Watch: Late May at Burleigh
Despite a mix of straight east swell and long range south swell, over the weekend the bank at Burleigh made sense of the conflicting directions.
More than that, it turned on some of the better waves seen there in the last few years.
Featured in the above clip is Liam O’Brien, Turtle Grey, Adam Clark, Toby Johnston, Thomas Woods, Reece Hudson, Jacob Byrne, Jesse Outram and one or two others, all getting fantastically pitted.
Comments
Looks so much more enjoyable than that shit show up the road
Looks like a surfers paradise...
Thats the gold coast I remember
Me too. How good is Burleigh!
horrible soundtrack, dreamy barrels.
was that Turt's on the yellow board?
Not Turtle, that's Tobes.
Nope didn't see turtle .. no one in that footage was round enough ;)
Pumpin!!!!
Not sure a round nose single fin mini mal was the right choice for burlz that day.
And she agreed.
Ha! Yep that was me and I got smoked. Sadly that board was my only option. Eventually I made it out there only to sit and watch as others got pitted. A morning well spent!
Good on you for fronting up.
How’d the board fare?
And your limbs?
Cheers.
Board has a mild scratch but it nestled gently amongst the boulders, all things considered. I knew I had to get going so I launched onto the next breaker and paddled like hell but the fin struck a submerged boulder, causing a ding. Limbs were all good!
clean as
nah don't be fooled - it was super busy, heaps of drop-ins.. certain gentleman with red shorts burning all and sundry. pretty lully. all in all not the ingredients for a fun surf...
but... upon saying that. best banks Burleigh has had outside cyclone surf for years...
You're upset locals were dominating their home break?
well yes, I got roasted on my best wave... and if we define a local being someone in the boardriders only as opposed to someone that has lived there and surfed there their entire surfing life..... but then again that's life on the gold coast...
Not sure i agree there. As an adult you can't just sign up to the club if you're not a previous member, 2 life members must give you the ok first on sign up day. So you can't just sign up, then try to dominate the point.
If you put the time in you will get your waves, if you havnt then you will probably get faded by people that have. and i think thats ok.
no issue with your first point. keep it local and tight.. might be that it needs to be that way to get waves.
on the second point, it used to be the case at Burleigh, and I used to surf the point every time it was on for years, and I did get waves.... was patient never got punched (which happened alot in the 90's) ....but now (last few years anyway), too many people, and it's absolute bedlam and too much carnage..... Surely you agree with that?
So the way to surf there now, is not get many waves, or be a prick and burn people - it's super easy to fade someone.. it's hard to be in the right spot and go and not be burnt......
but that's ok - that's the way it is now.. I accept it, (I don't like it) As I said it is the Gold Coast....
I am out... might take up origami...
Being a board riders club member doesn’t give you any more right to a wave than anyone else. If you’ve put in the time then you’ll have the ability/nous/experience to be in the slot and get the wave first. Burning someone only shows that you didn’t/ couldn’t be in the right spot, when all your ‘time’ should have armed you with exactly that ability.
Burleigh on the weekend was like kirra in a good day - wait till someone’s pitted then drop in - the turbulence will see them eat it and you can go on your merry way. The boulevard of broken dreams. The worst of humanity
Kaiser agree totally, it's a massive shitfight... but it doesn't happen anymore - I waited for 45 mins, finally was in the spot, and boom burnt... So I am done with Burleigh.. now I am focusing on beachies, or when it is big, beaches close and no one is paddling, jump on the ski...
Kaiser, i understand what you're saying, however majority of boardriders have put in decades of work out there, good waves and average. When everything aligns, the guys deserve the respect and the sets. Its the last break on the Gold Coast that's still localised.
If you don't like it, don't surf there. its simple.
So because a group of people decided to form a ‘club’ it somehow gives them some sort of saloon passage to waves that otherwise wouldn’t be theirs, except for the fact that they’re in said ‘club’? No dramas with getting the sets. If you’ve put in the yards, you’ll be in the spot. Otherwise get better, or as you say, go somewhere else
BTW burleigh is not the last localised spot on the GC. There’s plenty of noticeable locals in plenty of spots. They just don’t carry on like this lot. And I dare say they get more respect as a result
When its an absolute shit show with people surfing from everywhere its not always possible to "be in the spot" but if someone else is in the spot that hasnt put in the time, they will most likely get burnt. Thats the way its always been and its not going to change. So, if you don't like it, don't surf there.
do you wear your stupid red shorts and go to the back of the queue when you travel?
haha i'm not even part of the boardriders, but i respect the club and its long term members and the way it works at Burleigh. you should too.
Burleigh, I hope you are a simple troll. If not, you are a simple fucken loser.
