Yep, I’m finally back from my tropical sabbatical—Sri Lanka, Maldives…all the palm trees, coconuts, warm water tubes. Now? Boom. Back in Bondi. Cold. Real cold.

But worth it… because we had a VIP roll through South Bondi today—Norman, the grey nurse shark. He was putting on a bit of a show, feasting on a massive bait ball swirling around the southern corner. A few swimmers (unknowingly) were hot on his tail, just metres behind. Classic Bondi moment. No stills of the interaction but I caught it on video—see the reel here (and yeah, go on, hit like & subscribe… you know the drill).

Waves? Small and soft. One to two footers on the middle bank. Great for beginners or a cruisy paddle. Not epic, but not flat either.

Meanwhile, in the Philippines, things are getting spicy. Cloud 9 just became the first surf break in the world to introduce a “no-beginners” code. You can’t surf there unless you’re already dialled in—no surf lessons allowed, and surf shops won’t rent you a board unless you’ve got an instructor with you. Wow. Imagine if Sri Lanka or Bali followed suit on their prime reefs?

Anyway, go for a swim. Say hi to Norman. He’s chilled.

:: uge