Keeping secret spots secret.

Landmarks wouldn't be that much of a problem if there weren't so many wankers in the comment sections letting everyone know how great they are because they can name it.

Yep. I'm guilty of it too haha. I've got a handful of tricks up my sleeve for finding new waves, and it's become much easier in the last few years with certain updates to certain websites. I don't even visit some of them, I just like the challenge (and it keeps me from doing work while in the office). There is still one wave I've been hunting down for a few years and I'm still clueless as to where it is. I'll message you a pic of it ID. I bet you know it.

Good story: I know a bloke who found a beautiful and still seldom visited wave in Indonesia based on the construction of a telecommunications tower in the background of a photo. It took him a few weeks of emailing and ringing the national offices in Jakarta, but in the end he tracked it down and surfs it regularly by himself. I've only ever seen the one photo of it, about ten years ago in the now defunct Surfer's Path. He has never once taken a photo of it he reckons and won't even put his surfboards on the roof of his car when he drives there.

Problem is, there are so many clues. Even water colour is a giveaway.
Any on land footy is immediately recognisable due to geography, mode of transport, the dress of the local people etc etc.
Aladdin is out the bottle and he isn't going back in again.

The only thing that works: banning cameras.

Yeah these days if a shot is sent into the office and it's got us stumped, it only takes little time to figure out where it is. Whether it be the photographer, recent swell, backdrop, wave shape, all that and then access to all the free online tools makes it pretty easy if you've got a bit of time and intuition.

You're right. I have a tendency to over-react to it sometimes. Most blokes aren't going to turn up anywhere until there is a Western run surfcamp with beer, internet and airport transfers or a charter boat with a DVD player. And the guys that go out of the way to trek to these spots are usually on the same level as the rest; small groups of 2-3 people tops, happy to wait, honest and straight forward... But it's always the thin slice of the wedge. All it takes is one bloke with a miner's pay cheque to stumble upon a spot, buy land and make a Facebook page for his new surfcamp and the avalanche begins.

It's a little different back at home I suppose. Conditions are rarely as predictable as Indo or the other surf-holiday places. We get swells from all different directions at all times of year, with winds that are difficult to predict and rarely static. There's spots down here that I will probably never score on, just because the conditions so rarely align and there is no 'season' for it.

The other thing to consider is: we all love watching surf movies, and seeing new images of surfing, no matter where from. Can't deny that.

But if videographers were limited to closely cropped, tight frames of the surfers riding waves - and nothing else - then it'd be pretty boring, and no-one would watch 'em. The biggest complaint I've heard from the last week of swell was "too much footage of Snapper and Burleigh". How ironic... 

The guys behind the lens(es) are always trying to challenge themselves to take a different shot, or shoot a different angle, or do something that helps their footage stand out from the pack. Because these days there are tens of thousands of "surf photographers", and every other bloke's got a GoPro in his backpocket or gaffa taped to the nose of their board. I understand the filmer's wish to improve their craft, try new things, understand the limitations of their equipment. Just like surfers do with boards. 

So in this respect, it's the consumer that is to blame. We demand better videos, from new surf spots, with fresh angles and inspiration to keep everyone excited about the surf prospects of their once-every-second-year holiday. Usually to Bali, or the Mentawais at a pinch. The volume of surfers wishing to take a punt on a new, unknown location is extremely small.

Very true Ben. We all lap it up.

One of my main struggles is that somebody can make money from something so fundamentally free, and so important to me. In the past I would have called it jealousy, but knowing a lot of guys slaving away in the surf industry for low wages with no superannuation and bucket loads of stress, I wouldn't say so now. I still haven't figured it out for myself or how to put it into words, but something deep inside is troubled when I see individuals cashing in on surfing in ways that are detrimental to my own surfing experience. Not sites like this, not at all. I'm more talking about the feeling of sitting out in the water in a quiet spot and having a boat load of people turn up and ruin the session, knowing that between them they paid the captain $30, 000. Of course that's not going straight into their pockets... But it's an almost visceral reaction to it that I can't quite explain.

Gents, let's just stop and think if most of the feat spots you have surfed were kept secret ?
I still can go out there without looking at cams and get a solo break - albeit out of town.

If you want to keep a place a secret, don't post your photo's .... I've got 1980s photo's here of some reefs I surfed deep in the pacific.... They're for me.... Not you.... Not anyone.... I've posted pics of other spots, spots that I know are already "known"..... But not these pics..... Someone else will post photo's of these spots one day..... But I wont be the first to do it.....

