The drop in at 2:15.... would love to have heard the chat between those 2 blokes after. Brutal.
calkMonday, 8 Feb 2021 at 9:36am
It's definitely a case of 'what price are you willing to pay'.
Three mates went out - 2 snapped boards. The other got away with a broken leggie.
At Kirra on Friday - A guy came in with a dislocated shoulder. His wetsuit top was doing a good job at holding it in.
Kirra again on Saturday - A guy came in with a cut from his eyebrow, across his eyelids and onto the top part of his cheek. Apparently someone shot their board out a doggy door and it caught him.
regydogyMonday, 8 Feb 2021 at 9:47am
bring back the biff . some cunt did any of that to i . your heading to tweed hospital
scrotinaMonday, 8 Feb 2021 at 12:03pm
please sit inside occy and dingo. they will certainly oblige, then you can give them the beating they deserve
regydogyTuesday, 9 Feb 2021 at 9:13am
ok , put thay surf a bit faster than me , lol maybe not occ , lol
RockethutThursday, 11 Feb 2021 at 9:00pm
Yes take out that Occy muppit.
Ape AnonymousMonday, 8 Feb 2021 at 10:07am
Typical East swell: broken boards and knee twisting doggy door exits, anything predominantly East on the GC is dangerous!
JonoMonday, 8 Feb 2021 at 10:08am
Today's WOTD at 1:43
SolitudeMonday, 8 Feb 2021 at 12:27pm
Wow nice grab. Side on looks a bit rough but video ref shows it was ok.
There were plenty of big 15m sections collapsing at big groin that were unmakeable that day. Was really good but far from perfect.
blackersMonday, 8 Feb 2021 at 3:07pm
Agreed, good forensic work. He got smacked by the lip and subsequently snaked as well, so all is good in the world.
warddyMonday, 8 Feb 2021 at 5:46pm
Yes mate far from perfect ...
If that’s the best they can bring up from a full day ...
Glorified close out ....
extending the groin to original length did squat ...
The sand pumpers done the dirty work for the Superwank worshippers....
And like it’s still perfect every edited video clip ....
Throw the skis in for short change ...
She ain’t what she used to be ....
RoboMonday, 8 Feb 2021 at 6:46pm
Ok boomer lol
warddyMonday, 8 Feb 2021 at 7:43pm
Yes bloomer coz you were still in mummies nappies ....
Way before the shit show it is now
bluediamondMonday, 8 Feb 2021 at 8:01pm
Couldn't agree more. There was a couple of gems in there but it looked like almost all the waves closed out. Anyone that surfed Kirra pre sand pumping would be well aware that as Kirra got bigger, it didn't shut down, it just hugged the bank and got thicker. It's so wide of the point now.
warddyMonday, 8 Feb 2021 at 8:21pm
Thanks for some sanity in this Instagram hoax of a world we are in now ☹️
warddyMonday, 8 Feb 2021 at 8:43pm
Todd / Bruce Lee... Rabbit... Chappy ...
Till late 90,s best wave in the world ...
Now just a seasonal show with the usual cast ....
It’s a fck hoax now but hey ..
Like pulling rabbits out of a hat ..
You can see it happening but you obviously don’t know your being fooled ...
By the way nice towers being built on the beach ....
cough up your dough
Just wear your earplugs as the Harley Boys rumble there way around the bend
Every weekend ....
Fken Byron nearly sounds like a better idea and that’s a statement ...
memlasurfWednesday, 10 Feb 2021 at 12:00pm
Yeah looks all over the place to my eye real wobble in the swell and not lined up at all. Maybe too straight on swell direction? A lot of paddling for a pounding and maybe a bit of a runner. Well done to the survivors.
burzumThursday, 11 Feb 2021 at 12:02pm
Yep, very deceiving. It was hard work, lots of wash throughs. Get the wrong wave and wear the next set on the head. Forget about paddling back out. Run around.
I did two laps for 5 waves. Two closeout barrels. And I normally get my share. Previous day (the Thursday) was way more fun.
TrentslatterphotoMonday, 8 Feb 2021 at 10:26am
put your head down, dont look, turn and burn. its the only way to go
Occ is fast getting the title of the worst burning arsehole on the coast, and that's not an easy task. Great surfer of course, but his behavior of late has been shitfull and sadly sooner or later someone bigger will lose their shit and legend or not he will get lumps.
ra28Tuesday, 9 Feb 2021 at 10:35am
How good would it be to see his coke hole sideways across his face?
Gra MurdochMonday, 8 Feb 2021 at 12:31pm
...The only goofy in the whole clip was the fella on the skatey at 1:26
sirboonieWednesday, 10 Feb 2021 at 10:06pm
was just about to say the same!
