so no pics. Have you been watching the WSL in France? Things are […]

Well, Bondi wasn’t looking that flash this morning. It was pretty lame to be honest. Onshore, grey and 6 inch mush (maybe even smaller). There’s bigger waves in The Med when the Capri ferries hoon past. No need to come down. Your office cubicle is the right place to be today. I’ve only scratched the […]

I’m up at Hamilton Island for The Audi Race Week. It’s a big sailor’s festival where 250 boats take over the island. It’s their biggest week of the year on this tropical island. Even though the weather was pretty overcast the emerald greens of the Whitsundays still prevail. It’s a very good looking spot indeed. […]

Italy was awesome, thank you. Bondi ain’t too shabby either. I’m back. Just look out the window, what a day! Spring is here and the weather is spot on. Small waves around 1-2 foot – 1 wave came in bigger which is pictured above. It was SO good to see waves again. I missed them. […]

Our fling with Italy is coming to an end. This is the last post from here…a sigh of relief I hear from some. I know, let’s see photos of waves! I miss waves too…but this coast is just as seductive. So you’re a busy person. If you want a 4 day tour of The Amalfi […]