SURFER: JAI GLINDEMAN PHOTO & WORDS: BEN BUGDEN Straight south swells are normally a bit of a write-off on this east coast stretch, and at most nearby spots on this day the rule applied. However, an auspicious slab of sand had settled on a mostly dormant part of the coastline ensuring the south swell zippered along the bank at breakneck speed in front of intimidating cliffs, the shallowness of the bank amplifying the consequences of any mistake. There was a diverse cast of characters out there. A few crew braved the paddle, but without a bit of length to battle the current and get in early, and a ski to tow you back out of trouble if you came to grief in front of the cliffs, it was something of a fool’s errand. There is always an exception though, and most often around here, that exception is Rasta. He managed some beautiful rides on his 7’2” Gary McNeill ‘Pip’, and his positioning without the utilisation of a ski was sublime as always. Perhaps the wildest moment of the day saw a father/son team enter the lineup in a tinnie and proceed to whip into some of the best waves of the day. The duo consisted of Solly Lewis and his father. Towing into bombs with a tinnie is impressive enough, but just making it out through the treacherous boat channel, on the beach at Lennox, was arguably a greater achievement in itself. This shot features Jai Glindeman,(another standout of the session) as he navigates a dredging sand chamber along the base of the cliffs.   SURFER: EDEN HASSONPHOTO: BOSKO Sometimes backdrops make the moment. Swaying coconut palms, sheer limestone cliffs or gritty streetscapes regularly play a role in the surf photog’s quest for juxtaposition. In this case it’s the jetty at Catherine Hill Bay that delivers the necessary contrast, whilst carrying the echoes of the town’s industrial past. The 240-metre long pier served as a coal loader to ships for over a century, but it wasn’t always smooth sailing. In 1917 the resident miners went on strike in support of rail workers. When the NSW government employed strike-breaking labour, the miners responded by derailing a train and dynamiting the pier in protest. These days the jetty is still a setting for explosive demonstrations, albeit of the surfing kind. Pictured here is Eden Hasson, mining the skies on a winter’s day.  … Read more