Watch: Valentine's Day at Snapper
This morning, Goldy surfers awoke to the tail end of TC Dovi. As usual, the Coolangatta stretch was a whirl of humanity with only the waves bringing an order to the scene: arriving in metronome, peeling in unison, over and over.
Surfers featured include Asher Pacey, Dean Morrison, Matt Aldridge, Brent Dorrington, and Max Kearney.
Music: Oyster. @oyster_music
Comments
Those waves look unreal compared to what we've had in Vic.
That must be pretty frustrating to have so many good lines into turns ruined by kooks paddling for the shoulder, though.
even worse when you work hard to stay in position, wait your turn, then occy or dingo or other equivalent fuckwit whose already had plenty of waves blatantly drops in
Hmmmm, I'd heard those two were on another level of fuckwittery out there. Are you sure equivalents exist?
true, not many that are equivalent. some of the girls are just as bad
There are plenty. Most of them have some relationship with the 'Mad Huey' franchise.
Been burnt by Occy years ago out there for what was an average wave for him. His renowned for being a drop in dickhead out there.
Never meet your heros, especailly in the surf lol.
IMO Margo is the worst. Such an arrogant dick in the water. If I was my size now when I was a teen, I would have belted him on at least 2 occasions.
Another observation, both in the water and in every single video I've ever seen, Mick Fanning always aims for people for every turn he hits the lip. Anyone else noticed that? Check his clips; his reo's are always on top of someone paddling out. Too bad if they don't duckdive deep enough...
I wonder how many people he has hit...
Snapper surfing is getting kinda boring. We need someone Dane Reynolds-esque to change things up away from the surf academy robots.
Yeah as much as I like seeing Mick Fanning do some heavy rail carves there were a lot of crew in that video that had that sort of overbearing upper body stance muscling down the line ... made me look twice to see if it was indeed Mick .... maybe it was?
Agree
Oh the humanity! I believe many out there may actually eat their own young.
Love the greenmount to cooly section, surfed it regularly for 15 yrs. Moved further south 3 1/2 yrs ago and have not surfed a point break since. I’ll take my local quiet avg beachie over that set up. These weekly clips of a crowded superbank just cements my views.
I've done the same, no regrets either
Just wondering if anyone has got a rough idea of what the chances are of an average joe solid surfer, getting a wave? Always, seems about 2% of bodies getting 90% of the face-to-face time? How often would a day to day dude go home with nothing?
Behind the rock? I'd say day-to-day dude has slim to none. At best, burnt.
Chances significantly increase as you move down the line into R-bow, Greenie, etc.
Never left with nothing. Best, left with half-dozen "waves of my life" in a heavily-populated 2-hour sesh. Worst, I have left with a handful of lemons. But, thankful no injuries or board damage. Knock on wood! Typically, though, I'd say I get 1 good wave among a basket of lemons per hour. Really is dependent on a lot of things though.
I think it was Ben who once likened it to punching your "I dont surf the superbank card" which very much sums up my part time relationship with the place.
Expect nothing. Paddle out, enjoy the utter perfection of what you are seeing, protect your scone and every now and then the heavens may part and you find yourself on a race track of dreams.
NB/ helps to draw a fast high line and have a great whistle too
Yep. Expectations will always need re-calibrating out there. I too paddle out with zero expectations. That way its usually better than I expected, haha.
Expect to get hit!
Lived on the GC late eighties / early nineties. Got some great waves on all of the points back in the day. Got there late afternoon on a road trip last year after surfing further south during the day. I was a bit tired but looking at good waves. Parked in Cooly and paddled through the keyhole - no real expectations of catching any waves - just to drift through the lineup. I wasn't disappointed. My expectations were met. Zero waves. I'll have to treasure the memories because I don't reckon I'll ever be bothered trying to actually surf there again.
Had many a waveless lap and walk of shame. But, rather do that than burn someone.
I've said it before, but I surfed snapper every couple of months for a day or three through 2002 when the super bank first formed and I have to say it was pretty bloody good each time, considering. The boys out the back were generally fine if you waited your turn, held position and went when your number was up. It didn't seem to be the full bottomless pit then, but the backwash was always a bit of an issue. There was a bit of pressure, though, when there was nobody between you and Froggies.
Where I'm heading is the question of what happened to the elders up there and the whole culture of surfing on the Gold Coast? It seems from a distance that they must have thrown their hands in the air rather than try and maintain a bit of order and steer the culture the right way. Especially disappointing to see that the elites appear to take advantage of it (or worse, add to the carnage) rather than use their influence to make it better. Or perhaps that's the inevitable result of the confluence of overcrowding and a stack of social media tarts.