OHV500Monday, 8 Feb 2021 at 3:37pm
the music soo didnt suit the clip
tmanFriday, 12 Feb 2021 at 8:37am
You prefer the usual gangster rap?
The FireMonday, 8 Feb 2021 at 6:39pm
Was out there for total of 7 hours on the friday, it looked amazing from the water. I got a blackeye from my board underwater. Wipeouts were brutal out there. I didnt drop in on anyone and some how no one burned me either, weird hey.
CraigMonday, 8 Feb 2021 at 8:09pm
Get a couple of keepers?
The FireFriday, 12 Feb 2021 at 4:35pm
No not really. My blackeye was the keeper, still got it.
My philosophy out there worked better a few days earlier but got exposed on the best day, the friday.
I was sitting further out than the human centipede, waiting for and only paddling for the bigger ones, which turned out to be not very good ones. Still, 7 hrs over 2 sessions. No laps done. All paddle power. Got fried also.
Peace.
harrycooprMonday, 8 Feb 2021 at 8:39pm
Where and what is "butterbox"?
lostdoggyMonday, 8 Feb 2021 at 9:58pm
The section in front of the shelter shed on the point.
harrycooprTuesday, 9 Feb 2021 at 8:07am
Thanx doggy... but why butterbox? Soft creamy section or slippery takeoffs?
bbbirdMonday, 8 Feb 2021 at 10:26pm
Some like the circus & going to the zoo;
a search beyond the horizon is rewarding too.
SpuddupsTuesday, 9 Feb 2021 at 6:23am
Could it be argued that pre sand pumping Kirra was a temporary artificial situation? I mean if things were left to their own devices would the sand have built up so much round the Tweed training walls that it would eventually have made its way round en-mass as is the situation with the sand pumping? Would be interesting if there were ever any studies done on this.
dastashaTuesday, 9 Feb 2021 at 6:24pm
Pre sand pumping the bay was a lot deeper. Swell used to hit the inner bank and jack up.
Now you can see the swell feathering out past the shark nets.
SpuddupsTuesday, 9 Feb 2021 at 6:50pm
That's true. What I'm talking about is Kirra's natural state before the Tweed River training walls. My guess is that it was full of sand as it is now. My theory is that the classic Kirra of the 70's-90's was actually an artificial construct due to the sand supply being impeded by the training walls.
tangoThursday, 11 Feb 2021 at 7:56am
My understanding is that Kirra was also good in the 60s but a challenge on a mal. I also understand that the historic issue of the Tweed walls was not so much that it trapped sand but that it diverted it offshore to rejoin the coast further up, denying the southern points their usual sand supply.
There's been quite a bit of work on this by both the NSW and Qld govts through the sand bypass project, I think, plus Rodger Tomlinson et al at Griffith Uni and the Water Research Lab at UNSW among others. Stacks available via Dr Google.
stunetThursday, 11 Feb 2021 at 8:25am
Spud's right in that 'classic' Kirra - i.e what we saw through the '70s and '80s - was an environmental anomaly. During that period, the beaches and points of the lower GC were denuded and this allowed both more energy to reach Kirra and a peel rate on the point that perfectly suited barrel riding.
Prior to that the bay was closer to what we see now with slugs of sand beyond the shoreline attenuating the energy and the nearshore sand load straightening the bank down near Kirra. Owing to its reputation as a tourist magnet, GC library has a treasure trove of photos and postcards showing Coolangatta Bay in various states from the invention of the camera obscura up to the TRESBP. My theory is based on those photos.
I've mentioned it a few times, but I have an SW from the sixties with a Kirra article and half the waves are lefts.
tangoThursday, 11 Feb 2021 at 8:37am
I think that's a decent theory, Stu, certainly consistent with the sand supply issue.
Not disputing there were lefts or that sand slugs weren't moving around, either, but I've seen photos of waves that looked pretty good, especially towards the later years of the 60s.
No way! Ha! Well there you go! Amazing how vast an area the sand movement covers over time.
lilasTuesday, 9 Feb 2021 at 7:15am
So are we all convinced of the need for MORE surf breaks yet?
How long must the insanity continue?
Friday morning was so crowded you had to literally paddle your way over people to sit on the bank.
The waves were so pumping yet most people had an angry or sad look on their faces due to the fact they weren't getting any.
I just want to remind everyone that there are other options! Build more waves.
