The price of fuel might be climbing dramatically across Australia, but that hasn’t stopped surfers from clocking up kilometres in search of waves. And over the past week, there’s been plenty of reason to. The East Coast lit up with back-to-back swells which ensured everyone got a slice of the pie. From the ruler-edged points of the Gold Coast to the heaving slabs of southern NSW, swell after swell stacked up, winds played nice (mostly) and Autumn threw us a hopeful sign of things to come.
Up north, the Superbank was back in full flow. Kirra, Snapper and Burleigh all took their turn as long walls reeled down the points, with quite literally thousands of surfers getting in on the action. It wasn’t the biggest run of swell in recent memory, but with the sand dialed, it may have been one of the best.
One surfer who stood out among the chaos was Jesse Ferguson. Easy to spot in his now-signature yellow boardshorts and matching spray job, the teenager threaded some of the cleanest tubes of the run and reckoned the banks were the real difference-maker.
“Alfred definitely had bigger waves than this swell but the sand right now – especially at Kirra—is so perfect,” he said. “The afternoon of the 25th was the best I saw all week. As soon as the tide started to drop, the barrels just kept getting wider and more consistent.”
Even with the usual Gold Coast circus in full swing, Jesse found ways to get his share. Sitting further out than the pack and trusting his read on the ocean, he consistently got the jump on incoming sets.
“Dealing with the crowds can be tricky,” he said. “I try to find little gaps and sit a bit further out so I can see the waves early. If you’re paddling first, most people won’t hassle you – especially when it’s a heavy one.”
The bright yellow kit isn’t just for flair. The regular footer is a filmer’s dream.
“I wanted to do something different with my boards to stand out,” he said. “We tried a few home spray jobs at first, but they didn’t really work. Then I spoke to Darren at DHD and went all-in on the yellow. Rip Curl brought out the matching boardies not long after, so it kind of came together.”
Further north, Burleigh’s famed point was also doing its thing. Sheldon Simkus, rarely seen far from Coolangatta, made the short trip up the highway and scored a rare mid-morning session alongside Joel Parkinson.
“It’s no secret the bank at Burleigh is pretty special,” he said. “Parko and I went up mid-morning, which is pretty rare and ended up surfing most of the day. The Burleigh crew have been pretty accommodating too, which has been nice.”
Back in Coolangatta, Snapper was linking through Rainbow and further down the points – leaving surfers to do run arounds all day.
“It was one of those weeks where you surf all day, go to sleep, wake up and it’s firing again,” Simkus said. “Snapper’s been super fun – long runners, a few chunky barrels and plenty of turns.”
Sheldon has also been riding a fresh quiver, recently linking up with Firewire and Slater Designs after years on DHDs.
“I’m frothing,” he said. “It’s been refreshing trying new shapes and designs. I’m really excited to go surfing at the moment.
“I’ve been riding a mix of stuff based on the conditions. Standard shortboard, I go for the Firewire Dominator Pro and FRK from Slater designs which are solid. The new Spaceship which is the board Kelly rode in that clip at Kirra a few years ago is real nice when the waves pick up and there’s some juice. A few quads have made their way into the daily quiver also.”
Despite the soaring cost of fuel due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the ever-present ski brigade showed no signs of slowing down, adding another layer of chaos to already packed lineups.
“Mate, fuel could be five bucks a litre and there’d still be skis everywhere,” Sheldon joked. “Some days are legit chaos – surfers, skis and drop-ins galore. It’s like a moving obstacle course. You just got to keep your whits about you and not end up on Kook of the day accidentally burning someone on wave of the day.”
As the swell began to ease in Queensland, the energy shifted south.
By midweek, Sydney had come to life. A run of solid east swell lit up the beaches before a powerful south pulse followed close behind, sending water surging into reefs, bombies and slabs across the state.
One of the standout sessions unfolded at Cape Solander, where a tight crew of local chargers were joined by Brazilian big wave standout Lucas Chumbo and skimboarder Lucas Fink, both visiting Australia for the first time.
Thrown straight into the deep end by Dylan Longbottom, the pair were met with six-to-ten foot slabs detonating over shallow reef, with little margin for error.
Young Northern Beaches charger Lex O’Connor was also out there for his first taste of Cape and didn’t hold back.
“It was wild and really big,” he said. “The direction made a lot of waves close out, but there were still some amazing rides.”
At Solander, the danger isn’t just the size – it’s the proximity to dry rock.
“The scary part is how close you are to the rocks,” he said. “A lot of the makeable waves were the first in the set, so if you fell, you were basically getting washed straight toward the rocks. I hit them, Tommy Myers hit them – it was pretty full on.”
Even for Chumbo, who has spent seasons charging deep-water giants at Nazaré, the experience required adjustment.
“That’s the scary part. I’m used to deep water. I’ve surfed slabs, but nothing as dangerous and critical as that. It was a shock at the beginning.”
Fink, meanwhile, approached the wave with a skimboarder’s eye – leaning on speed and precision to navigate the shifting face and unpredictable backwash.
“The slabs are very good on the skim board… Once I can lock into the base of the wave, since my board has not as much drag as a surfboards, I can keep my momentum for longer, I don’t need to pump as much. Just stay solid on my line. And then once you’re in there, I’m more concerned about the backwashes… At first, I got worked but I figured it out. And then after that I just glided on my feet every time I saw them coming.”
Clips from the session quickly circulated online, with many noting how effortlessly the pair handled one of the country’s most unforgiving waves.
By Friday, the east swell had begun to taper, but there were still plenty of waves on offer across Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Attention soon turned to the incoming south swell, which arrived overnight with far more size and expectation.
By Saturday, large parts of the NSW coastline were being hammered by what some news outlets labelled a ‘once-in-a-century’ event, with buoys recording wave heights pushing eight metres.
In Sydney, crowds gathered along the cliffs at Deadmans, watching and waiting as the tide dropped and the reef began to show its teeth. Among them was Hawaiian charger Koa Rothman, keeping a close eye on the conditions.
While the swell direction didn’t quite deliver the carnage many had anticipated, the wave still dished up heavy six-foot slabs, complete with its notorious step – catching out plenty who misjudged the drop.
Elsewhere, bombies off Narrabeen and Long Reef roared to life, with a mix of paddlers and tow teams taking on the shifting peaks.
“Deep water thrills on a Sydney reef. Three kilometre paddle and a rare six metre swell – the things we do as surfers,” wrote Matt Chojnacki on Instagram.
“A successful session, not without some carnage and a bit of marine life cruising past to keep us in check.”
Further south, Dylan Longbottom continued the strike mission, guiding Chumbo and Fink to a remote left-hand ledge that transformed under the swell into a heavy, hollow setup reminiscent of Pipeline.
With the ski in play, the crew wasted no time. Thick, square barrels rifled across the shallow reef, demanding total commitment. Chumbo, in particular, threw himself over the ledge repeatedly, threading high-speed tubes with no room for hesitation.
Fink once again proved his versatility, navigating both the bumps and the barrels on his skimboard with surprising control.
There was no shortage of moments across the week – too many sessions, too many waves to count – but taken as a whole, it felt like one of those rare windows where everything aligned.
From perfect points to unpredictable slabs, the east coast delivered a reminder of just how good it can get when the swell keeps coming and the sand, somehow, holds it all together.
