High on Ella
When the idea of Sri Lanka was pitched, it came wrapped in a dreamy combo: surf, culture, jungle hikes, waterfalls, spicy eats, tuk tuk chaos, tea-stained hills—the works. A little wave here, a little wonder there. And wow—Ella. We’re perched 1,000 metres above sea level where the air’s a bit cooler, the views are long, […]
Sri Lanka Dispatch
In our endless pursuit of coastline and curry, today’s post comes to you from the sunny southwest of Sri Lanka — Weligama and neighbouring Midigama. It’s technically offseason here, so the surf line-up is pretty deserted…but there’s still a wave on offer if you’re keen. It’s a bit wonky, but clean at first light. Peak […]
Grey Skies, Bumpy Rides
It was a gloomy old start to the day—dark, chilly, and a little wonky. Bondi was serving up head-high+, unruly waves under a thick grey blanket. Not many punters out either… maybe the 9.1° temps at 5am scared ’em off? Winds are now out of the S, blowing 10–15 knots. Tomorrow looks much more playful, […]
Polar Westerlies
The polar westerlies are still hanging about, and they’ve dragged the mercury down to a brisk 8 degrees at sunrise. Proper frosties on the digits this morning. The good news? The swell’s bounced back into the 3–4 foot range. Bit wild and woolly out there—random peaks all over the place—but if you put in the […]
Blown to Bits
It’s howling outside. A roaring 30-knot westerly is tearing across Bondi, blowing any hint of swell back to New Zealand. It’s flaaaaaaaaaaat. So flat that only one lone frother gave it a crack this morning… with zero success. These gusty land-breezes will stick around ’til Friday, but good news: the weekend looks surfable again. Swell […]
Ceasefire
For days on end, Bondi’s south-end bank has been serving up a fun-sized trickle of waves—perfect little nibblers to keep the frothers frothing. But today? The party’s over (#Ceasefire). It’s as flat as a pancake… except for one rogue set that randomly jacked up north inside the flags—no joke, scroll down, I’ve got the proof. […]
June Redemption
After one of the chilliest starts to June in recent memory — especially harsh if you’ve just stepped off a plane from the tropics — this week’s been pure redemption. Yesterday? A gift. Today? More of the same. How good. A big ol’ blocking high-pressure system has parked itself over southeastern Australia, acting like a […]
Sunny Side Up
After the latest sunrise of the year, we’ve been gifted a crisp, immaculate winter’s morning in Bondi. Sun’s out, skies are spotless, and the early frothers were out in force. The swell had a little push overnight (even tickled 3ft), but today it’s settled into a tidy 1–2 footer with a sneaky east angle. It […]
Gold Rush
Everyone’s piling into gold as global tensions flare… but there’s a different kind of gold rush unfolding down at Bondi. The sun’s at its far northern swing — the most side-on it gets to our beach all year — and it’s throwing pure gold across everything I shoot. It’s my favourite light, hands down. Side-lighting […]
Eight Degrees of Separation
The mercury dipped to a crisp 8 degrees around 6am. Frosty, wasn’t it? Like the past few days, it’s eerily quiet down the beach —1 foot, sunny skies, and barely a puff of wind. Glassy. Calm. Great for a dip, not much chop for the surfers. When it’s this still, the ocean drifts off into […]
Biters & Rays
The waves are tiny today — classic ankle biters. But the sun? She’s on full blast. A glorious winter’s morning, even if it kicked off chilly at 8.2°C at 3:30am. Yeah yeah, we hear you Victorians and Tassie crew laughing at us… but hey, that’s cold for Bondi. The ocean’s still holding a balmy 18.8°C […]
Woollies at Dawn
I’ve got a lot of admiration for those brave souls diving into the ocean on mornings like this. The water’s actually warmer than the air, but it’s that barefoot bolt across the sand that’ll test you. Thankfully, there was barely a breeze this morning, and last night’s squall cleared out to reveal a beauty of […]
Frosty Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th — a day wrapped in superstition. Some say it’s cursed. After a wander down the beach, I’d say it is not too cursed — the lineup was empty, and there were some handy three-footers rolling through at Bondi and Bronte. If you’re up for a solo surf, today’s your day. The cold […]