Probably don't need to mention the crowds are only going to get worse, especially with all the surf-schools
Dbah, Super bank, South straddie, Tweed bar, are all Man-made/altered waves. How about we make some more of these?
lilasTuesday, 9 Feb 2021 at 7:16am
Anyone know if the new Reef at Palm Beach was breaking during this last swell?
frogTuesday, 9 Feb 2021 at 9:47am
Now if Mr ziffy (and the WSL) put a fraction of his billions into creating some new surfbreaks with consistency and accessibity rather than trying to popularise already overcrowded spots like Kirra and lennox, there might be some more grassroots goodwill towards the wozzle.
At the moment, the wsl's success means a material worsening of the surf experience for many surfers. All for a few hours of good viewing a year in the occasional contest that has pumping surf and a handful of pros and corporate staff to make a living.
And it loses money with no profit in sight.
What a weird business model.
batfinkTuesday, 9 Feb 2021 at 9:00pm
A great suggestion, Frog.
dean maddisonTuesday, 9 Feb 2021 at 6:09pm
Couple a groins along Bilinga stretch. At the moment a no mans land.
Surfalot67Tuesday, 9 Feb 2021 at 6:19pm
Definitely needs some banks! Once you start building there though Tom Tit the mayor will have a precedent to build his CST...no thanks. What’s the goss on Palmy Reef? Did it work on this swell? Should have been perfect for it. Maybe it will just sink into the sea bed like Narrowneck has
PlasticspasticWednesday, 10 Feb 2021 at 6:05pm
reef at palmy is as good as the narrowneck one. not really a surfing reef any more, sand has filled in. good for spearing on flat days about it..
frogThursday, 11 Feb 2021 at 1:00pm
Sand filled in - what does that mean? Has sand build up made it closeout? Has it been swallowed up like Kirra with too much sand? I thought the reef would be far enough out so any sand build up would have a nice angle to it.
davetheraveTuesday, 9 Feb 2021 at 7:26pm
the ocean and indeed, the inshore zone is a highly dynamic system, so to have one design enable multiple outcomes is like trying to identify who belongs to an individual fart at a hare krishna curry festival.
this gives me great joy, to fall back on the good old days- yee har cue the duelling banjoes- it's called watching and understanding the synoptic charts locally and swell deriving locality,it's called scanning the banks low and high tide and watching how it plays out under swell from certain directions and periods.
jeezus rave, you must be kidding, no i'm not, being a surfer means being in tune, and for all the newcomers, that means not just being in tune with the internet.
bless the internet, but fully bless knowing the cycles of the energy of life that surrounds you.
an attitude of gratitude gets you there faster. thank you.
roondogTuesday, 9 Feb 2021 at 9:05pm
ahh yes the pro jet ski fags were on it
batfinkTuesday, 9 Feb 2021 at 9:08pm
Nice, Dave, and agree with you. There are some places, like my Sydney local, that change so much after solid swells that the information has to be constantly renewed and past knowledge might not count for much. Up the coast, watching for over 25 years and knowing what they use to be like, when it works best, what tide, what wind etc. It’s like building an encyclopaedia every season. But knowing wind, tide, swell direction, you should be able to get that after a while and know what is most likely to be on.
batfinkTuesday, 9 Feb 2021 at 9:11pm
How have you been Dave? Don’t seem to see you much on swellnet these days, but that may be as much my intermittent drop ins as yours.
Hope you’re going good.
And that drop in at 2.15 is just cruel, and dangerous. I wonder who came out worse out of that encounter?
SIWednesday, 10 Feb 2021 at 1:18pm
Hey Batfink. I liked the way you reached out to a fellow surfer there. Good man!
batfinkFriday, 12 Feb 2021 at 1:07pm
Davetherave used to be pretty regular on here, as I was. Life caught up with us maybe, now life has thrown me back out the back for the next set. Always thought Dave had something insightful to add. Wouldn’t know him if I fell over him though. Anyone who knows Dave here?
zenagainFriday, 12 Feb 2021 at 1:14pm
Him and Sheepdog are mates from the past.
Sheepy seldom comes on here too, but like Dave, always has something worthwhile to contribute.
You too BF, you're always worth reading.
batfinkFriday, 12 Feb 2021 at 1:21pm
Cheers zen, same back at ya.
I found Dave, 2 comments down. :-)
yocalWednesday, 10 Feb 2021 at 11:26am
That vid is pretty much the Chris Zaffis show. he's putting in plenty of time out there & at Straddie
davetheraveWednesday, 10 Feb 2021 at 6:01pm
Thanks Batfink, all fantastic here. Lots of family stuff see's me going back and forth between Cairns and my new Tweed Coast peaceful lifestyle.
Swellnet is awesome, another thread here discusses and the comments deal with meditation, and all of life is a meditation and indeed yoga- meaning union.
For me now Batfink, Silence can convey more meaning/information/enlightenment more often than not. It seems to be an outsourcing of that all i hear at night is the sound of the surf, and mainly by day, all i hear is the sound of birds and the surf.