Yeah ID. That's one of the silliest things about it... It is pointless. I don't know if it is foolishness, giddy pride, ego or something else all together. I've felt all of those things stumbling upon a wave that I thought was a secret and had to really force myself to just enjoy it for myself. I think back to some of the Indo vets that inspired me and think "what would he say if he knew I was telling everyone about this wave?". One of them once joked to me "If a wave breaks in Watu Karung and it's not captured on two Go-Pros and a beach videographer, did it ever really happen?"...

Don't get me started on this thread!!! ;)

Please, Don.... The floor is yours.... (remember we're talking about "secret breaks" ;)
BTW, you're slipping old chum... A lot of spots have been named lately in the SEQ forecast notes... You're surprisingly not losing it.... Are you ok?? lol

Sheepdog wrote:

A lot of spots have been named lately in the SEQ forecast notes...

Like... what locations?

South East QLD, Northern NSW, that covers a lot of spots and locations, Geez got me stumped!

"One or two guys out at Greeny this morning...."

"the pass was fun"

(re' noosa) - "be something at Ti tree,"............ "There would have been something interestion in the outer bay and point"................ "I was in nationals carpark 3:30"

"Bays at Coolum looked pretty lined up on my way home too."

"Lower Clarence was solid this morning, clean too"

"Evans head be sweet ova head and wouldn't even have to duck dive"

"Crescent proper haha"

"Awesome bank nrth of Mainie at the mo, handling 4-5 ft."

Don't get me wrong, Ben... i don't mind..... But normally Don would be going off his nana..... Donny, are you on the valium at the mo' mate????? I'll expect the same mellowness if I ever slip up ;)

SD, they're in the comments, not in the notes. Just important to clarify that. 

It's easy. Don't take photos of the joint.
And in my area don't take glory seeking chumps who will sell their whole coast out for a pair of Otis sunglasses and a billabong wetsuit even if their dad was apparently one of the heavy locals in his time.
Oh yeah and don't tell camel. That helps
Other than that enjoy it as long as you can and cover your tracks.
Gems are still out there both big and small being enjoyed by likeminded crew on all coasts on all continents.

thermalben wrote:

SD, they're in the comments, not in the notes. Just important to clarify that. 

Oh ok.... Now I get ya.... Yeah, should've said "forecast comments" or "thread"...... My bad..

Condoms and vasectomies are the only things that will keep surf uncrowded. So don't be a grizzling old cunt if you've brought 2-3-4-5 kids into the world. We live in a world of 5/generations of surfers. Each gen will out paddle, out Rip , out charge , out explore the previous , and document their fun . How you deal with that reality is up to you.

PS: being a Gold Coast child of the 70s & 80s gave me a perspective that I reckon served me well. Crowds, change, blow ins, "new locals"... yep seen it all plus some, get over it .

Not only is keeping secret spots or lesser known breaks under wrap important also is showing discretion on the forecasters notes and comments section.

Sheepdog wrote:

"Awesome bank nrth of Mainie at the mo, handling 4-5 ft."
)

Classic Sheepio, you got me...

That post I think was taking the pissa champ;)
A: I rarely surf there, B: I don't own a SUP or a Booga.
The bait was taken

Thank Christ for that Welly, you had me worried!

AndyM wrote:

Thank Christ for that Welly, you had me worried!

Me too!

This is like Metallica vs Napster .

Old rockers thinking like Metallica whilst the world has gone Napster / Facebook so fast the old rockers can't get their acid fried brains around it.

Dingdoctor wrote:

It's easy. Don't take photos of the joint.
And in my area don't take glory seeking chumps who will sell their whole coast out for a pair of Otis sunglasses and a billabong wetsuit even if their dad was apparently one of the heavy locals in his time.
Oh yeah and don't tell camel. That helps
Other than that enjoy it as long as you can and cover your tracks.
Gems are still out there both big and small being enjoyed by likeminded crew on all coasts on all continents.

Right so we are outing people , Roger that !
So it's fine to have a dig at a bloke that lives and travels alone , but not man enough to name old school legend /hard mans son ?!?
I presume this is a popularity /self preservation decision ?
I can't think of anything worse than being shadowed in the water by guys trying to learn what you know . Must be hard , probably make you want to go and live " off the grid " so to speak . And perhaps inspire young blokes to charge for charging sake .
Okay yep , that works . Back to my dungeon .

sidthefish wrote:

Condoms and vasectomies are the only things that will keep surf uncrowded. So don't be a grizzling old cunt if you've brought 2-3-4-5 kids into the world. We live in a world of 5/generations of surfers. Each gen will out paddle, out Rip , out charge , out explore the previous , and document their fun . How you deal with that reality is up to you.

