This is how it started today

Sky Cracks

After our brief intermission with wintery conditions, we’re back on track with a warm summery morning. It’s still a bit onshore and a tad junkie, but the shorey had some fun punchy little wedges around shoulder high. Uncrowded as well. Today I’m heading to Teahupoo as a small swell is about to hit there. No, […]

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Rottnest Island isolation...even on the busy days

WA is OK

I shot one lousy photograph of Bondi this morning. It’s 100% onshore, pouring with rain, and 2-3 foot. Oh, what a mess! A gruesome beach day. Surely you’ve got some work to catch up on; I assume you surfed your brains out on that last swell. Today’s beach inspiration comes from my recent trip to […]

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Bang! The absolute peak of colour this morning at Bondi

Blink

I get this comment a lot “Those pink skies, you photoshop them in, don’t you?” said standing in my gallery, on a grey day around 12 pm when there is no chance of seeing any colour down the beach. Now, why would I do that when I can just wake up early and shoot a pic. It’s […]

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Mutant Bronte Reef nugget

The Slow

I was a little shocked to see good (ok, maybe just surfable) waves down at our beaches this morning. Hell, even Bondi had a wave that was not just a shorey. Has the sand finally moved? Don’t get too excited…still, plenty of bank making required. Waves are definitely over head high. The winds are much lighter, […]

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Bondi beach 6:20am

Gust

Probably not my most memorable morning of shooting Bondi Beach. Completely blown out surf with 30 knots tearing it apart. The beach was empty and just one surfer out. What you need to know: There should be swell all week Winds will be lighter tomorrow, but still onshore. Thursday is the first clean offshore/crosshore day of […]

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Icebergs bang! Yesterday North swells slapping the pool

Gone Baby Gone

Well…that was a massive weekend around Bondi Beach. So much going on I don’t quite know where to start. Bowl-a-rama filled most of the south end whilst a wandering shark evacuated the beach yesterday at 8am. The weather was incredible and a rogue NE swell arrived, from TC Gita. Bondi and Tama had some average waves, […]

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Coogee Beach pastels, 6:15am this morning

Finally…thanks Gita.

After a waveless summer, we have something decent to talk about. The much-hyped tropical cyclone Gita is pushing down some swell. Bondi was unsurfable…but East or North facing beaches had a head high wave this morning – which should get better and bigger all weekend. Super clean conditions at sunrise, which now have some SE winds […]

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Look who peeped through the clouds, Manly Beach

Pines

I was in Manly again today…sniffing around looking for something different to shoot. It is very different over there. The beach faces a completely different angle to Bondi. Manly likes a north swell where Bondi loves a south swell. Manly is a big beach (1.4km long) and usually has banks as the drain pipes create irregular […]

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Pink skies for Valentines. Bowl-a-rama stadium is up

Valentine

Bondi’s skies blew pink hues for Valentine’s Day today. Really warm and muggy morning – waveless. I am talking as flat as Bondi could possibly be. Fellas, here is a few last minute gift ideas: Our Bondi Beach Aquabumps Gallery has a whole pile of stuff to give her (from $35), we’re open until 6 pm […]

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Body bash dumpers, South Bondi

Spinal Tap

You’ve heard me mention the dire situation of our Bondi sandbanks for surfers… well… I was hoping the Bulldozers would come south and throw us a bone – no such luck. The Dozer work completed on North Bondi has seemed to make the shoreline even steeper (if that is possible) – what that means for swimmers […]

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Mickey Malouf, a man grommet, finding the wave of the day at Bondi

Moments

It’s been a testing time to be a surfer in Bondi. The sandbanks could not possibly be any worse. Even with swell, we can’t seem to get a wave to break in a decent fashion. High tide it seems to push right up onto the shoreline and dump, right on the dry sand. On low […]

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The flipside, Bondi sunrise 6:30am

Golden Hues

When it’s hot I don’t sleep much. Rolling down the beach at 6 am I don’t think many of you sleep either. Bondi was alive this morning with people going mad on exercise, swimming, surfing, SUPing, fishing…it’s on. Did I say surfing? To clarify, it’s tiny…and the banks remain dysfunctional. The Bulldozers are powering all […]

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Light penetrating the shorey dump

Lucky

We’re lucky to live in Sydney. Don’t take my word for it, watch Will Smith’s latest Vlog on Youtube, recently shot in Sydney (watch it around 4:30 when Aquabumps Gallery features with The Fresh Prince). That talked-up south swell did dribble in last night but by morning was all gone. One hit wonder. This morning one bank […]

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Good light and men in Lycra

Downgrade

Usually when there is a 13 second, 3-4 foot south swell and offshore winds I have some fantastic waves to shoot. The forecast was a dud – a nonevent – didn’t happen. I can hear the crowd booing, cars are being over turned on the streets and riot police on high alert. What happened? Where […]

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Tamarama 6:18am, sunrise

T-hammer

I drifted over the hill to Tamarama this morning in search of better waves. I found some rideable waist to chest high waves on offer, nothing really breaking that impressively. The sunrise was worth celebrating with a colour spray of pink, only for a second, then fading into the greys. If you follow me on […]

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Beginning of a new week, North Bondi

Deep Blue

The ocean was very blue this morning. Clarity was good, but the water temp. = exceptional. The waves weren’t so fantastic at Bondi (would be much better at beaches with sandbanks and more east exposure). I didn’t really see anything worth surfing at all even though we had clean calm conditions. Tomorrow arvo the swell […]

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Reef lines, Southern Bondi Beach 7am

Ghostlines

Today is a case of ‘should-a-got-up-early’. Looking out the window as I type this, it’s grey and gloomy. At 6 am we had a few brightly coloured clouds and plenty of nice light to shoot. The waves were not crash hot, mainly due to the absence of sandbanks and a incompatible mid tide. I feel the […]

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Perth Standlick, good timing with the light behind

Turbo Shoreys

I’ve always wanted to shoot surfing in France. It’s on my list. They say waves break there, very close to shore and hollow. I guess Bondi is doing it’s best summer impersonation of France today with a very hollow, abrupt shorey. It’s 3-4 foot, chunky, bumpy, lumpy, junky…but hollow. With the big tides and a full […]

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