West Island Left

Ok thought id sign up to enter into this thread. I may be letting the cat outta the bag here, haha, but I noticed a righty once that looked good when we were doing the heinous walk from Tunks to boaties along the cliffline. Alt hough it breaks close to rocks it kinda looked surfable. Can anyone confirm? Does anyone have any more clues on where this mysto wave is, even if they are cryptic - is it closer to encounter or jervis? Dont tell me its depledges cos thats a hoax(from what ive seen anyway - although i did hear there was a bit of bodyboarding localism going on there back in the day; if it is might be time for south coast boardriders to claim back whats theirs!). if not, what about bollaparuda?

j-j if you go back a page or ten you'll see discussion of the beaches West of Parsons has been a pretty controversial subject!! I guess we all know there ain't any undiscovered Angourie Points lurking in those parts. Still, respect where it is due, there are local crew who have rightly questioned open discussion of these quirky, potentially Shot-Gun pellet infested locations. I had to admit being out of the state, and in many ways, off the planet, could make it all too easy for me to be too blaise about unpacking secret-ish spots. Welcome to de forum, maybe is has to be...hard right at the milking shed, quietly goes it past the deranged farmer with the 22, and when you see the deserted farmhouse, Ballaparuda!! you there bro!

http://ebookbrowse.com/parks-pdfs-isld-cp-backst-p-mp-pdf-d73328305

an interesting read, indeed.

Great read angry brigade.

Looking at the map though the left to me seems to be more halfway between Lands End and Oedipus Point.

Here's an extract from the PDF you linked to.

Gotta comment on the cowboy attitude of the mid 60's - "hmmm, should we protect it by creating a reserve, or just use it as target practice and lob shells onto it?". Maybe they should have landed a shell on the rock thats in the wave...

Cranking information angry. Just went on to google with 'aerial photography south australia'. First listing that comes up is the Department of Environment and Natural Resources website. If you click on their 'Map Finder' link then enter in Victor Harbor, it will link on to an 'Encounter' Topographic map. That puts you over West Island, then you can zoom in closest over the point I've been yet. Worth a peep guys, it's a bonza squiz at the point set up. I swear there are a number of suck rocks sitting off that corner of the island. From picking over the satellite images, it gives me the impression if you take off around the granite boulder, your margin for error could be very slender. I can see the potential for a safer, shoulder section down the line, which tends to sit with reports already about of people 'sort of' riding the wave over the years. Be interested in any other takes after a viewing. Whether the place is even doable remains borderline, if it wasn't in that category it would be a recognised surf break by now...

Hey guys i'm from victor and make lots of surf videos all along the south coast with Khai Adams, Teale Vanner ect and I thought the people who are interested in West Island lefty might also find my website interesting

www.stateofsurf.com

At the moment we make a video a week and the last couple have been fun secluded south coast spots. We will keep an eye on West Island left and the next big swell get the ski and boat out and make a vid of the boys surfing it! I've seen the place look unreal a few times be a good challenge!

Give everyone what they have been wanting to see!

cheers guys, be great if you check out the site and support us plenty of south aus vids and pics to keep you entertained.

cheers- Andy

Andy, this is indeed hot news, I was seriously going to put it to the forum tonite whether it would be cool for me to bring in a specialised opinion from big wave crew via Swellnet contacts. It's a long time since I watched the wave from the Kings vantage point, but my question from then, as well as recent scrutiny of aerial photography of the take off zone is still, can the wave be seriously done from the takeoff zone in hefty conditions, or is the margin too slim, allowing arseing around on the shoulder only. You guys sound serious about what you do, be interested to see what you turn up. Yeah, no one rides it at the mo, but the Pipe went a long time before it got ridden too. Definitely be up for a gander at your website, cheers s

Good points there S. It will be interesting once we get close and have a look. I'm sure from what iv seen in the past that its surf-able. But like you say the question will be paddle or tow? Are there crazy submerged bolders? and most importantly how barreled will the boys get!? I know Khai would give it a crack he's not the sort to shoulder hop.

We will keep an eye on the reports, and when the right swell comes and its going to happen ill make sure that we capture it all. Keep your eyes on this forum and www.stateofsurf.com i'll let you know how we go!

Could be in a week, could be in a month but its got to be done!

cheers. Andy

Looks like the breakwall is still there off Granite Island.

I heard that this was built after, and "blocks" swell but I don't think it is long enough to have any major influence on the incoming SW-SSW groundswells.

can anyone i.d. any of the victorian team ? is that brutus cole on the far right ?[minus the 70s goatee]

...if anyone can turn up footage of The Dump before 1875 to test the hypothesis of swell blocking, I'll streak in my birthday suit through the nunnery of your choice, while it's still winter...

i havent got the issue but i remember a couple of lines from a poem (yes really) someone wrote in a tracks article about the 1975 titles- "the shitty old dump, it turned on" and "smithy caught one 12 foot high, and thats not one word a lie"- col smith rip

I remember the pics of Col Smith on a triple overhead left way out the back at the dump, I'm still calling it the biggest wave I've seen ridden on the South coast.I remember checking it that morning and it was one big close out right across from the dump to Chiton,Seal rocks was completely disappearing under swells.Ian Kanga Cairns fresh from winning in huge Hawaiin surf spent his whole heat trying to get out the back.I still reckon it was a once in ten years swell despite everyone saying it was just a normal swell. Speaking of break-walls Ive heard there was a nice right point at Pt. Elliot before the rock-wall went in there.

