Watch: Soli Bailey // Cloudbreak

Stu Nettle picture
Stu Nettle (stunet)
Reels

When the forecast questions first started coming in about yesterday's swell at Cloudbreak, the replies didn't just include size and timing, but also the high probability of glassy surface conditions.

Being early autumn, the trade regime hasn't completely kicked in across the South Pacific, and with lots of instability in the area the likelihood was high for passing squalls separated by long periods of settled wind.

Which is what came to pass yesterday, making not only all the surfers who ventured happy, but also ace drone pilot Tucker Wooding who could fly unimpeded, capturing vision of surfers getting 15 foot barrels across a mirror-like surface.

One of the best of the day was Soli Bailey, stroking in early and copping ten solid seconds under the hood during his run down the reef.

Watch it here in real time and slow-mo.

Clip by Tucker Wooding.

Comments

jimbrown's picture
jimbrown's picture
jimbrown Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 7:59am

Fuck me dead

garyg1412's picture
garyg1412's picture
garyg1412 Tuesday, 12 Mar 2024 at 3:48pm

Yeah that about sums it up jimbrown. No other way to describe the absolute sublime skill on that wave.

Surfalot67's picture
Surfalot67's picture
Surfalot67 Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 8:00am

Seriously underrated surfer. That was mental

cheyno's picture
cheyno's picture
cheyno Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 8:04am

Soooo good. Amazing drone work too!

Sprout's picture
Sprout's picture
Sprout Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 8:07am

Mental! Best wave in the world. Cool to see Visser out there. Did I read Tucker's footage is for Snapt 5? Be cool to see a raw edit. Incredible done work.

cheyno's picture
cheyno's picture
cheyno Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 8:08am

Soooo good. Great drone work too!

Roystein's picture
Roystein's picture
Roystein Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 8:30am

Absolutely mental, his position stayed so constant throughout the whole barrel, as did the lip line following him

goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 8:42am

He could not have ridden that wave any better. Seriously mind blowing.
How do you top that?

billie's picture
billie's picture
billie Saturday, 9 Mar 2024 at 5:38pm

Perhaps he could have delayed the rail grab? Obviously, considering how epic that ridden wave is, that is a bizarrely critical comment on my behalf - but I do believe it would have been a minor improvement.

goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot Saturday, 9 Mar 2024 at 6:43pm

Yep, it is bizarrely critical hahaha. I actually didn’t think anyone would reply to me. But here we are!

oxrox's picture
oxrox's picture
oxrox Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 8:51am

That was insane.

Bungan33's picture
Bungan33's picture
Bungan33 Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 8:55am

Goosebumps.....full body chills!!!!

FrazP's picture
FrazP's picture
FrazP Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 9:05am

Can't wait to see more footage. What a wave. A tad more entertaining than Portugal??

andy-mac's picture
andy-mac's picture
andy-mac Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 9:17am

Mental, look forward to water level footage!

zenagain's picture
zenagain's picture
zenagain Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 9:35am

Nuts!

BD's picture
BD's picture
BD Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 9:44am

Wonder what JJF thinking seeing this and his brother there

Gowsa's picture
Gowsa's picture
Gowsa Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 9:49am

How fast was he was travelling !

drodders's picture
drodders's picture
drodders Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 9:50am

It’s so perfect that it’s not until the slow mo that you realise how big it is. Amazing

Zonaras's picture
Zonaras's picture
Zonaras Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 9:53am

So Sicccccccc !!!! I wonder if slater is there? Skipping that onshore mess for this. WSL is in the wrong place geographically.

goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 9:56am

Dave Wassle just posted a clip of Slater surfing on the North Shore… hahaha he’s such a cnut, no respect to the wsl

tyzee63's picture
tyzee63's picture
tyzee63 Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 10:03am

Hi footage of Jai Gliderman's wave was equally impressive, such an epic day!

saltman's picture
saltman's picture
saltman Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 11:04am

Proof of the advice given to me by a local at Cloudbreak
Do not be tempted to drop to the trough and bottom turn!