Thanks for the right to grissle sid, I have no kids.

Dingdoctor wrote:

It's easy. Don't take photos of the joint.
And in my area don't take glory seeking chumps who will sell their whole coast out for a pair of Otis sunglasses and a billabong wetsuit even if their dad was apparently one of the heavy locals in his time.
Oh yeah and don't tell camel. That helps
Other than that enjoy it as long as you can and cover your tracks.

its an honor to be mentioned along with the tomlinsons and it sounds like i surf lots or take lots of photographs or something , which is great for my reputation Thanks

There is a consistent paradox here. We all wish to surf uncrowded waves but we don't want anyone to tell you where they are. Go figure ?
I can fully appreciate and understand when you go searching and you find some gems but heh, with three / four generations of surfers already, it will be near impossible to keep good spots secret.

First big belly laugh for 2016 reading this forum topic, keep it up guys, you're the funny ones ....

wellymon wrote:

Sheepdog wrote:

"Awesome bank nrth of Mainie at the mo, handling 4-5 ft."
)

Classic Sheepio, you got me...

That post I think was taking the pissa champ;)
A: I rarely surf there, B: I don't own a SUP or a Booga.
The bait was taken

Bahahahaha!!!! Mate I couldn't give a fuck if you mention where you surf, where you don't surf. what you surf, what you don't surf, whether it's true or full of shit... Get some fresh bait bro... And learn how to tie a hook properly bahahahaha.... The point is donny usually loses his shit when "names are named"... Was everyone elses comments gherkin comments like yours? Don't think so.... Donny is mellowing bahahaha

Keep trying welly.... ;)

it's not that hard to understand tonybarber, your questions here and elsewhere show you haven't ventured much further than the east coast where everything, including drinking water, is literally on tap.. other places take a lot of time, effort, preparations and sifting of rumours to work out. people don't take too kindly to internet junkies and glory seekers blowing information that has been managed for decades.

sidfish, you gave an excellent description of currumbin (I think) elsewhere. talking about a plethora of surf craft being ridden by a range of personalities, cooperating and functioning with the fittest and most proficient getting the spoils. it was an excellent description that I haven't done justice, but I certainly noticed and admired this ' function' while living on the gold coast. but not everywhere has the luxury of a carpark 50 metres from breaking waves,where u can pull up, have a 30 minute session on your lunchbreak, in warm bath water, shower at the beach, put your stockbroker suit back on in the changerooms, and return to work refreshed. horses for courses, people (surfers) and culture are a product of their environment.

perhaps you could school up the mad hueys about some of your more positive outlooks to new locals, people coming and going etc. they seem to have missed your goldy education, and positive outlook

crustt wrote:

sidthefish wrote:

Condoms and vasectomies are the only things that will keep surf uncrowded. So don't be a grizzling old cunt if you've brought 2-3-4-5 kids into the world. We live in a world of 5/generations of surfers. Each gen will out paddle, out Rip , out charge , out explore the previous , and document their fun . How you deal with that reality is up to you.

Thanks for the right to grissle sid, I have no kids.

Me neither crustt, but some of our mates are mad rooters , ay. No names mentioned ;)

But ya know, like old mate has a photo of his great grandad surfing at Waikiki on stopover on his way home from WWI. = Generations of surfers, growing exponentially in a technological paradigm moving at light speed.

15 years ago we barely had mobile phones, now I got a 8 Mpix camera / computer in me pocket. Next 10 years the tech will blow our minds , and many jobs will be obsolete .

Simply by being here (ie: online) we are all part of the data / file sharing demand - supply dynamic whether we like it or not.

