Southport session

Went to Southport on Adelaide's mid coast for a surf on Friday morning before work. The forecast was for 3 ft but it was more like 1.5-2ft with 5-10k not onshore winds. The banks at the hump were none existent but luckily there was a little right hander in front of the clubhouse that was holding shape with some nice little rides. The crowd wasn't too big and my camera generated plenty of interest. Its funny watching peoples reactions when they see the camera on the board. They are generally very surprised that its a video camera and not just a still camera. Any way, my bro and i hit it up for a couple of hours and got some ok ones. My best wave was a reverse spin to poovert combo which i captured in the below vid. My bro accidentally took out a surfer which is also in the vid and worth a bit of a laugh. No harm done.



Cant wait to try the camera out in some cleaner hollower conditions. Hopefully over the christmas break.

Vids

Now that ive got my gopro i thought i should learn how to use the video editing programs. I threw together a short clip of some old footage my bro had just to play around with. The riding and the waves are far from great but i dont have many good sessions on camera as our "moles" dont came and record us very often.
Here is a short vid from southport i made just using the crusty windows movie maker program that was allready on my computer. Have a laugh

First Run with the Gopro

Took my new gopro camera out on saturday for the first time. With winds approaching 40knots onshore, conditions were far from ideal. Ive mounted the cam to my old board and its super solid. Feel pretty safe that its not gonna fall off or break. The picture is reasonably clear so when i get some clean conditions next ill be sure to give it a better run. Saturdays surf was awful. Duck diving every 4 seconds and only catching a few frothy ones. Really poor quality.

Award winning Blog

Ha ha, Well not award winning but prize winning. I started this blog as for a competition on the riptide forum and to my surprise.....I won. The prize? A brand new Gopro water proof video camera. Perfect for getting those inside shack shots and footage that we all love. I'm so stoked. It came in the mail yesterday and ive had a play to work out how to use it. Now all i need to do is mount it to my bodyboard and ill give it a test run on the weekend.
Big thanks to sports camera (http://www.sportscamera.com.au/) for supplying the gear to make the competition go ahead and the fellas on the riptide forum (http://www.riptidemag.com.au/forum/index.php) for organising the whole thing (and making me the winner.)So sick!!!!!!! Yehhhaaaaaaa

Tiny waves at parsons

Soooo..... my trip to Yorkes was ruined by a massive high pressure system that gave Adelaide a record heatwave for November. This of course meant no swell. Well, none worth a 700km drive anyway. There was supposed to be 1-2 ft waves down at Waits and Parsons (about a 260km round trip) so i ummed and aaahhed for days then finally, Friday night, i thought screw it I'm gonna see if i can get a little wave.

I packed the fishing gear in case it was dead flat along with my biggest board (42.5 inch Custom X Quest) to milk as much from the waves as i could. I set the alarm for 530 am and was woken accordingly. After a quick check of the wave buoy on the Internet i decided that although the swell had dropped from the day before, there should still be a small wave to catch. So off on my merry way. I knew it wasn't gonna be great but i was pretty desperate so i was willing to accept anything. So complacent was I on this particular morning that when the radio lost reception out in the country i just left it on with the white noise as my companion.

As i rocked up i was greeted with a small swell but a swell nonetheless. Parsons had a few banks but the wind was a little west which was not what was forecast, so i drove round the corner to waits. It was cleaner there but no enticing banks. I reckoned to myself that the wind would sort itself out in half an hr or so as it was only 730 am, so i scooted back to parsons and suited up. I chose my bank and paddled out. Sure enough after 10 mins the wind had swung back to a more true offshore and cleaned conditions up.

For the next couple of hrs i shared the lineup with a couple of Kneeboarders (who were jokingly trying to convince me to try kneeboarding because it gets all the chicks). Mostly small rights, up to 2 ft but with enough shape to pull a few cutties and spinners in either direction. I bit later, a left popped up and allowed for a couple of rolls. The wind had settled and there was a period of really oily conditions making it a beautiful experience to be out. A school of salmon came swimming nearby which made me wonder if i would have had some good fun throwing a lure around in the morning but as always, the desire for a boog wins over having a fish. Shortly after a pod of half a dozen dolphins made quick work of the salmon which is always fun to watch.

After about 2.5 hrs i had had enough of the little waves and was getting pretty hungry so went off to find a bakery and make my way home. A pretty mellow and very enjoyable day. Enough to see me through until the next opportunity for a surf arrives. Hopefully next time at some better waves at Yorke's. If this crazy weather ever sorts itself out that is. Sorry no pics

Why is huey so unkind?