Tabby10's picture
Tabby10's picture
Tabby10 Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 11:51am

faaaarrrrrrkkk me that was next level

Island Bay's picture
Island Bay's picture
Island Bay Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 11:57am
Island Bay's picture
Island Bay's picture
Island Bay Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 11:59am

And more video:

southernraw's picture
southernraw's picture
southernraw Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 10:50pm

Wow that water angle is epic.
Cheers I.B

lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 12:17pm

Assumes the cyclist position, weight forward, head down on the handlebars.
Or speed skiing.

lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 12:19pm
Robwilliams's picture
Robwilliams's picture
Robwilliams Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 12:32pm

hooking

Island Bay's picture
Island Bay's picture
Island Bay Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 12:58pm

That Anthony Walsh vid is 5yo or so. Wonder why he just posted it again?

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 1:00pm

Pro surfers...

lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 1:01pm

haha,
cheeky

simba's picture
simba's picture
simba Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 1:03pm

good one Soli......gotta love a man with no bull shit .....awesome wave

Optimist's picture
Optimist's picture
Optimist Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 4:03pm

Toenail depressions in the deck.

Blingas's picture
Blingas's picture
Blingas Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 5:18pm

Flat out one of the best waves ever. Hold on for dear life. If I caught that the slow mo would run on repeat for ever on the tv.

Solitude's picture
Solitude's picture
Solitude Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 6:36pm

Bit like Tallows.
Well done mate. You could quit surfing now.

Balbero's picture
Balbero's picture
Balbero Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 6:47pm

Congrats Soli, life changing ride fella, oioi respect....

bocirl's picture
bocirl's picture
bocirl Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 8:03pm

Epic

Clam's picture
Clam's picture
Clam Friday, 8 Mar 2024 at 9:37pm

Thats life changing!

sean killen's picture
sean killen's picture
sean killen Saturday, 9 Mar 2024 at 9:03am

That’s perfection at its best

billie's picture
billie's picture
billie Saturday, 9 Mar 2024 at 5:41pm

Is that the inside ledge? The pack seem to be sitting so much further out. Is there three ledges or two?

Spearman's picture
Spearman's picture
Spearman Saturday, 9 Mar 2024 at 7:37pm

Shit the bed!

etarip's picture
etarip's picture
etarip Saturday, 9 Mar 2024 at 10:26pm

Epic

Thanos S's picture
Thanos S's picture
Thanos S Sunday, 10 Mar 2024 at 10:03am

Cool, i like real team footage vs slo mo , thanks for showing both

Sprout's picture
Sprout's picture
Sprout Sunday, 10 Mar 2024 at 10:31am

Island Bay's picture
Island Bay's picture
Island Bay Sunday, 10 Mar 2024 at 12:31pm

Benji Brand was toying with it. What a phenomenal surfer he is.

Nate Flo's music is almost unbearable.

mitchvg's picture
mitchvg's picture
mitchvg Sunday, 10 Mar 2024 at 1:16pm

Hahaha his comments are littered with people saying the production of every one of his vlogs is on par with an episode of game of thrones. I can't stand to watch them anymore, though I like to see what he's doing

Sprout's picture
Sprout's picture
Sprout Sunday, 10 Mar 2024 at 3:52pm

Agree I can't stand the Tim Bonython wank music that's crept into Nate's edits.

goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot Sunday, 10 Mar 2024 at 4:34pm

I won’t hear a bad word spoken against Nate Flo!
He’s the best!

Sprout's picture
Sprout's picture
Sprout Sunday, 10 Mar 2024 at 10:34am

Sprout's picture
Sprout's picture
Sprout Sunday, 10 Mar 2024 at 10:41am

tip-top1's picture
tip-top1's picture
tip-top1 Sunday, 10 Mar 2024 at 10:53am

lucky enough to surf there at 4ft , couldn't imagine it at that size ,
balls of steel

Island Bay's picture
Island Bay's picture
Island Bay Tuesday, 12 Mar 2024 at 4:13pm

And can I just say that it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Good on him, and enjoy all the glory and the accolades.

Queef Jerky's picture
Queef Jerky's picture
Queef Jerky Monday, 18 Mar 2024 at 10:23pm

I can only get so hard!!!!

Keep going

I surfed the little beach in front of the backpackers halfway between Suva and the 4* resorts. Best proper natural beach, got damn that reef out front was fun boogywave, but snorkeling on a flat day with the razor fan coral at the end, I gave up surfing in Fiji.

The shark diving is best in the world. Definitely go for shark dive in Fiji, marine stewards we can't even fathom. Out near Frigates