IE: Directly or indirectly we all got our snout in the trough, we read surf mag's , we all watched surf movies, and we all got our glory shots , from our glory days on our walls, to impress our mates, missus or *ourselves.

sypkan wrote:

it's not that hard to understand tonybarber, your questions here and elsewhere show you haven't ventured much further than the east coast where everything, including drinking water, is literally on tap.. other places take a lot of time, effort, preparations and sifting of rumours to work out. people don't take too kindly to internet junkies and glory seekers blowing information that has been managed for decades.

sidfish, you gave an excellent description of currumbin (I think) elsewhere. talking about a plethora of surf craft being ridden by a range of personalities, cooperating and functioning with the fittest and most proficient getting the spoils. it was an excellent description that I haven't done justice, but I certainly noticed and admired this ' function' while living on the gold coast. but not everywhere has the luxury of a carpark 50 metres from breaking waves,where u can pull up, have a 30 minute session on your lunchbreak, in warm bath water, shower at the beach, put your stockbroker suit back on in the changerooms, and return to work refreshed. horses for courses, people (surfers) and culture are a product of their environment.

perhaps you could school up the mad hueys about some of your more positive outlooks to new locals, people coming and going etc. they seem to have missed your goldy education, and positive outlook

lol , syp , yeah well different background , and really what option did we have ? Fight the world as it decended upon us ? Fuck you'd go insane.

That said, I never had a problem the low key ideology , more the way it was sometimes (minority) presented but don't reckon it's my place to tell some kids they can't share their surfing fun on FB. Like Indo's post above^, fuck me any other "rules". As per my Metallica-Napster analogy, famous landmark court case , where the rebel rockers challenged the rebel technology. Irony ?

it was a good analogy sidfish but we don't have to just lay down and accept the inevitable, yeh we're a little boy whose already run out of digits to plug the dam, but we can slow the flow.

I recently enjoyed some quiet spots that I've been trying to catch for a while, spots no one showed me, I had to find em from clues I'd received over the years. things finally came together. had a great week, at the end of it, when the gold had almost stopped flowing, some aussie expat shows up with two young visitors he had in tow. after enjoying a conversation about how cool and quiet a place it was, he tells me the boys had posted photos on FB.nice one dickheads!! so you didn't really appreciate how quiet it was?? thankfully the old boy schooled them up about saying where it was and they removed names and clues, but seriously it's not fucken rocket science, but the ego overrides common sense.

while I'm griping and negativing, how's fucken surf tours like world surfaris taking bus loads to said places?? fucking criminal

school up the young ones!! don't know who the guy is in the article, but I assume he's generation facebook, good on him for showing some discretion

arseholes fucking it for everyone for a few quick bucks

Ego does over ride common sense Sypkan and I doubt it's going to get any better - there's a big relationship between the use of social media and an increase in narcissism, they feed off each other.
The only benefit may be that these guys are spending more time on the internet and less time physically doing things though that doesn't really help if your favourite secret spot has already been exposed.

I get all that syp, I really do , but for me lot comes unstitched when it becomes "I/we can/will & do tell /share with our BFFs cos we're cool , but you can't with yours cos your not". And don't tell me it ain't so, it don't happen.

THAT hypocrisy is more morally bankrupt for my money.

Above all don't let it turn you into a fuckwit asshole, cos then it becomes a fight with both crowds and your own wellbeing / inner harmony.

Ultimately it really is a first world problem in a BEAUTIFUL world.

Syp & all here's a true story that I hope makes you feel better...

December 31, 2015. Dawn.

I hiked I to a low tide spot by myself that I'd never been to, only seen on t'interweb, wasn't sure exactly where I was going. I checked tides and Google earth.

Had it all to myself from sunrise till about 8.30, 4'-5' offshore, albeit a bit wonky, then had to bail cos of rising tide. On the hike back up , met heaps of crew heading down, don't bother I told 'em , tide has denied access.

The venue would prolly be less than 50k from Sydney CBD. New Years Eve, peak summer madness, perfect day. Yep, it still is a BEAUTIFUL world.

@sypkan...good to here that you are doing the search. It's becoming harder by the day. I can assure you, I was not only talking about the Aus east coast. Simple query, are all the spots you surf secret or a small number of blokes that surf it. We should add that these spots need to be quality and not just a rare sand bank or slab that works on an infrequent swell.
If you are one that has found a special surf spot then cherish the times.

I agree with all u say sidfish, and believe me I'm not nearly as miserable in person as I am on here, I actually laugh about these things regularly, cos like world politics, if don't laugh u cry. I'm just grumpy because the shit I've seen beggars belief, and it's all fuelled by the internet. andy m is correct it's a narcissistic cyclone feeding on itself.

swellnet ain't too bad, but I ain't in the love in above saying they're good. other sites are wsy more questionable though, so I guess they're getting some kind of balance. I just don't see the need, you can have vids and talk about stuff without giving much away at all, it's like people need to show off or something.

that other website pisses me off, when the dickhead reporter says things like such and suches worst kept secret spot might have waves and the like, why even mention it? yeh it's a lame secret, but it still is a secret to many, it's all about the circles you roll in. report the conditions and the outlook and done, job finished, don't need smart arse comments or inuendo.