Dagnamit, i have been hanging out for my trip to yorkes for so long. Supposed to be going this weekend coming but doesn't look like it will happen now. Checked the charts last Thursday and wasn't filled with much optimism. Checked the charts today and I'm sitting here crying like a baby 'cause all indications are for one of the flattest periods possible for next weekend with a rise in swell for Monday. Why Huey why?



I might try to go down south instead because its not going to be worth the 700 plus kms to scout around yorkes. But i strongly doubt that there will even be 1 ft waves anywhere. FARK, i might go fishing instead, I've got to do something to have some fun. Just quietly I'm losing my fricken nut here. snorkeling sounds like a good idea but seeing as someone was attacked by a shark today i might just try and catch a salmon somewhere.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iqkDFIzuMIoQMQ1IV8tKZCAC8Flg

Mini Meaksy

Enough said, Mini Meaksy's Shirt says it all haha



The little fella loves getting on the boog and trying to be just like daddy, check out his style complete with crossed legs.....and sandwich!?

I am so looking forward to this summer, hopefully i can get mini meaksy his first wave. We've been practicing together at home and he's seen it on the TV so hopefully he has the idea. Although he is not quite two yet so I'm not expecting too much obviously.

Just as my dad instilled his love for fishing in me, i hope to one day share the delights of riding a piece of foam with my son. I think the first time we go out together and i see his stoke from getting his first wave by himself will definitely be one of those images that you carry with you to your last breath. An eternal source of joy that bubbles uncontrollably to the surface whenever you think of it, and makes you smile even in your darkest moments. I remember my first fishing trip with just me and dad and his dad. We caught plenty of trout and to date, the biggest trout I've ever caught was on this trip, I think i was 9 years old, but i can still remember it so vividly.

Not that it matters if he doesn't want to bodyboard when he is older. I'd never force him into anything but i have to admit, that i harbour a not so secret desire to be able to share this with him. I guess its almost like an insurance, that i want to be able to share something that i know will allow us to spend time together. Only time will tell, and if its not bodyboarding then I'm sure it will be something else. Cant wait to see how the little champ grows up, but for now i am more than content with my crazy, funny and adorable son.

Bad Days, Good Knights

The above picture is simply here to remind me that life is life and that while i find mine difficult at the moment it is definately not a bad one. Behind this photo is a vast contradiction. This day had two very different elements to it. As you can see, in the belly of this sandy knights pit is myself. Am I having fun? Hell yes! Am I worried about the world at this moment? Hell no! Do I have anything to complain about? Not really apart from the inevitable sandy crack. The second half of this day is really why I was down at Port Elliot, I was playing a gig with my bros and sister in law in our cover band for the kids on their camp.

This camp was a CanTeen camp (teenagers with cancer) and was the real purpose for our trip to Port Elliot/Victor Harbour. I can’t help but think that while we played for them and they danced and yelled and screamed and had a great time, the joy that we temporarily lent them would soon be replaced by the realities of their lives. Some of the kids had cancer; others had parents or siblings with the disease while some had lost friends and loved ones. So while they come back down to the harsh realities of their young lives, I go home and reminisce about how much fun I had surfing knights earlier in the day. A vast contradiction in lives and emotions. So I write this today as a way to tell myself "while you may ache you are not dead or dying, you have a great life so cheer up soldier".

Also, this Friday 30 of October is Bandana day, so if you see someone selling bandanas, buy one and support Canteen and cancer research.
http://www.canteen.org.au

When the drugs dont work

I felt a little poorly today
(read: I really wanted to go for a surf so)
so i went to the medicine cabinet but
(i checked the surf report but)
I found that the bottle of morphine was empty.
(the swell was a no show.)
I cursed,got in the car and tried to take my mind off it
(I cursed and went to work earlier than i wanted)
Before long i found myself popping a tic tac as a placebo and told myself to hang in there it'll be alright
(When i got to work i watched a boogin clip and said "soon, very soon you shall go for a boog again")
I cursed again
(I cursed again)

Ha ha that's kind of how i feel at the moment, not like taking drugs (hell i don't even drink coffee or coke)but like i really need a boog to soothe the soul. Anyhoo, i am planning a trip to yorkes next month but am dying to get a boog in before that so i can practice a bit before i get to ride a few really fun waves. Hoping to hit west cape, flogrock and probably throw in some ponde bazzaz for a cruisy sesh. Hanging out so bad for this, i hope it comes together Yew.

We have a winner!!

Congrats to Perc off the riptide forums who correctly guessed the location of the wave in my tasty surprises competition. The location was southport affectionately called southpoo as it more often than not lacks any quality. I thought i could trick em because it is not a usual wave for that location but the local fellas are just too cluey ha ha.

