It's not all 22 million dollar apartments down there

Grimy Bondi

People’s perception of Bondi is always postcard sunny skies, 3-footers (straight), large glamourous crowds, Bondi Rescue, outdoor gyms, and record-breakingly priced luxury apartments.

Sometimes, not today.

The grime is still in Scum Valley; we have stormy days, and waves are bigger in your bathtub. The beach was quiet as most started to retreat into the winter conditions.

The rain has been threatening all morning and looks to be kicking off its week-long dump. Boo!

Thank you to the 30 readers who donated to our SurfAid Bondi Cup challenge. To the other 30,000-plus readers, I would love you to donate to SurfAid via this link. Perhaps consider it a subscription fee to your free daily photo email. Go on. Help the kids out, too. You might even win an artwork from us worth $1500.

:: uge

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Paddleboarders dominated the south end today, 7am

Hello Bondi

I’m back in the hood and enjoying the glorious sunshine. Lap it up my friends, as starting tomorrow, the weather will decline into showers, and from Friday onwards, it will be super wet! A pink hue surrounded Ben Buckler’s pre-rise as unsurfable 1-2 footers shut down—straight as a ruler. Several people tried to negotiate the […]
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The water colours here are jaw dropping.

Jani

We’ve arrived at the Noonu Atoll, Maldives, searching for the bluest water on the planet. We’re on the island of Medhufaru where Soneva Jani lies. It’s a dreamy, idyllic place where two long jetties into a giant lagoon connect your room to the land. It’s like living on a boat; everywhere you look, there is […]
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Welcome to the Maldives, a aquatic haven like no other!

Away / Mol·deevz

It’s been 14 years since my last visit to the world’s lowest islands – Maldives (mol·deevz). I love this place; it’s a giant aquatic playground with 1192 islands (only a fifth are inhabited). Try scrolling through Instagram without seeing an idyllic image of crystal blue water and tiny islands in the Maldives—impossible. So many come […]
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Swell is big today, thundering out the back. Bondi 7am

Abrupt Chills

And just like that, the switch has been flicked; we’ve got chilly mornings with large southerly winter swells. Bring out the jumpers from storage. Bondi was relatively empty compared to a few weeks ago. Two surfers were out, but there were not many people on the sand. The waves are 6 feet solid, maybe bigger, […]
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Luke Adam, blasting

South Chump Change

As I write this, a south change is moving from stage right. It’s bringing wind and waves – lots of wind. Tonight expect SSW 30 knots plus. The wave energy will ramp, and tomorrow, you’ll see conditions similar to last Saturday’s 8-footers. It will be very messy with all that wind, but interesting nonetheless. Have […]
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My teenager, throwing out the morning heat. Yeah Jetty!

Downshifting

It’s been quite dramatic around here lately. The storm (like a Typhoon) that ripped Sydney on Friday night passed quickly, leaving a string of days with glorious weather and waves. Saturday was solid, 10ft, yesterday 4-6, today 2-3….as the swell energy downshifts through its gears. It’s surfable now, and the morning was sunny and warm…before […]
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Bronte, the hub!

Randomness

We’re all freaking out cause it’s gonna rain for a few days – some say 100mm tomorrow (so stoked as there’s no roof on most of my house currently under reno). Those dreamy after-work scorchers spent dunking in the ocean are over – for now. The beach and waves looked dire this morning—onshore, dark grey, […]
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Wanna surf? Lots of waiting around like this

Level

It’s rare for Bondi to be this flat. There’s always something. This morning the ocean was motionless, still, level…like a lake. It is good for a swim, but not so good for a surf. Tomorrow, there will be more wave energy, but the weekend will host the biggest waves of the week. Friday will be […]
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Tuesday sunrise, warm water, pinks. Bondi 6:55am

Return

The Easter break is over, and the Bondi sunrise colours resume. It’s a beautiful warm morning in Sydney as we head to a top of 29 degrees. There is a high chance of rain today, with tiny surf. It will be tiny all week until a big kahuna swell arrives over the weekend. Bells are […]
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Double pools of Bondi's most famous swimming club

Recent Work

I’ve been waiting for a lame, grey, onshore day to show you a few pics from my recent adventures. In contrast to today’s bland flavour, recently, we’ve been blessed with epic ocean colours and endless beach weather. I didn’t shoot anything today, which is rare for me. It’s a great day to be inside and […]
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Bronte. This is how today begun

il Bronte

Bronte, that little cove bay around the corner where plenty amass before work. It’s always good when the southerly is howling, having a big protecting cliff face on the south side. Bogey Hole, the rock pool next to the ocean pool, is one of Sydney’s busiest little water patches. It’s always a good angle on […]
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Shredders heading north, Bondi

Late Riser

At 7:03 a.m., the sun is rising on Bondi. It’s late. Big crowds were early, though, awaiting a glimpse of how today would begin. It was onshore, and the tide was too low when I shot this morning. I rated it very poorly as it appeared opportunityless for surfers. Go for a swim, hula, medi or […]
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