So maybe i have died and gone to heaven and am not truly aware of it, or rather the peace i have is the peace i desire and all else does not matter anymore- song lyrics there i reckon, all the best, batfink, be happy and healthy. Happy surfing everyone
batfinkFriday, 12 Feb 2021 at 1:11pm
Oops, should have read a few comments further down. There’s Dave.
Sounds ideal. I spend most days listening to waves hitting the beach, birdsong when I’m off for a walk, and I spend a lot of time looking at the sky. Got my head in the clouds, literally, and wished I’d done it from a very young age. The world is going to hell in a handbasket, but nature is still as gorgeous as ever, and takes one to a place of solitude. Enjoy, Dave, come and impart some of your thoughts on us now and then, when you’re in the mood.
tangoThursday, 11 Feb 2021 at 8:05am
Comments on another thread were all about newbies and hipsters and the danger they pose, but this clip shows that kooks come in all shapes and sizes.
Those waves, even if it's a glorified closeout, look pretty bloody good compared to the puss we've had down south. But I don't know how the crew tolerate the bad behaviour. Those drop-ins are simply shithouse. But I guess when you have the pros and ex-pros burning people left, right and centre and backed up by their sycophants the whole pack takes the same attitude. I actually can't stand the adoration of these caarnts by the surf media/photogs etc, it's pathetic. Occy in particular, what a firkin disappointment for surfing.
Dx3Thursday, 11 Feb 2021 at 11:51am
Yep, for all the poor surf etiquette I've seen down south, it really is absolutely nothing compared to what you see in pretty much every single superbank video that goes up. Horrific stuff.
Mad DogThursday, 11 Feb 2021 at 12:49pm
Fkn A Tango.
It can be lame to whinge about the "good old days", but the RESPECT factor was much higher then. All of those burns would have had consequences either on the beach or in the water on the paddle back out and there would probably have been only one incident as everyone else would have witnessed those consequences.
File back through any old Kirra footage and you'll see roughly the same size crews, taking turns, different surfers on every wave and everyone leaving with keg time.
Occy hasn't caught a decent wave without dropping in on someone in years. perhaps he'll remember the time at Snapper some years ago when he came within an inch of a severe beating when he was sitting on the end of the surge burning everyone taking off behind the rock. The look on his face when he got out of the water and saw the bloke who pulled him up having a quiet beer on the balcony of the Rainbow Surf Club with Boorie was fucking priceless...
tangoThursday, 11 Feb 2021 at 1:45pm
It was definitely a different system back in the day. I'm not a supporter of the full biff, but it had the desired effect of regulating the lineup. It also seemed to be more the meritocracy (see Blowin's comment on the thread with the red mal) where even if you were from out of town, if you minded your manners and held your own, you could snag a wave behind the rock or just about anywhere else. I'd hate to try it these days. There's always been the odd f-wit who'd burn people etc, but it looks like everyone's doing it these days without fear of the old repercussions.
I suppose it's only a matter of time before someone snaps and conducts an old-fashioned breath-holding experiment with a drop-in.
Mad DogThursday, 11 Feb 2021 at 2:07pm
Spot on mate, plenty of crew used to tour up during summer swells and they generally became part of the local scene and were rewarded for respect in the water. These crew often turned into regulars and some of the catch-up parties were legendary....
I avoid the biff too re- comments to Occy on that day above, he was shocked enough that someone he didn't know pulled him up in front of the whole crew and embarrassing him was all that was required.
Let's hope that pull up you've mentioned is only a few lumps and bumps and anyone who witnesses it keeps their mouth shut.
I reckon that either one of those guys in the bad drop in in that video - the perp or the victim - could very easily have drowned. One knock on the head from a board or a leggie wrapped around a throat and the outcome could have been very different.
Anyone who has taken a proper beating at Kirra will tell you that there is often more than one trip over the falls involved, the wave can easily drop you over the falls a couple of times. Just because it breaks on sand it should never be taken lightly and neither should drop ins for that matter.
frogThursday, 11 Feb 2021 at 6:49pm
The other site had a caption on the photo of occy as "possibly the wave of the swell". Even forgetting the drop in, if you watched the clip, this was so factually wrong it is weird. Many better waves than his.
Somebody again sacrificing journalistic integrity for some "unknown" reason.
bluediamondThursday, 11 Feb 2021 at 4:40pm
That same article seemed to put a bit of sugarcoating on the use of jetskis out there too. Lame.
frogThursday, 11 Feb 2021 at 7:03pm
Definitely some major brown nosing by the pro surfer groupies.
