Autumn pending Winter.

by Greg Selby June 1, 2023

As winter has crept it's way back into our bones with brisk mornings & evenings the water temp has remained a balmy temp of 20's & above keeping swimmers & surfers out longer with the shortening of days ahead.

Scrawling the coast line back to the stomping grounds & familiar faces is something I have grown up in & nothing has changed only the tent from a mere squeeze to a rather hardy mattress longer legs & a bigger appetite, Dawn is where it always begins whether you love it or hate it, It's where it starts & a wet wetsuit will be the first to make a grown man cringe, 7 days camped out & the anticipation for this swell to arrive has really diminished any excitement as the forecast ran astray & any hype from conversations have turned to a dull tone, Canned beans in a pot gone cold staring me in the face isn't as appealing as an 8-10 foot wave exploding over a shallow ledge with local faces throwing themselves into the fast momentary rush, be it for a photo or for own personal gain it's always amusing & the chase is an addiction that now over rides anything else on the list.

By the 4th day I had abandoned the idea of waves & went back to chasing birds & what ever wildlife or forest dwelling critters were lingering around, by the afternoon the weather had started to turn making camp not so enjoyable teetering on pulling the plug I remained with ambitious hope whilst staring at my greasy pan scratching for ideas & what to have for dinner as beans were getting long in the tooth & at this stage I was starting to talk to myself to keep my morale high after all that's what makes you sane is it not?

It was a full moon with not much sleep & I could hear the ocean pulsing throughout the night, I made my way down, dark but still enough light to see whitewash exploding. Pulling up to the car park there was one car & some familiar voices chatting away, More cars turned up as the people started working out the who's who.

The Hype in my inner child was reigniting.

The Ski's pulled up & it was truly first in best dressed, frantically pulling wetsuits on, the sound of wax being scrubbed on boards, hands clapping together from 0 degrees, laughter & excitement the coffee had definitely hit a few eager heads. I placed all the camera gear in the backpack grabbed my board & we were on our way.

Numb fingers & toes from the ride made it hard to focus we pulled up just as the sun started to show it's face but remained hidden behind the cloud front, the first set came through putting the few opportunists in the line up into place & those who know the wave well were all over it, it's always good to see the local faces in the lineup swarming over who is up next, The anticipation of "being up next" is a funny all too familiar feeling, eyes on you, the expectations, the hoots, & trusting in your knowledge & skills to hold rail is something I do enjoy. There is something about seeing your mates throwing themselves into large lumps of ocean being wholesome & at the same time gratifying.

- Sean Mawson

- Lachie Rombouts

- Shaun Pyne

- Matt Thompson

- Shane Ackerman.- Russell Bierke.

- Joe Silver

- Paul Morgan

I'd like to Thank Charley Alderman & Tom Healy for the Ski Rides it's never taken for granted Thankyou! & Shane Ackerman you know why.