Once named by Tracks on a list of ‘The world’s ten worst waves’, Bondi is not synonymous with six second, six-foot barrels. But it does happen. Just ask Carrington Blake who scored this doozy on Thursday morning this week.
A solid south swell, a westerly zephyr and a well aligned lick of outside sand all played their part in the magic moment, which was witnessed by several locals and logged on the Swellnet surf cams.
A regular in the Bondi lineup, Carrington has a rep’ as the guy who paddles out solo when it’s ten foot and menacing, with the occasional makeable one. Meanwhile, growing up at Kirra helped ensure he knows his way around a hollow section. “I think a bit of muscle memory kicked in,” he commented after riding the wave. He was obviously chuffed to score such a good one in his new backyard but wasn’t the type to beat his chest about it.
Several onlookers watching from the beachside car park were calling it the best barrel they’d seen ridden at Bondi in recent times. Such claims will always cause conjecture, but when you watch the footage there’s no disputing it’s a legitimate, six second drainer with ample room inside the tube. While a marvel of modern technology, the cam footage marginally diminishes the size of the wave.
A few of the savvy older locals, who were watching on from their regular perch, just south of the Pavilon, noted the exact time the wave was ridden – around 7:47 am. Eventually Swellnet posted the wave to Instagram with the caption. ‘Best barrel ever at Bondi?’
In the comments there were some doubters, and a few who probably had claims of their own, but a record of the wave does help your case. We’ll never really know if it was the greatest barrel ridden at Bondi but the best response certainly goes to the guy who watched it live on the cams and wrote in the Swellnet feed, “ I actually watched this live while sitting on the toilet. I was punching the air. So good!”
In a further development, the wave has also fast-tracked Bondi’s removal from the Tracks list of ‘Worst Ten Waves in the World’ – at least until the summer crowds kick in.