A positive spin is expected but when it is just clearly inaccurate or giving a free pass to illegal jet skis use in a medium sized swell it grates.
freeride76Thursday, 11 Feb 2021 at 3:04pm
it seems bizarre to me that occy hasn't copped a full blown Nat Young beating for his indiscretions.
fitzroy-21Thursday, 11 Feb 2021 at 3:39pm
I think it is only a matter of time...
tangoThursday, 11 Feb 2021 at 5:03pm
Knowing a little bit about Nat's beating, I wouldn't wish that on anyone, but Occy must be on his ninth life by now with the reputation he's built up. Surely someone will tell him to pull his head in nicely before someone else pulls it off his shoulders.
I'd label them full-blown transgressions.
Ben HardingThursday, 11 Feb 2021 at 9:22pm
Don't think there is a more strange vibe or feeling you get off someone other than occy in the water. He is literally almost childlike and or meek with his words and demeanor to crew he doesn't know. I think that explains part of why he hasn't copped a hiding yet. Almost not the full quid type deal. What I will say is that it's dog eat dog hard out on the Goldy. The pros are the ones you always notice as they are on the billboards, and the camera lenses are always on them and pretty much them only, eg surfonmars et al every superbank edit. But there is unknown crew out there who act up way worse on the daily. The points and a couple particular beachies are fucked for it. Suprised people still comment on how suprising it is. Very intense place to surf these days. Have to really pick your times if you wanna go to the hotspots even then, who likes surfing in the dark?
frogFriday, 12 Feb 2021 at 8:05am
Plenty of waves and less intense spots on the Gold Coast than behind or beside the rock at Snapper on primo days if you look around and have the luxury of time to pick and choose where and when you surf. But for an aging ex World Champ entering the B grade zones or hunting for scraps and gaps in a famous line up is tough on the ego.
Michael Petersen went to his bedroom for decades and Joe Engel went to Mount Isa to live to avoid that fate.
Anonymity is a very valuable commodity as an older surfer. You can hide in plain sight and have lots of fun.
freeride76Friday, 12 Feb 2021 at 11:46am
"Anonymity is a very valuable commodity as an older surfer."
Comments
The drop in at 2:15.... would love to have heard the chat between those 2 blokes after. Brutal.
It's definitely a case of 'what price are you willing to pay'.
Three mates went out - 2 snapped boards. The other got away with a broken leggie.
At Kirra on Friday - A guy came in with a dislocated shoulder. His wetsuit top was doing a good job at holding it in.
Kirra again on Saturday - A guy came in with a cut from his eyebrow, across his eyelids and onto the top part of his cheek. Apparently someone shot their board out a doggy door and it caught him.
bring back the biff . some cunt did any of that to i . your heading to tweed hospital
please sit inside occy and dingo. they will certainly oblige, then you can give them the beating they deserve
ok , put thay surf a bit faster than me , lol maybe not occ , lol
Yes take out that Occy muppit.
Typical East swell: broken boards and knee twisting doggy door exits, anything predominantly East on the GC is dangerous!
Today's WOTD at 1:43
Wow nice grab. Side on looks a bit rough but video ref shows it was ok.
There were plenty of big 15m sections collapsing at big groin that were unmakeable that day. Was really good but far from perfect.
Agreed, good forensic work. He got smacked by the lip and subsequently snaked as well, so all is good in the world.
Yes mate far from perfect ...
If that’s the best they can bring up from a full day ...
Glorified close out ....
extending the groin to original length did squat ...
The sand pumpers done the dirty work for the Superwank worshippers....
And like it’s still perfect every edited video clip ....
Throw the skis in for short change ...
She ain’t what she used to be ....
Ok boomer lol
Yes bloomer coz you were still in mummies nappies ....
Way before the shit show it is now
Couldn't agree more. There was a couple of gems in there but it looked like almost all the waves closed out. Anyone that surfed Kirra pre sand pumping would be well aware that as Kirra got bigger, it didn't shut down, it just hugged the bank and got thicker. It's so wide of the point now.
Thanks for some sanity in this Instagram hoax of a world we are in now ☹️
Todd / Bruce Lee... Rabbit... Chappy ...
Till late 90,s best wave in the world ...
Now just a seasonal show with the usual cast ....
It’s a fck hoax now but hey ..
Like pulling rabbits out of a hat ..
You can see it happening but you obviously don’t know your being fooled ...
By the way nice towers being built on the beach ....
cough up your dough
Just wear your earplugs as the Harley Boys rumble there way around the bend
Every weekend ....
Fken Byron nearly sounds like a better idea and that’s a statement ...
