I’ve been spoilt by recent travels, hunting blue water and piping nugs in Indo. So when I arrived at Bondi this morning to howling onshores, and I mean PROPER howling, an empty beach, drizzle and dark skies, I couldn’t see much point in showing you a beach full of onshore mush. Instead, let’s escape back […]

How many followers do you have? Haha, I’m being cheeky. Is Bondi the epicentre of social media in Australia? It certainly feels like it sometimes. Everyone seems to have amassed a following. Once upon a time, when I was taking photos down at Bondi in the mornings, people would question what I was doing. Why […]

Sunshine, packed sand and some serious size out the back. Sometimes you’ve got to leave Bondi and come back to realise how crazy this place is. Give us sunshine and a Friday and it goes mental. People everywhere. Does anyone go into the office on Fridays anymore? The ocean’s putting on a show too. Six-foot […]

Back in Bondi. After weeks bouncing around Indonesia, the travel lag is very real. Bondi felt strangely quiet this morning. Windy, onshore and cool, around 15–17 degrees, but plenty of sunshine overhead. There was actually a bit of size, 3–4 foot, but it was soft, mushy and pretty average. The funny part was how empty […]

Last post from my extended Indonesian sabbatical. It’s been a long lap. Warm water, remote islands and a very consistent supply of waves. Indo rarely disappoints. We finished up in Simeulue, way up off northern Sumatra. It’s raw, remote and exposed to the full force of the Indian Ocean. If you look at the map, […]

The harder it is to get to, the fewer people in the water. Simeulue sits about 150 kilometres off Sumatra and it’s not exactly easy to reach. Flights, ferries, board bags and weight limits all come into play, but the reward is loads of coastline without the usual crowds. It’s mountainous, green and slow moving. […]

We’ve switched island chains and headed north to Pulau Simeulue, about 150 kilometres off the coast of northern Sumatra. I’ve never been this far north in Indonesia before. Rare for me! Simeulue feels like stepping back in time. Simple village life, a predominantly Muslim island, thick jungle and a handful of little gem waves without […]

After decades of documenting the Mentawai Islands, I still find it refreshing coming back here with a camera. Even when the trades are howling, these islands are ridiculously photogenic. Blue water, hollow peaks, colourful skies and nine days living on a boat, exposed to every little change in wind and swell. There’s always something to […]

We’re getting late in the surf season up here in the Mentawais, which means one thing: trades. The predominant SE to SSE wind can blow all day, every day. They call this time of year “Goofy Season”, as the breaks protected from the trades tend to be lefts, while many of the rights are onshore. […]

Sorry about the radio silence. Indonesia is such a wild place. Flew in a couple of days ago, straight past Semeru, a 3,657-metre active volcano that was erupting as we went by. Welcome to Indo. Then the long haul out to the Mentawai Islands, about 150km off Sumatra. Twelve hours of slapping across the ocean […]

The swell has calmed down from yesterday, but there’s still plenty of size around. It’s a south swell at 184 degrees with an 11-second interval, and Bondi is still seeing waves well over head high, with the bigger ones around head-and-a-half. Unfortunately, a lot of them are just shutting down across the bay. Conditions are […]

The wind was absolutely howling last night, and with it came a whole lot of swell. Bondi has jumped considerably overnight. There are solid six-footers marching into the bay this morning, with plenty of water moving around. Early was the window. It was semi-clean before the southerly really got into it, and there were some […]

If you were down there for the early, you scored a pretty good little wave this morning. Bondi was 2–3 foot, offshore and clean early, with multiple banks working and plenty of options. There was a decent crowd on it, but enough waves getting around to keep everyone busy. Then the southerly arrived. We’ve now […]

I’ve had a business in Bondi Beach for 27 years, and in that time I’ve seen some pretty strange retail concepts come and go. There’s been Doglato, gelato for dogs. A Zeitgeist milk bar, a milk bar without milk. Kanye West’s Pablo pop-up, which opened and I’m still not entirely sure what was going on […]

Another beautiful Monday morning in Bondi. It was around 13 degrees at sunrise, warming up to about 20 today. We might see a little shower around 5 or 6pm, but for now it’s pretty damn nice. Winds are light from the west this morning, before swinging southeast and then straight south later today, so get […]

Winter has delivered. Over the past few weeks I’ve been chasing some incredible swells, searching for those brief moments when everything comes together, the light, the wind, the spray and the sheer power of the ocean. It’s called the White Claw Big Wave Series. A collection of photographs celebrating the wild side of Australia’s coastline […]

Welcome to this 25-degree Thursday. Everyone was up early this morning, enjoying the warmth. The first properly warm morning we’ve had since last summer. Wasn’t it nice? Hope you got down for a swim or a little surf. There was a wave on, but nothing spectacular. Around 1-2 foot and a lot of people didn’t […]

If you were up early this morning, you would’ve been treated to a pretty spectacular sunrise. It didn’t hang around for long, lighting up like a little curtain above Ben Buckler before everything slipped back to grey and overcast. Loads of people were out and about early, and for good reason. The weather is looking […]

Oh man, I hope you’re reading this daily post on your phone, down at the beach — post surf or swim, coffee in hand, seizing this beautiful day. If not, you should be. How good is it? The first true cracker in donkeys — and perfectly timed for the first day of spring. Clear skies, […]

We’re in for one hell of a good-looking week on the coast. Have you seen the forecast? Tuesday is looking like 24 degrees, Wednesday 26, and then Saturday is shaping up as a 100% beach day — 26–27 degrees before things cool back down on Sunday. Shed the winter puffers. Dig out the beach umbrellas. […]