Yeah, I think I got my dates wrong by a century Zambezi :p

And I think the Port Elliot breakwall would of been created in a similar period old-dog? Back in the whaling times to protect the small Jetty and wharf.

@craig Yeah it was pre-surfing but Roger Matthews once showed me some grainy old b&w archive photos clearly showing rights peeling along the point and no breakwall.It looked like a nice little set-up.

On the subject of the breakwall at Port Elliot, why not start a local action group to have the bastard dismantled? Can't think it's doing anything now except blocking modest swell into H-Bay. No reason it shouldn't be fashioned back as it was into the 'Port Elliot Surfing Reserve'. Local lads be challenged to think big in your surfing interests, it would also be a hot tourist drawcard..."The Point they claimed back from the Whaling Industry"...Andy Manners and the crew, still tossing in the first $100 to see footage of the West Island left being ridden. It may not cover medical expenses, but it'll cover the first few rounds at 'The Crown' after the session, s...

hmmmmm it broke again recently. any one on it?

Nah I just shred the gnar on the interwebs and forums bro. Does that make me a surfer?

Yep got a few hacks in this morning, how bout yourself, I'm guessing you didn't get out for a paddle fish boy?

@ angelakisbros & craig

Are you both hacks? Sound like 8yo's!

Spunoutagnes - mate its not such a good idea to remove the Horseshoe Bay breakwater. It protects the only real safe swimming beach on the south coast which is a huge tourist drawcard, much bigger than any engineered surf break there could ever be. Anyway the breakwater would be classified as a heritage structure with no chance of approvals ever being given to alter or remove it. It was built to protect the harbour anchorages. Horeshoe Bay was a major sailing ship port in the 1850's, after multiple shipwrecks the port was eventually closed. The mooring anchor chains still lie on the seabed inwards from the Sisters Rocks in the middle of the bay.

In Victa Ricta for a week visiting my folks. Caught up today with an old friend who lives here and checked Waits (too raw and rippy), Kings (too small) and ended up surfing Petties (too closey). Almost, but not quite - true to form...
Anyhoo, conversation turned to the West Island Left and he told me he had surfed it with a mate of his who has a jet ski. This was a handful of years ago now. It was his first and only go at tow surfing so far and they actually went out to surf shark alley but got a few at the left first. He reckons it was 4-5 foot and sketchy not so much from any boulders in the wave itself but because it breaks so close to the island and bends into it so it always feels like the rocks are right next to you until you get to the deep water at the end of the wave. He rated it a 5/10. Had a much better surf on the alley left.
He also thought that if it was bigger you'd get on it earlier and possibly be a bit wider on take off and better but you'd still be rooted if you screwed the first bit as it'd dry dock you.

mundies, good onya its taken 39 pages to find out its been surfed, would your buddy sign up to swellnet and give us the spill on the place ?

mundies, reread your post ,you pretty much gave us the rundown on it .

zambezi wrote:

Has the heaving left hander which breaks off the tip of West Island on the Fleurieau Peninsula ever been surfed ? I've heard stories of Wayne Lynch surfing it back in the 70's and Tom Carroll in more recent times. Can anyone confirm this ?

Hi, I have surfed it a few times, the latest being a couple of years ago off a boat. Its a mother of a wave and the drop is right in front of a big boulder unless its big. Then it breaks further out and wider but with a lot of wave bounce off the island. Not for the faint hearted.
My brother and I also bodysurfed it again off a boat about 3 years ago. I saw the comment about Peter Dunn surfing it - I suspect that is right.

You body surfed West Island left .....Fuckn hell Daisy that's scary.... not the wave but what lurks in those waters...did you see the pic that Craig posted way back { page 2 - gone now] taken from the chopper of the full grown GWS.

EDIT: Just read about P Dunns encounter with a GWS at Waitpinga 2006 on shark attack file , scary.

A few mates of mine have surfed it over the years (one of 'em is Dunny), paddling from Kings across the channel. Bugger that!

Craig ,is there any way of re posting the pic of the shark taken from the chopper ?

Looks like the image was taken down off FB Udo, and I can't see it on the Westpac Choppers page either. Bummer.

At Horseshoe if it's big enough, waves will break on a reef just after the breakwall.

Reading through this thread, did anyone find out if Smux was serious about the secret wave on the Fleurieu he'd motor over for from the west?

And not KI related?

Perhaps his son’s pro career faded and so did the urge to promote the stage upon which he shined ?

Maybe he's getting more sick waves than all of us on here can even imagine?

And has seen the light!

If we are talking about the same spot, I reckon that wave used to be called Dry Reef. Never surfed it but fraser-gordon described a particularly filthy session to me a long while back. Looks like there'd be a lot of unusual currents out there. 

Has the bombie a few KMs off PE been surfed in recent times (the one towards Victor)? Just next to Seal Island.

Would feel sharky AF out there.

Whale Bonez Reef sounds waay fuckinbetter than dry creek reef, imo.

Hahaha

Bit of sombre news, but I've recently learnt that Zambesi - who started this wonderful thread more than eight years ago! - passed away last week.

I didn't know him personally, but I'm very grateful for his contributions to the forums. 

RIP fella. 

Sorry to hear that. He was a great contributor.

Hopefully he's out there somewhere jagging a few like in today's WOTD.

Nev?