New identities

While I'm on the topic of recycling, i gave my old wetsuit a new identity and turned it into a camera case. My brother has one of those Olympus waterproof cameras but he never takes it out with him because he hasn't got anywhere safe to put it when he is surfing. So i got my very first wetsuit and cut it down, sewed it into a pouch and attached it to an old bicep leash. Pretty nifty, now it is safe and sound attached to his arm so he can surf away then quickly whip it out (the camera that is) and grab a snap of the next wave, hopefully with

me on it yew! I sewed it with a plastic twine so it is strong and wont rot. The camera is attached to the bicep leash with the same twine but three strands plaited together so it is super strong. Its good stuff because it is a little bit stretchy too so i will absorb any impact if the camera is flailing in the water. I put a large flap on the case and some velcro so that the camera cant fall out by itself and i made sure that the rope attached to the camera was long enough to reach your face but short enough so it doesn't strangle you should you accidentally drop it. I had to attach a longer bit of velcro to the leash so it would reach around the camera which also holds it in place when its not being used. I'm not sure whether there is a product like this on the market or not. It could be a way

for wetsuit companies to utilise any wetsuit offcuts. Ive got plenty of ideas to make it better but it will do for now. Maybe i will make a few better ones and flog em off to some of the riptide forum kids who have these cameras ha ha. (p.s, my brother has it on upside down in the photo, whoops)

Making money from bodyboarding, its piss easy!

All you have to do it throw your old Polypro boards in the recycling. Apparently Australian money is made out of the stuff. Polypropylene that is, not necessary old bodyboards. Sorry to anyone who wanted to know how to make money haha. But seriously, on the back of mike Stewart's article in the futures issue of riptide I was just wondering what sort of stuff old boards could be made into. My boards are PP so it is likely that they could be recycled into, packaging, ropes, thermal underwear, carpets, stationery, plastic parts, reusable containers of various types, laboratory equipment, loudspeakers, automotive components and polymer banknotes. Pretty cool, i like the idea of walking on a carpet made from my old bodyboards while wearing ex-boog thermal undies for some reason ha ha. There is also a company that turns old bodyboards into nose and tail protectors for surfboards when they are in transit. I bet the sticks love that. It would be cool if like mike said in the article old boards could be made into new boards. That would bring down costs a bit rather than sourcing new materials all the time. When you think about it, you don't really throw away boards unless they are trashed (well i don't) so there is likely more bodyboards on the planet today than ever before. All that Non-Biodegradable PP potentially becoming landfill. Man is very good at creating stuff at the expense of the environment. I was actually wondering, why bodyboards aren't printed with the recycling symbols, one: to let boogs know that they should recycle their old friends and two: so that when an old boog goes through to the recycling plant the good people on the other end know what pile to put it in. Or is it the case that something in the way a bodyboard is made renders it non recyclable? That doesn't seem likely. So why don't they have the triangle with PP 05 on em? I'd hate to think that a sport like ours that relishes in the delights of nature would one day be responsible for trashing it. Perhaps the surf and booga stores should start doing deals like "bring your old board in for recycling and receive 5% off your next board. That way we could ensure that our old friends don't become foes. Thus ends today's musings.

Tasty surprises

Here is a little competition for all you south aus boogers out there.

This little wave caught me by surprise. I didnt think it would bottom out on me quite so quickly but was very happy that it did. Can you guess where this is? First correct guess gets a free cd (The panics album Cruel gaurd) If i can find where i put it ha ha.

Out the back O' my place

Been super busy of late at work and the rest of the family have been sick so no chance for a boog lately. While i would much rather live by the ocean i still enjoy living where i do. It has its own charms and is nice and close to the rest of my family. Out the back of my place is a creek which is usually dry but seeing as we actually had some rain this winter it has had water in it for a while. So i thought i would take a few snaps before it dries up and summer comes and all the plants die.

Were it not for what I've seen floating down the the creek I would be tempted to grab my board and travel down the rapids when it floods in winter but i don't really feel like getting impaled on someones run away letterbox or a busted shopping trolley.

Despite its sometimes filthy nature there is still some beauty to be found out the back o' my place

Birthday celebrations

Earlier this year i celebrated my 30th birthday. Not the best birthday because you really do feel as if your getting older. You cant say your in your twenties anymore which is slightly devastating, ha ha!

Anyway, i organised to celebrate my birthday with my family down the Yorke peninsular. All my brothers and my parents and in laws came down and we booked a house for a week in Marion bay.