I paddled out the back for a swim with the camera this morning and wow – there is a serious rip running from south to north. It only took a few minutes to drag me from Ramp 2 right into the middle of the beach, where I could finally make my way back in. She’s […]

For a brief moment this morning, there were some satisfactory waves on offer down at Bondaka Lefts. The freakishly shallow twin banks had a left wrapping around them – super infrequently, but enough to reward the five patient crew sitting out there waiting. I timed it: about every 15 minutes, a head-high set rolled in. […]

What a glorious morning of vivid skies to kick off this Tuesday. Did you see it? Sensational, wasn’t it? Ahead of this arvo’s rain, the beach was relatively warm and busy this morning. I reckon we’ve passed the winter hump now – we’re coasting into longer days, warmer temps and the good stuff. There are […]

Oh damn, how nice is it outside? It feels like a little summer prelude – a taste of what’s to come and a reminder of just how beautiful Sydney’s beaches are with a bit of warmth in the air. There are waves at Bondi too. After a pretty solid day yesterday, there are still chest-high […]

Geez, it was pitch black this morning. I hit the beach early and somehow it felt like it was getting darker as the morning progressed. There was a colourful sunrise for about four seconds. Not even enough time to set up a tripod. Blink and you missed it. Then, lights out again. The waves have […]

A big whale came into Bondi Bay this morning, which was a highlight. Unfortunately, I had my whale-repellent 400mm lens pointed in its vicinity, so it spent most of the morning underwater. That always happens to me. It’s like they know I’m taking photos. It’s one of the best things about living right on the […]

A little more swell energy in the ocean this morning, creating some nice, playful waves. It’s shoulder-high on the sets, accompanied by NE winds. After quite a bit of rain last night, it miraculously cleared around 9am and has been sunny ever since. I’ve been outside a lot, making the most of it, hence this […]

A weird little east breeze was already ruffling up Bondi this morning, putting a bit of junk into the lineup before most people had even had their first coffee. The 5:35am low tide really drained the life out of the head-high waves. Bondi was basically closing out straight, with plenty of lines but not many […]

Some days just aren’t beach days. It’s Monday, it’s raining, and Bondi is a ghost town. Makes sense, with some of the worst surf conditions I’ve seen in ages. One foot of onshore junk, definitely not worthy of the lens. So today I’m digging into the archives and revisiting a few favourites from my recent […]

Oh wow, what a great surf morning! 3-4 foot and consistent down at our 900 metres of salubrious Bondi Beach. Sunshine in abundance, and not THAT cold really for the depths of winter. As I type, the onshore-side-shore winds are feathering, so if you filled your cup with a surf this morning, you got the […]

Yesterday was a proper surprise. Bondi was basically flat, then last night the ocean flicked a switch and went straight to six foot. Ah-huh. No gentle build, no warning shots, it just arrived with some serious grunt. By sunrise today it had already slipped a few gears, back into the head-high range with some fun […]

Hola! What a beautiful (flat) morning. Super sunny, and kinda warm really (felt like in the teens degrees). White Claw Big Wave Series: The Chase Begins There are days when the ocean just feels different. The forecast starts lighting up, the wind swings around, and every surfer, photographer and ocean tragic is watching the charts. That’s […]

Yesterday, around 150,000 people poured into Bondi for City2Surf, the biggest fun run in the world. (90,000 runners, approximately 60,000 support crew) It was hectic. Every nook and cranny was packed with bib-wearing, medal-dangling, joyful people ready to get on the cans. Pubs were overflowing, while bacon and egg shops spilled onto the streets, setting up […]

We’ve got a whiff of south swell in town, with some decent banks along the beach. Oh, and one helluva rip. For a small day, the outflow from Ramp Dos was incredible. It’s moving plenty of water, but it also keeps the sandbanks trim and the lips sometimes hollow. Yeah, yeah, it’s frosty…I know. But […]

Only the ladies seemed willing to venture out there this morning – too cold and sharky for the boys! They’re called the Bondi Surf Sisters, and they meet every Wednesday for a sunrise surf. Tough bunch. The waves are small, around 1–2 feet. There’s still a little pulse, but nothing particularly bueno cooking. Tomorrow should […]

A little bit boring in Bondi land this morning. No one was surfing. I’m not sure if it was the close-outs on the low tide at sunrise, the recent shark activity in the bay, or simply the cold. Regardless, it was a pretty uneventful morning as the swell continued to drop. Waist-high waves, abundant sunshine […]

Looks like we’ve got a resident white shark calling Bondi home at the moment. It’s tormenting us, messing with us…arriving every day at precisely 6:41am at Ramp 2, basically where Bondi’s best surfing bank is right now. Why? People have plenty of theories: aliens, water temperatures, voodoo. But I reckon it could be simpler than […]

Another day down the beach, another shark alarm. Our sky guardian, Jason Iggleden from DroneSharkApp, spotted a white shark in the bay around 7am today. All those bay swimmers, surf schools and Friday water frolickers had to retreat and celebrate with a fresh coffee instead. It’s becoming quite the regular thing down here. A shame, […]

A fresh batch of 181-degree, dead-south swell is marching into Sydney today. The waves are breaking with plenty of grunt, feathering plumes at sunrise. That westerly offshore has now swung southerly and is starting to make a mess of it (8 knots). There weren’t many viable surf options this morning. I barely saw anyone ride […]

I don’t say this often, but Bondi was in its prime this morning. I’m not entirely sure why. The forecast was calling 0-1 foot, and looking at the beach right now at 11am, it really is 0-1 foot. But for one brief, glorious moment, those keeping a close eye on the left were rewarded. The […]