I don't surf many secret spots tonybarber, I'm not cool enough to get the knowledge from the 'in' crowd. you know if you're in a boardriders club, or know pros, or in the industry, or whatever, you have a pretty privelaged idea of what is and isn't known, so you blurt shit out left right and centre, and everyone in the scene knows. as someone who has frequented the fringes of the above purely from living in good spots, or knowing crew that do, trust me, what you think is common knowledge is nowhere near common, so why the need to blab on the internet. tonybarber I seem to find out about stuff about 2 years before the gatekeepers decide it's common knowledge, and fuck me if that isn't real disappointing when some half connected fucktard needs to make a name for himself, what's the point? I heard about the mexico spot 20 years ago, never quite got there, my own fault I guess, but it's most dissapointing that rip curl need to exploit stuff to sell fucken boardshorts, don't they have enough money? well probably not....now, because they believed their own bullshit and blew it. it just does my head in...but I'm smiling sidfish, and if you do make it to the quiet spots I frequent, I'm probably the one not acting too cool to talk to you.

Sheepdog wrote:

If you want to keep a place a secret, don't post your photo's .... I've got 1980s photo's here of some reefs I surfed deep in the pacific.... They're for me.... Not you.... Not anyone.... I've posted pics of other spots, spots that I know are already "known"..... But not these pics..... Someone else will post photo's of these spots one day..... But I wont be the first to do it.....

so, in the Pacific hey......I'm narrowing down already :)

pointy.... Ohh ok I'll tell ya.... Pack heaps of rubber.....Make your way to Vladivostok.... You'll then need to get the ship to Severo Kurilsk.... When you get there, ask for a bloke named Igor...... He owns a deep sea fishing boat.... He can take you the rest of the way... Tell him "Sheepskee dogski" sent ya.... :p

Sheepee , what you smokin I'll have a blast .

Sheepdog wrote:

wellymon wrote:

Sheepdog wrote:

"Awesome bank nrth of Mainie at the mo, handling 4-5 ft."
)

Classic Sheepio, you got me...

That post I think was taking the pissa champ;)
A: I rarely surf there, B: I don't own a SUP or a Booga.
The bait was taken

Bahahahaha!!!! Mate I couldn't give a fuck if you mention where you surf, where you don't surf. what you surf, what you don't surf, whether it's true or full of shit... Get some fresh bait bro... And learn how to tie a hook properly bahahahaha.... The point is donny usually loses his shit when "names are named"... Was everyone elses comments gherkin comments like yours? Don't think so.... Donny is mellowing bahahaha

Keep trying welly.... ;)

Wow Sheepio you've changed.

Really you need to lighten up a little and not get so defensive about comments, as words can be taken so many ways;)

Are you upset due to this thread!
Feeling a little guilty, which is bringing back memories when DW gave you a little bit of banter!

It's all good Sheepio, it's over now.
The Secret Is Out.
I mean the Secret Spot is no longer a Secret.....

Sid the fish - just champion ruby legendary, my scaly old pelagic....

Welly;
"Really you need to lighten up a little and not get so defensive about comments"

Ehh brah... Wusn't me who hed ta clerrify the mayny comment brahh..... Jest seyin'.....

Ok cool, no worries, don't even know where mayny is to tell the truth!

Oh and Sir Sheepio, I'm not a Brah Boy.

Or maybe that's a top secret, undisclosed, classified!...

Let me tell you about a secret spot I know. It's called 'the G Spot'.
Hard to find, even harder to get on, but worth the effort when you get it right.

core blimey.. its SURFING LAW to keep quiet about secret spots!! I never tell people about a place I have surfed if it is a quiet spot that is relatively uncrowded. the magic word - spot x! I loved how all the mags never would say where the pics were taken, it just added to the mystery, allure and magic of surfing and I truly respect the tradition. Obviously things have changed a bit with some of the new lot naming locations and breaking some of those rules n traditions of surfing . These ones have let their egos get in the way of the rules to blab/boast about their "scores" to the detriment of that particular waves future peace and quiet. Silly silly.

Tell us about this G spot Gaz, I'm guessing it's somewhere down south? Localized? A bit out of the way? Sheltered?