Love Letters
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 […]
Back to the beach
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. […]
Dead South
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 […]
Planetary Alignment
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 […]
1 – 0
Bondi was weirdly empty this morning. Oh yeah – I’m back. Miss me? Where was everyone? Indoors watching Spain knock off Argentina in the World Cup final, perhaps. The match kicked off at 5am Sydney time and dragged deep into extra time – right across Bondi’s peak sunrise exercise hour. Spain eventually pinched it 1-0, […]
Darkest Dawn
It’s so dark in the mornings. We’re only two days off the winter solstice, basically the darkest mornings of the year. Makes it hard to get anything done before skirting off to work, don’t ya reckon? No matter, because there are NO WAVES today. I’m calling it. Uncontestable. Good to see the ambitious Scots surf […]
Tiny But Tidy
The swell has eased again. It’s even smaller than yesterday, and it’ll be smaller again tomorrow. A tiny 1–2 ft wave peeled through around Ramp 2 this morning. Technically surfable, but there wasn’t much punch behind it. The sunrise was a beauty. It arrived late, so plenty of you probably caught it. Short-lived, but colourful. […]
Cranes & Waves
A nice, sunny start to the week in Bondi. Crisp, cool air, 1-2 footers and a very quiet morning down there. While waves are technically breaking, I wouldn’t say they’re good enough to motivate most people to squeeze into a wettie and paddle out, especially after a long weekend. Geez, there’s a lot of construction […]
Winter Bites
It’s pretty much flat out there, with howling offshore westerlies sweeping across the beach. A beautiful day nonetheless. The skies are crisp and clean, the water sparkling, and there’s a definite chill in the air. It’s only 19 degrees, but it feels much cooler. This weekend we’ll dip into single digits for the first time […]
Boardies to Beanies
Today marks the first day of winter, and there are definitely pros and cons to the seasonal shift. The pros? Winter generally delivers better waves. You can surf most days, the crowds thin out considerably, and not many people are keen to brave those icy westerlies before sunrise. The light is incredible too – clean, […]
Sun’s out. Finally.
I’ve been a little absent on the blogging front lately, mostly because the weather’s been serving up relentless gloom. Today was the first proper sighting of sunshine in what feels like forever. That annoying drizzle has been non-stop — enough to knock out Vivid drone shows and pump so much moisture into the air that […]
Summer in the Vault
I’d be lying if I said these onshore 2-3 foot days don’t bore me, photographically. Add passing showers into the mix, and well… that’s a whole other layer of complexity to work with. But I always tell myself — making something from the mundane is the challenge. It’s what keeps you sharp. Twenty-seven years in, […]
Autumn Gold
One of those simply beautiful mornings worth slowing down for. At sunrise there was a little bump—surfable—but it was quick to close out. I went for a long swim. I’ll always choose to swim and shoot if I have the time and the conditions are right. It was sublime—warm, calm, and invigorating. Max 22 on […]