My folks had gone down earlier in the week but i couldn't make there till the Friday. As always things never go smoothly when your amped up to go away. We had organised to drop my son off at my in laws on Friday after lunch as they had offered to take him with them on Saturday (he was about 18months old). He was down for a sleep and we were waiting for him to wake so we could take him to the in laws. The car was packed and ready and i was peaking out as usual because i was so eager to get going and get a surf in before it was dark. When my little boy woke up we changed his nappy and we saw that his legs were covered in welts, there were raised Bumpy rashes all over his legs and we thought he had been bitten by a spider or something. So we rang the doctors and quickly took him down to get checked out. In the end we realised that we had put a new pair of pants on him that we had forgotten to wash first and there must have been something on them that caused an allergic reaction. We got some antihistamines form the chemist and his skin settled down and when we were sure he was OK we dropped him off at his Nana's and finally got underway.

Unfortunately i didn't make it there in time to get a surf in. When we arrived there was only 20 or so mins left before dark so i went off to find dad who was off fishing at a nearby beach. In my haste to join them in the fishing i managed to step in a rather large pool of water hidden under a what i thought solid clump of seaweed and saturated my shoes and pants. Never mind i would have no need for shoes in the next few days. We caught only very small fish but what excited me was there were waves breaking on this usually flat stretch of sand so i knew there must have been some swell around.

The next day i got up and me and dad went off, me with my board in tow and dad with his fishing rod. The wind wasn't ideal so i went to a spot i knew would stand up despite the wind being slightly onshore. The right hander was working, it was about 3-4ft and i snagged a couple of fun ones but it wasn't great so i went in to find dad but he had walked all the way around the beach. By the time he came back he was saturated as we had two really heavy showers. Back to the house for some breakfast. I spent the rest of the day with the family relaxing and doing a little bit of fishing. We scored a bucket load of tommies and some squid which i cooked up that night for everyone. Throughout the rest of the day the rest of my bros and family arrived.

The above shot was not of this particular day but conditions were pretty much like this and this is the same place.

Next day the winds were more favourable so myself meaks_85 and mulletman made our way to a favourite reef break. Unfortunately the swell wasn't as big as we hoped but there were still plenty of small bazzas to make and we surfed for a few hours before the consistency began to drop. I called a change of location and we made our way to a spot we hadn't surfed before but had checked out on previous visits. The wind was a better direction here and we eagerly made our way around a beautiful bay and along a rocky point to get to our wave of choice.

Mulletman opted to take photos and me and '85 paddled out to some fun 3 footers with a crowd of only us. Nothing better than just you and your mates scoring whatever waves come your way.

The tide wasn't quite right so the waves were a little fat and there was an annoying clump of rocks that was sitting out of the water about 3/4 along the wave but overall it was a fun session and ill definitely be heading there again. For a few more pics of the session go to http://www.riptidemag.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2387

The next day mulletman had to go home so me and '85 headed out to the same left reef break that we had surfed the day before last. The wind was great but when we got there the waves were small. We watched it for 20 mins and nearly didn't go out but as we had to vacate the house at 10am we didn't really have time to scout around. In the end we said stuff it and went out anyway. It was a good call, although we hadn't seen a wave over a foot while we were watching, as i paddled out a set came and some cracker little barrels reeled off as i hooted back to '85 who was yet to get in the water.

Again we were the only ones out and the sets were getting more consistent. They weren't as makable as usual but they were barreling hard for 2-3ft waves so making them or not didn't phase us. we got some super fun ones, The take off was real cruisy and then it just started throwing the lip as you trimmed down the line, which made it good for trying to spin into the barrels. after about an hour the lineup started to fill up as more and more people came out. Me and my bro were absolutely stoked because it had looked so ordinary yet turned out so fun. We drove back to the house pretty happy and a bit annoyed because we didn't think it was gonna be good enough to set up the video camera.

So that was my big Three Zero celebration, Three days of waves, fishing and being surrounded by family. It was a birthday to remember.

The devil made me do it!

