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 […]
Eugene Tan (::Uge) started taking photos when he was nine. He’s a self taught tinkerer, a constant experimenter and a relentless documenter who likes to shoot unassisted, mainly at sunrise. If conditions permit you’ll find :: Uge swimming with his camera or dangling out of helicopters, …constantly hunting for new angles on his favourite subjects.
Photography is a way for him to explore his first love, the beach. And since he lives at the beach, that means documenting his home, Bondi. He’s a beach bum. Most of the time he’s either on the beach shooting, digging holes in the sand with his kids or in the line up. And because :: Uge and his family live smack bang in the middle of Bondi, a stone’s throw from his Aquabumps Gallery, you’ll rarely find him further than 300 metres from the shoreline. Close enough to catch those magic Bondi moments when they happen, with his camera, his board or both.
Aquabumps started in 1999 back when the internet was brand new and social media didn’t even have a name. It began as a hobby … a photo a day from the beach emailed to mates. It grew organically. Twenty years later Aquabumps’ photographs are now seen by hundreds of thousands of people, daily.
The best of :: Uge’s work hangs in the Aquabumps Gallery 64 Hall Street Bondi Beach NSW 2026 Telephone 02 9130 7788 Australia. Yes, they can be shipped globally.
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 road trips.
And it looks like we’re settling in for a wet one. Lots of rain on the forecast. Days and days of it.
As you were.
:: uge
We now do black frames! After 27 years of just oak and white frames we’ve introduced black for a whole new feel. :: uge gallery open 10-6 All weekend
We are hiring, full-time sales position on the gallery) floor based in BONDI Beach. Comment “job“ to receive more information. :: uge
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 optimal timing. Pat yourself on the back, and maybe open your laptop and pretend to email someone.
The summary of the next few days is we have waves, but we also have flamin’ onshore breeze. I suspect early sunrise waves will be clean, but not for long.
Good weather tomorrow, with some showers over the weekend. Next week ain’t perfectly dry, but it’s not a washout either. A little drizzle here and there to water the gardens.
:: uge
Comment SUBSCRIBE and I’ll DM you a link to join my morning photos group… What fun waves today! #surfingiseverything
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 ones still rolling through. As I type this very late post, it’s dropped another notch, now waist to chest high and looking a little weak.
So, a pretty short-lived affair.
Don’t pack away the boards just yet though. Another south swell is lining up for Saturday, potentially with a bit more size. The catch? Plenty of onshore winds look set to flank it, and hang around for days.
Classic Sydney winter. Flat, then big, then windy.
enjoy! :: uge
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 when you know something special is coming.
Those are the days that inspired our partnership with White Claw.
They call it Big Wave Refreshment—the feeling you get when the ocean is at its best, drawing us outside and bringing people together. It’s a feeling I’ve been lucky enough to photograph for 27 years.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be chasing some of this winter’s biggest swells, looking for those incredible moments when the ocean turns wild—towering waves, offshore plumes and that raw energy you can almost feel through the lens.
Inspired by White Claw, I will be creating the Big Wave Series—a collection of artworks celebrating Australia’s coastline at its wildest.
I’d love you to be part of it too.
When the next swell hits your local break, grab your camera and share your favourite shot tagging @Aquabumps and @Whiteclawau
One winning image will be professionally printed and exhibited alongside my work at the Aquabumps Gallery on 3 September.
The ocean always puts on the best show.
See you out there.
:: Uge
Yesterday, around 150,000 people crammed into Bondi for the biggest fun run in the world, City2Surf.
It was pretty hectic. Every nook and cranny was filled with bib-wearing, medal-dangling, joyful people looking to get on the cans and celebrate their achievement. Pubs were overflowing, and every bacon and egg shop spilled onto the streets with makeshift trestle tables, enticing the hungry crowds.
It was good to see Bondi busy again.
A lot has gone down around here recently, so I loved seeing the local businesses, mainly the food and beverage crew, absolutely thriving. It’s been such a dire, quiet winter season in 2026. No one is here!
In stark contrast, Bondi was a ghost town this morning.
Early grey skies and rain deterred pretty much everyone, but at 9am the sun popped out, revealing a completely deserted beach. That’s so rare for us, especially with a few little waves rolling through.
Enjoy this sunny, windy winter’s day. There are a few 1-2 footers out there.
Uge
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 the ocean feels much warmer than the sand. You’ve just gotta get in. My fingertips are still a little tingly whilst typing out this daily riveting blurb.
Looking ahead, we’ve got days of small but contestable waves, mostly in the waist to chest high range.
City2Surf takes over Bondi this Sunday! The Aquabumps Gallery Headquarters open all weekend from 10am to 6pm, so pop in and say g’day. 64 Hall St, Bondi beach – we’re like 200 metres from the finish line.
:: uge
Only the ladies seemed willing to venture out there this morning – too cold and sharky for the boys!
They’re called the @bondisurfsisters 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 bring more energy with a renewed south swell. Bondi could be head-high by tomorrow arvo and clean under offshore winds.
The water is still surprisingly warm at around 18 degrees, when it’s normally closer to 16–17 at this time of year. But that wind…wow, she’s got some chill. Getting out and crossing the beach was frosty!
Nonetheless, a sunrise swim always invigorates you for the day. I swam with a wide-angle rig this morning, something I haven’t done in ages. Here’s what I saw out there…
On another note, after years of people asking for black frames in our gallery, we’ve finally done exactly that – right across the range!
Yes, black frames matter. They look fully epic on black-and-white and arty pics, me reckons. Check out our new front window if you don’t believe me!
Adios, ~Ugios
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’s quite simple. Around 2.41 million salmon are schooling at South Bondi. Refer to my 45-second film from yesterday and you’ll see what I mean. It’s the world’s biggest sushi bait ball, filling the bay.
Chomp likes sushi. A lot.
The shark alarms have been going off daily. On Saturday, they sounded three times! I caught just one wave before the new SLSC drone flew overhead, blaring its alarm. Pretty frustrating, but excellent for my golf swing, which seems to involve fewer wild animals…unless you count my kids.
Yesterday’s long-period, thumpin’ swell is fading, although a few nugs are still rolling through this morning. Expect it to decline rapidly throughout the day, with just 1–2 foot forecast from tomorrow until Thursday.
A beautiful sunny week ahead, but cool, with minimums dropping to around 7 degrees.
Have a good week.
:: uge
The Mann brothers trying to out do each other :: uge #aquabumps #bondibeach #surfphotography #sydneybeaches @zygi_ @_mr.squiggles_ @jacob_sheehan7 @harperwarnock