SE Qld & Nthn NSW has exploded in population since 2000. Add to that, the GC has become a training ground for pros somewhat, cheap domestic air travel, better highways, exposure, and consistency etc. all leads to supercrowdedbank.
I think trying to keep the place under control would be like holding back the tide with your bare hands. But, I agree, that some may have thrown the rule book out the window for shear convenience.
And then there's also FOMO.
Years ago when I was becoming accustomed to super-shit-show, I was riding a broken wave in beside a mate who had been ripping (and surfs there much more often than I). When we got to the sand, I asked him, "How the F%#k did you get so many waves?" (knowing he was a bit like me and not inclined to drop-in on people)
He answered: "If you have even the slightest doubt that they are going to make the section, just go!"
To me, if that is the mentality out there (and it is obvious it is), then there are no rules, order, or respect.
Its funny how the pros, ex-pros, and wannabe pros all use the word 'respect' without fully understanding what it means. To them respect means:
"Take what you can get. Give nothing back!"
Thanks all, so perhaps not as grim as I was assuming, nonetheless I don't think all be dropping by "or in" any time soon. Some poignant statements regarding attitude and respect.
If we return to say the early-1990's and fast forward to now, how many would have predicted one Mr Marco Occhilupo would be where he is now? I reckon there is a pretty good argument that the sphere and gods of surfing have been very kind. So, would be interesting to know why he, the Dingo's, and alike, are entitled to burn others who are mostly trying to wash off another day of grind? Perhaps a good question without notice in an interview of past glory's Stu? Sure, it would probably end in an 'interview is over diva fit' but I’d pay good money to see it ;)
They act as they do because it has worked for them in the past and continues to work.
It's a curious thing. I'm sure that there are a whole bunch of people who think they have to burn others to get the best waves, but it appears most of the main offenders are well-known, perhaps because they stand out as elite surfers in the lineup but also because of their careers as pros or hangers-on.
I can't imagine any other "sport" that would tolerate the most well known acting like f*ckwits and bringing the sport into disrepute, even outside competition. Imagine Pat Cash taking over a tennis court where others are having a hit, or Chris Judd kicking someone else's ball down the ground after work so he can have a clear kick at the sticks.
Even if you subscribe to the lifestyle approach to surfing (that includes me), it'd be like the equivalent of Gary Sweet pushing in to the supermarket checkout line.
Nobody likes people who act like pricks, unless they're their acolytes. Yet we tolerate it in some surfing circles for some strange reason. Bizarre.
Yep. Time for gen. pop. to turn the screws on the sponsors that support and enable these f-wits.
I reckon I'm your Joe average - 60 year old - and have only been up there once - Melbourne local - had awesome Kirra and got heaps of waves - maybe its different to snapper - but wondered what all the crowd fuss was about.
Surprisingly, you can get waves. Thru Rainbow and Greenmount, it’s a fairly big area and it’s a long wave and usually a bit sectiony. Also importantly, it tends to not break in the same spot. Small differences in swell size and direction on the flattish sandbanks mean, on any day, waves regularly break in different spots. You can roam more than 7 or 8 metres from a knot of surfers and regularly find you are the one in the perfect spot for a nice long peeler.
Very often.
There's a huge sweep whenever the swell gets up. If you don't time it right and get onto a wave, you are on the conveyor belt paddling against the sweep until your shoulders no longer work. That's why the local pros have it dialled, they jump off the rock straight into the next set. Take the wave in and walk around to jump off the rock again for the next set.
The locals and Brazilians that don't jump off the rock. just drop in and burn anyone else that isn't a pro. The happy tourists that want to come and sample the wave get stuck on the conveyor belt paddling until their arms no longer work, then they paddle in and add to the Swellnet forums talking about how shit the Superbank is.
Back in the day….
Blatant (not accidental) drop ins were rewarded with the burnt board being flicked at the offender.
Can cause real damage.
Certainly made a “point”.
There were few repeats.
Got to admire the self control of those burnt by repeat offenders these days.
Totally agree with the above sentiment of how boring snapper clips have become. Same waves, same people, same turns. I'm unsure why people send them in or why SN post them to be honest.
Doesn't the burn't have a quite word to said offenders in a polite way?
Ha! Perhaps that is the root of the problem!
Surfing as a whole needs to reinvent itself.
Agreed on the blandness of the surfing due to worn out your welcome familiarity in that clip. Then Asher rolls through and its finally something different...only for the credits to roll! Boo!
And a man with a foil goes out! In that crowd!
He has to be kidding.
Yeah, found it a bit boring, a bit mechanical, and a bit too slow.
batfink,
I thought exactly the same thing.
Wondered what would happed if someone dropped in on that meat mincer.
Does this thread slow down the barrage of crowded snapper clips on swellnet? Probably not but let’s hope so.