Yeah looks all over the place to my eye real wobble in the swell and not lined up at all. Maybe too straight on swell direction? A lot of paddling for a pounding and maybe a bit of a runner. Well done to the survivors.
Yep, very deceiving. It was hard work, lots of wash throughs. Get the wrong wave and wear the next set on the head. Forget about paddling back out. Run around.
I did two laps for 5 waves. Two closeout barrels. And I normally get my share. Previous day (the Thursday) was way more fun.
put your head down, dont look, turn and burn. its the only way to go
https://stabmag.com/stabcinema/proper-swell-hits-kirra-point/
Occ is fast getting the title of the worst burning arsehole on the coast, and that's not an easy task. Great surfer of course, but his behavior of late has been shitfull and sadly sooner or later someone bigger will lose their shit and legend or not he will get lumps.
How good would it be to see his coke hole sideways across his face?
...The only goofy in the whole clip was the fella on the skatey at 1:26
was just about to say the same!
the music soo didnt suit the clip
You prefer the usual gangster rap?
Was out there for total of 7 hours on the friday, it looked amazing from the water. I got a blackeye from my board underwater. Wipeouts were brutal out there. I didnt drop in on anyone and some how no one burned me either, weird hey.
Get a couple of keepers?
No not really. My blackeye was the keeper, still got it.
My philosophy out there worked better a few days earlier but got exposed on the best day, the friday.
I was sitting further out than the human centipede, waiting for and only paddling for the bigger ones, which turned out to be not very good ones. Still, 7 hrs over 2 sessions. No laps done. All paddle power. Got fried also.
Peace.
Where and what is "butterbox"?
The section in front of the shelter shed on the point.
Thanx doggy... but why butterbox? Soft creamy section or slippery takeoffs?
Some like the circus & going to the zoo;
a search beyond the horizon is rewarding too.
Could it be argued that pre sand pumping Kirra was a temporary artificial situation? I mean if things were left to their own devices would the sand have built up so much round the Tweed training walls that it would eventually have made its way round en-mass as is the situation with the sand pumping? Would be interesting if there were ever any studies done on this.
Pre sand pumping the bay was a lot deeper. Swell used to hit the inner bank and jack up.
Now you can see the swell feathering out past the shark nets.
That's true. What I'm talking about is Kirra's natural state before the Tweed River training walls. My guess is that it was full of sand as it is now. My theory is that the classic Kirra of the 70's-90's was actually an artificial construct due to the sand supply being impeded by the training walls.
My understanding is that Kirra was also good in the 60s but a challenge on a mal. I also understand that the historic issue of the Tweed walls was not so much that it trapped sand but that it diverted it offshore to rejoin the coast further up, denying the southern points their usual sand supply.
There's been quite a bit of work on this by both the NSW and Qld govts through the sand bypass project, I think, plus Rodger Tomlinson et al at Griffith Uni and the Water Research Lab at UNSW among others. Stacks available via Dr Google.
Spud's right in that 'classic' Kirra - i.e what we saw through the '70s and '80s - was an environmental anomaly. During that period, the beaches and points of the lower GC were denuded and this allowed both more energy to reach Kirra and a peel rate on the point that perfectly suited barrel riding.
Prior to that the bay was closer to what we see now with slugs of sand beyond the shoreline attenuating the energy and the nearshore sand load straightening the bank down near Kirra. Owing to its reputation as a tourist magnet, GC library has a treasure trove of photos and postcards showing Coolangatta Bay in various states from the invention of the camera obscura up to the TRESBP. My theory is based on those photos.
I've mentioned it a few times, but I have an SW from the sixties with a Kirra article and half the waves are lefts.
I think that's a decent theory, Stu, certainly consistent with the sand supply issue.
Not disputing there were lefts or that sand slugs weren't moving around, either, but I've seen photos of waves that looked pretty good, especially towards the later years of the 60s.
FWIW, here's an aerial image (supposedly from the 60s) showing the whitewater hugging the rocks. https://picryl.com/media/aerial-view-showing-rainbow-bay-greenmount-and-...
No way! Ha! Well there you go! Amazing how vast an area the sand movement covers over time.
So are we all convinced of the need for MORE surf breaks yet?
How long must the insanity continue?
Friday morning was so crowded you had to literally paddle your way over people to sit on the bank.
The waves were so pumping yet most people had an angry or sad look on their faces due to the fact they weren't getting any.
I just want to remind everyone that there are other options! Build more waves.
Probably don't need to mention the crowds are only going to get worse, especially with all the surf-schools
Dbah, Super bank, South straddie, Tweed bar, are all Man-made/altered waves. How about we make some more of these?
Anyone know if the new Reef at Palm Beach was breaking during this last swell?