Well i m sure the devil made me do lots of things but today at work i was musing about bodyboarding of course, If bodyboarding is the devil then, it made me relax, it made me talk to a complete stranger, it made me smile, it made me laugh at someones misfortune, it made me dream, it made me speak my mind, it made me see new places, it made me face my fears, it made me sleep during the day, it kept me awake at night, it made me feel guilty, it made me spend time with my family, It made me fill the shower with seaweed, it made my skin blister and peel, it kept me fit, it wore me out, it frustrated me, it made me wish i was someone else, it caused me pain, it made me take too many painkillers, it made me spend money, it gave me hope, it showed me who i could be, it made me shed a tear, it made me grateful, it made me lament, it made me break the speed limit, it made me reveal too much about myself, it made me start a blog

Rock & Roll bodyboarding

I have been thinking about bodyboard design of late. It has been popping up everywhere lately, Mike Stewart's new project, that crazy dude 4EPonly on the riptide forum who has some great ideas (http://stormbodyboards.blogspot.com, http://www.riptidemag.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=782), and the wooden bodyboards video in vimeo http://surfinggreen.com.au/news/Chad-Waldrons-Momentary-Film-Regarding-a-Wooden-Board . It's so rad' to see people doing something different with a bodyboard. So i was thinking, how cool would it be if you could make a totally transparent bodyboard. Just like those perspex guitars which are see through. How rock and roll would that be! I know I'm probably not the first person to have this idea and it may have been done before but how rad would it be to see a photo of a booger locked into a 4-6ft aqua cavern on a transparent board, If you could get the light right and eliminate any reflection off the board it would look real arty to see someone fanging it on an invisible sleigh. Would make a mad photo i reckon. Don't know how it could be done, perhaps some kind of air bubble sandwiched in between two thin sheets of perspex would work. Imagine the speed you could get off something that flat and smooth, with the correct rails it would fly and if you could make the plastic thin enough it would have decent flex. Don't know about airs though, perhaps you could put elbow pads made from silicon or something, a bit like breast implants haha boobies, *sigh* is there anything they can't do or inspire ha ha ha ha!

What do you look like in a wipeout?

Ha ha. Ever wanted to know what you look like when a wave gets the better of you. I thought this little sequence of frame grabs was funny because you can almost see my facial expression through the wave as i get whipped around and over the inside of the falls. I guess i went a little too deep. With my hair flowing and body slightly twisted you could be forgiven for thinking that a mermaid had taken up surfing waves! Either that or i look like some under water dementor out of the harry potter movies. Hardly a big wave but who cares, whenever you get an inside view its worth every millisecond of time you can spend in there. Getting in the ocean and having a boog is all about having fun regardless of the quality of the waves.

Have a laugh at me for me :)

Humble beginnings

Getting into bodyboarding has definitely been one of the best things Ive ever done with my life. Pure and simple it’s just about having fun and clearing your mind of anything untoward. Like anyone will tell you when you're out in the water absolutely nothing else matters. My thoughts are with the ocean and its gentle fluid movements. The ocean is a cool embrace that heals and elates. The desire is simple; to become part of nature in all its beauty and glory and to experience something that surpasses the monotony of a life lived on terra firma.
The start of my love of the ocean oddly began in freshwater. As a kid going fishing for trout in Victoria I was fascinated with what lived beneath the ripples. I remember the occasional family trips to the beach. Swimming in the ocean was an opportunity to immerse myself in a world that didn't seem real; a world so amazing that it should only have existed in fiction books. Some of my best memories are of going to Apollo Bay and bus driving the waves on inflatable surf mats. SOOO much fun I never wanted to leave.
Many years later, after probably only really visiting the beach once or twice a year and moving from Victoria to South Australia, my brother’s girlfriend (now wife) invited us to stay at their beach shack to go fishing and bodyboarding. I was 20 years old now. I was so excited I went and bought my first bodyboard (piping hot brand check the pic' ha ha) and fins from Kmart and a second hand wetsuit from cash converters. Quality gear I know but it got me started.
The beach shack happened to be in the fisherman’s village at Pondalowie bay on the Yorke Peninsular. It wasn’t pretty but it sure was in a good location as these shacks cannot be sold or bought these days. They just get passed down through the families lucky enough to have them (most of them crayfishermen who live there half the year). I spent the next week in heaven there, going fishing half the day and learning how to bodyboard the other half of the time. I remember learning how to turn and trim in the shories while watching the surfers to see what lines they drew as they surfed the nearby reef.
It was definitely one of the best holidays of my life and since then I try to get in the ocean as often as I can and get back down to the Yorke peninsular once a year. In the following years venturing back to the fisherman's village I had the best conflict of interest you could have. I used to get up every morning of my holidays at the shack and stare into the bay in utter confusion because I couldn't work out whether I wanted to go boogin or fishing more. Such a dilemma! Over the years though it’s now a no brainer as I will choose the boog over any other activity anytime. My only regrets are that I wish I had found the joy of the sponge when I was younger. By the time I was right into bodyboarding I was in my early twenties and working full time and had a girlfriend and various other commitments so I haven’t really been able to go crazy and surf as much as I like. Nevertheless, I am always super grateful whenever I get time to soak the sponge and the stoke is never diminished.