You decide.
you sure about that?
yeah I reckon... Burleigh's banks have been way too straight for too long a(3-5 years) and not linking up.. but at the moment it is.. and considering how straight the swell was on the coast, Burleigh did well...
I was only kidding after the three peat post.
ahh right you are.. although you make a good point in that it has been ages since Burleigh has been good.
apologies for the explosion of comments, I am having to sit through a 1 hour Teams meeting around safe practices in the office due to coronavirus - the presenter has spent 20 mins on how to wipe down an office chair and keyboard.......
Nice speaking gig if you can score it...
Waves in vid were epic btw, some great barrel riding
Do Burleigh locals wear red shorts to highlight their 'localness'?
The red boardies, I thought were are a bit of salute to MP. The mural on the wall of the building on the point has MP in red boardies... I could be wrong.. anyone got any more info?
Club colours. Red & White.
We're pretty boring by comparison down here in Vic. All the locals where I live just wear black wetsuits..........
Don’t worry ringmaster. Boring is good.
Should of run the Stubbies. MP would of been on fire!
Unbelievably good.
I miss Burleigh lived at Mermaid & Broadbeach most of the times so was my go to point when swell, was always a lucky dip with waves and crowds, but had some awesome waves and days out there and had the whole paddle out thing totally worked out.
That's one of the best things about places like Burleigh etc when you surf them all the time you know the perfect paddle out spots, every little rock, you know the bank as it changes and you feel like you click with the spot.
Great waves.... you need a touch of localism to keep the masses away. Imagine if everyone accepted everyone’s right for fair waves and took it in turns out there, it would be double the crowd and no one would get a good one...
Memories. Past middle age. Paddling out before dawn at Burleigh where there always seemed to be someone out before me and shadows of other frothers jumping off rocks further at intervals along the point despite the darkness. Then for an all too brief 10 minutes the point seemed a dreamlike empty perfect point with options aplenty. The ultimate aquatic fun park lay before me with just minutes till the endless lemmings leaping off the rocks, spider arms spinning water to froth on their way to join me ruined it.
No time to relax. Must get one good one fast before the crowd. Damn. Missed the first set. Catch one finally more relieved than anything. Then it starts. Someone always inside me. Every set hunted down by the pack. Frustration builds made worse by seeing perfect waves roll by with hot locals who make ridiculous take offs and long sections leaving nothing for me. Surfers who just had an amazing ride paddle around me for average waves with no thought for sharing even a scrap for a starving waif.
Nothing for ages. Then at long last a shifting peak moves wide leaving the nearby frothers out of position. One eyes it off but grudgingly leaves it unsullied. I am in the spot and slip into an aqua blue tunnel with sunlight making the upper lip a golden hue. Speed fast on a wave so perfect the lip line never changes until it moves into the final shorebreak section where i am smashed but don't care. I got a perfect one. That is all that matters.
I head in knowing another attempt would spoil the day. Happy but far from satisfied. In no hurry to repeat. Burleigh is a tough gig.
Great piece frog. Love it. That’s surf literature right there.
So true, that’s me taking that heavy wipeout at 1:14. Was Sunday morning my 2nd run around, got a couple of insiders off the crowd 1st time round & broke my board on that wave the 2nd. By the time I got another the wind had come up & it was over....no barrels this swell...next Time Burleigh mistress you will be mine
Its nice to see some film from a spot other than Snapper.
Many crew surf at night on the Goldy?
A drop in is still a drop in and if someone’s in the pit it’s a dog act no matter who you are.
Lots of dropins...
Surfed out there every day of the swell, saw some amazing rides and some inexcusable drop ins. Accidents happen but there's a big difference between going when it looks like someone isn't going to make it and being a grub and going regardless. I'd rather give someone the benefit of the doubt of making the section, than ruining what could be the best wave of their life. Even if they fall and I feel instant regret for not going, I'd prefer that than the shame of having the whole lineup thinking 'what a shit c***' for a blatant selfish burn. Miss out on a few close ones but still jag a few pearlers and sleep well knowing I didn't screw anyone over for my benefit.
Well said.
It's probably time for the crowd to call out shit behaviour in the water.
I was a Kirra local for the first 20 years of my surfing life and I always gave the benefit of the doubt. NEVER BURN SOMEONE IN A BARREL IF THEY SHOULD/COULD MAKE IT!
Whenever it happened to me, I got the 'red mist' and wanted blood. I'm sure many others feel the same way. Time to band together to stamp out shit behaviour like this.
Anyone gonna mention the most admirable of barrel-dodges? 1:56 - 2:07 ......
F#$K I will, I disapprove sir.
Burleigh’s no place for stalling. I bet he’s pumping and praying those 40 down the line aren’t about to make his wave theirs.
Would rather one good one than 20 close out beachies