Now if Mr ziffy (and the WSL) put a fraction of his billions into creating some new surfbreaks with consistency and accessibity rather than trying to popularise already overcrowded spots like Kirra and lennox, there might be some more grassroots goodwill towards the wozzle.
At the moment, the wsl's success means a material worsening of the surf experience for many surfers. All for a few hours of good viewing a year in the occasional contest that has pumping surf and a handful of pros and corporate staff to make a living.
And it loses money with no profit in sight.
What a weird business model.
A great suggestion, Frog.
Couple a groins along Bilinga stretch. At the moment a no mans land.
Definitely needs some banks! Once you start building there though Tom Tit the mayor will have a precedent to build his CST...no thanks. What’s the goss on Palmy Reef? Did it work on this swell? Should have been perfect for it. Maybe it will just sink into the sea bed like Narrowneck has
reef at palmy is as good as the narrowneck one. not really a surfing reef any more, sand has filled in. good for spearing on flat days about it..
Sand filled in - what does that mean? Has sand build up made it closeout? Has it been swallowed up like Kirra with too much sand? I thought the reef would be far enough out so any sand build up would have a nice angle to it.
the ocean and indeed, the inshore zone is a highly dynamic system, so to have one design enable multiple outcomes is like trying to identify who belongs to an individual fart at a hare krishna curry festival.
this gives me great joy, to fall back on the good old days- yee har cue the duelling banjoes- it's called watching and understanding the synoptic charts locally and swell deriving locality,it's called scanning the banks low and high tide and watching how it plays out under swell from certain directions and periods.
jeezus rave, you must be kidding, no i'm not, being a surfer means being in tune, and for all the newcomers, that means not just being in tune with the internet.
bless the internet, but fully bless knowing the cycles of the energy of life that surrounds you.
an attitude of gratitude gets you there faster. thank you.
ahh yes the pro jet ski fags were on it
Nice, Dave, and agree with you. There are some places, like my Sydney local, that change so much after solid swells that the information has to be constantly renewed and past knowledge might not count for much. Up the coast, watching for over 25 years and knowing what they use to be like, when it works best, what tide, what wind etc. It’s like building an encyclopaedia every season. But knowing wind, tide, swell direction, you should be able to get that after a while and know what is most likely to be on.
How have you been Dave? Don’t seem to see you much on swellnet these days, but that may be as much my intermittent drop ins as yours.
Hope you’re going good.
And that drop in at 2.15 is just cruel, and dangerous. I wonder who came out worse out of that encounter?
Hey Batfink. I liked the way you reached out to a fellow surfer there. Good man!
Davetherave used to be pretty regular on here, as I was. Life caught up with us maybe, now life has thrown me back out the back for the next set. Always thought Dave had something insightful to add. Wouldn’t know him if I fell over him though. Anyone who knows Dave here?
Him and Sheepdog are mates from the past.
Sheepy seldom comes on here too, but like Dave, always has something worthwhile to contribute.
You too BF, you're always worth reading.
Cheers zen, same back at ya.
I found Dave, 2 comments down. :-)
That vid is pretty much the Chris Zaffis show. he's putting in plenty of time out there & at Straddie
Thanks Batfink, all fantastic here. Lots of family stuff see's me going back and forth between Cairns and my new Tweed Coast peaceful lifestyle.
Swellnet is awesome, another thread here discusses and the comments deal with meditation, and all of life is a meditation and indeed yoga- meaning union.
For me now Batfink, Silence can convey more meaning/information/enlightenment more often than not. It seems to be an outsourcing of that all i hear at night is the sound of the surf, and mainly by day, all i hear is the sound of birds and the surf.
So maybe i have died and gone to heaven and am not truly aware of it, or rather the peace i have is the peace i desire and all else does not matter anymore- song lyrics there i reckon, all the best, batfink, be happy and healthy. Happy surfing everyone
Oops, should have read a few comments further down. There’s Dave.
Sounds ideal. I spend most days listening to waves hitting the beach, birdsong when I’m off for a walk, and I spend a lot of time looking at the sky. Got my head in the clouds, literally, and wished I’d done it from a very young age. The world is going to hell in a handbasket, but nature is still as gorgeous as ever, and takes one to a place of solitude. Enjoy, Dave, come and impart some of your thoughts on us now and then, when you’re in the mood.
Comments on another thread were all about newbies and hipsters and the danger they pose, but this clip shows that kooks come in all shapes and sizes.
Those waves, even if it's a glorified closeout, look pretty bloody good compared to the puss we've had down south. But I don't know how the crew tolerate the bad behaviour. Those drop-ins are simply shithouse. But I guess when you have the pros and ex-pros burning people left, right and centre and backed up by their sycophants the whole pack takes the same attitude. I actually can't stand the adoration of these caarnts by the surf media/photogs etc, it's pathetic. Occy in particular, what a firkin disappointment for surfing.
