Last weekend was one to remember for those on Australia’s East coast. Everywhere up and down the coast was firing on either Saturday or Sunday, or both. A building east swell started to fill in on Friday afternoon and by Saturday morning almost everywhere was solid with lines stacked to the horizon and a gentle offshore breezing keeping conditions groomed.
Surfers up and down the coast were going to bed on Sunday with that content feeling of noodle like arms and a slightly rouge face from the winter sun knowing they had put in some serious hours in the water.
Our weekend in Sydney started on Friday evening as everyone flocked to the beach after work to try and get the last hour of light as the swell began to rear its’s head. While the energy in the water was nowhere near what was expected of the following day there was still enough juice for a fun session and a warm up for things to come.
The alarm went off early on Saturday morning and we headed straight for a spot near the top of the Northern Beaches. We were greeted with solid running left hand barrels. The crowd was relatively thin and heavyweights Tom Carroll and Ace Buchan were putting on a show, picking the right waves which would turn square as they hit the inside sand bar.
The session didn’t last too long as the tide dropped out and the continually building sets began to turn to menacing closeouts which not too many wanted a part of. This left the lineup almost empty and the early morning punters in search of a new bank.
The swell continued to build throughout Saturday with the offshore breeze keeping things clean and while some places were maxing out, there was still plenty options at a number of premiere banks.
As usual there was a big crew out at North Avalon with a mixture of big wave hopefuls on slightly longer boards and a crew of younger lads hucking themselves under the inside ledge on their step-ups.
The Narrabeen stretch looked a bit like La Graviere in Hossegor with thumping shore break barrels up and down the beach, it was definitely not for the faint hearted. While a lot of the set-ups didn’t look makeable, there were a few corners and a crew of chargers trying their luck.
South of the harbor bridge, things looked a little quieter than they normally do down that neck of the winds, with a lot of the lineups closing out. However, if you looked in the right places there were still tubes to be had.
While it was thought Sunday may ease a tad, we woke again to pumping waves and that offshore wind had become even lighter and the line-up more groomed.
It was a similar affair on Sunday with a big crew out at North Av again and rightfully so; there were plenty of barrels to be had.
There were other corners that weren’t as busy but looked a lot more menacing and difficult to navigate. However, that didn’t stop the odd solo surfer who wanted to get away from the crowds.
On Saturday the crowd at Manly had looked quieter than usual and that was because most people had struggled with the paddle out as a lot of the sets were straightening out across the sand bar giving hopefuls no easy way of getting out the back. However, Sunday was a different story and the Manly stretch was packed but pumping. The slight drop in swell meant there were fewer closeouts and more makeable tubes. The local North Steyne crew was dominating out there, packing a number of barrels along the left hand sandbar throughout the day.
Whether you were in Sydney over the weekend, or anywhere else up and down the East coast I think it’s safe to say that you scored. It’s the first time in a while that everywhere has been graced with a solid east swell and perfect offshore winds. Everyone will be hoping that there are a few more swells like that before winter is over.