Yep, for all the poor surf etiquette I've seen down south, it really is absolutely nothing compared to what you see in pretty much every single superbank video that goes up. Horrific stuff.
Fkn A Tango.
It can be lame to whinge about the "good old days", but the RESPECT factor was much higher then. All of those burns would have had consequences either on the beach or in the water on the paddle back out and there would probably have been only one incident as everyone else would have witnessed those consequences.
File back through any old Kirra footage and you'll see roughly the same size crews, taking turns, different surfers on every wave and everyone leaving with keg time.
Occy hasn't caught a decent wave without dropping in on someone in years. perhaps he'll remember the time at Snapper some years ago when he came within an inch of a severe beating when he was sitting on the end of the surge burning everyone taking off behind the rock. The look on his face when he got out of the water and saw the bloke who pulled him up having a quiet beer on the balcony of the Rainbow Surf Club with Boorie was fucking priceless...
It was definitely a different system back in the day. I'm not a supporter of the full biff, but it had the desired effect of regulating the lineup. It also seemed to be more the meritocracy (see Blowin's comment on the thread with the red mal) where even if you were from out of town, if you minded your manners and held your own, you could snag a wave behind the rock or just about anywhere else. I'd hate to try it these days. There's always been the odd f-wit who'd burn people etc, but it looks like everyone's doing it these days without fear of the old repercussions.
I suppose it's only a matter of time before someone snaps and conducts an old-fashioned breath-holding experiment with a drop-in.
Spot on mate, plenty of crew used to tour up during summer swells and they generally became part of the local scene and were rewarded for respect in the water. These crew often turned into regulars and some of the catch-up parties were legendary....
I avoid the biff too re- comments to Occy on that day above, he was shocked enough that someone he didn't know pulled him up in front of the whole crew and embarrassing him was all that was required.
Let's hope that pull up you've mentioned is only a few lumps and bumps and anyone who witnesses it keeps their mouth shut.
I reckon that either one of those guys in the bad drop in in that video - the perp or the victim - could very easily have drowned. One knock on the head from a board or a leggie wrapped around a throat and the outcome could have been very different.
Anyone who has taken a proper beating at Kirra will tell you that there is often more than one trip over the falls involved, the wave can easily drop you over the falls a couple of times. Just because it breaks on sand it should never be taken lightly and neither should drop ins for that matter.
The other site had a caption on the photo of occy as "possibly the wave of the swell". Even forgetting the drop in, if you watched the clip, this was so factually wrong it is weird. Many better waves than his.
Somebody again sacrificing journalistic integrity for some "unknown" reason.
That same article seemed to put a bit of sugarcoating on the use of jetskis out there too. Lame.
Definitely some major brown nosing by the pro surfer groupies.
A positive spin is expected but when it is just clearly inaccurate or giving a free pass to illegal jet skis use in a medium sized swell it grates.
it seems bizarre to me that occy hasn't copped a full blown Nat Young beating for his indiscretions.
I think it is only a matter of time...
Knowing a little bit about Nat's beating, I wouldn't wish that on anyone, but Occy must be on his ninth life by now with the reputation he's built up. Surely someone will tell him to pull his head in nicely before someone else pulls it off his shoulders.
I'd label them full-blown transgressions.
Don't think there is a more strange vibe or feeling you get off someone other than occy in the water. He is literally almost childlike and or meek with his words and demeanor to crew he doesn't know. I think that explains part of why he hasn't copped a hiding yet. Almost not the full quid type deal. What I will say is that it's dog eat dog hard out on the Goldy. The pros are the ones you always notice as they are on the billboards, and the camera lenses are always on them and pretty much them only, eg surfonmars et al every superbank edit. But there is unknown crew out there who act up way worse on the daily. The points and a couple particular beachies are fucked for it. Suprised people still comment on how suprising it is. Very intense place to surf these days. Have to really pick your times if you wanna go to the hotspots even then, who likes surfing in the dark?
Plenty of waves and less intense spots on the Gold Coast than behind or beside the rock at Snapper on primo days if you look around and have the luxury of time to pick and choose where and when you surf. But for an aging ex World Champ entering the B grade zones or hunting for scraps and gaps in a famous line up is tough on the ego.
Michael Petersen went to his bedroom for decades and Joe Engel went to Mount Isa to live to avoid that fate.
Anonymity is a very valuable commodity as an older surfer. You can hide in plain sight and have lots of fun.
"Anonymity is a very valuable commodity as an older surfer."
never a truer phrase spoken.