Watch: Koa Smith at Skeleton Bay

Stu Nettle picture
Stu Nettle (stunet)
Swellnet Dispatch

Are we sick of Skeleton Bay yet? Has it passed it's use by date just as Cape Solander, P'Pass, and G'land have? Each of them great waves that once graced covers but now fly under the radar.

This wave by Koa Smith won't help Skeleton Bay's slide to anonymity. Over two minutes, Smith minutes tracks 1.5 kms and collects eight barrels along the way. Surely one of the best waves caught on film.

Comments

crg's picture
crg's picture
crg Friday, 22 Jun 2018 at 1:28pm

I find it strangely underwhelming watching Skeleton bay footage. Some of those barrels stand alone would be just incredible, but put them together 8 times on one wave and for some unknown reason they sort of lose their impact. Technically I watch that and I'm stunned but I FEEL not much at all. Weird.

freddieffer's picture
freddieffer's picture
freddieffer Friday, 22 Jun 2018 at 1:41pm

I can't agree with you crg.
If I experienced one quality loooong wave just like that, with 8 barrels, I reckon I would feel like I've ticked the number 1 box on my surfing 'ultimate dreams' list.

crg's picture
crg's picture
crg Friday, 22 Jun 2018 at 1:45pm

Surfing it would be incredible for sure!!
I'm talking about watching the footage...it just doesn't blow me away for some reason as I would imagine it should after seeing 8 barrels!

Body slide's picture
Body slide's picture
Body slide Friday, 22 Jun 2018 at 3:51pm

Wonder if its the angle of the drone which is the ho hum bit? Just sits there pretty much. Same view the whole time, little change in altitude/front on shot the whole time/no use of zoom out to show the whole picture. The wave is the star here...Sorry Koa, nice ride and all...I say film the wave rather than the rider and it would be more interesting! Guess he needs his mug and happy squeal to earn a living?

Billyw's picture
Billyw's picture
Billyw Saturday, 23 Jun 2018 at 3:56pm

Nah for me the drone angle is better than Go Pro on this one - the perspective it gives and watching as the wave changes in each different section - could watch it endlessly - feel like I see something new each time

daltz's picture
daltz's picture
daltz Friday, 22 Jun 2018 at 1:33pm

Sooooooo ridiculous..............
Such a freak of a wave and the conditions are flawless to boot, probably one of 100 similar waves that day.
How good that places like this are still there for the searchers (or sponsored)
Eighth wonder of the natural world.

nextswell's picture
nextswell's picture
nextswell Friday, 22 Jun 2018 at 2:13pm

After the first 30 secs it doesn't seem real. Like a computer game.

batfink's picture
batfink's picture
batfink Friday, 22 Jun 2018 at 2:27pm

My thighs were burning just watching it.

tango's picture
tango's picture
tango Monday, 25 Jun 2018 at 10:52pm

How on earth he had the legs to do anything resembling a cutty at the end is beyond me.

Mort's picture
Mort's picture
Mort Friday, 29 Jun 2018 at 9:41pm

Your wings should have protected you.

davetherave's picture
davetherave's picture
davetherave Friday, 22 Jun 2018 at 2:33pm

watch the empty ones behind koa. that got me amped crg- which one you want?

crg's picture
crg's picture
crg Friday, 22 Jun 2018 at 5:20pm

I'm thinking the 2nd or 3rd one...ha!!

Sprout's picture
Sprout's picture
Sprout Friday, 22 Jun 2018 at 2:38pm

Some of the bodyboarder's footage from this is mental.
What do you call a slab that slabs for that long?

zenagain's picture
zenagain's picture
zenagain Friday, 22 Jun 2018 at 10:54pm

A Schlong?

rooftop's picture
rooftop's picture
rooftop Saturday, 23 Jun 2018 at 2:34am

Ha!

It gets less slab-ish after the first section. Heavy up until 0:30 then loses a bit of weight.

Still enough to give you a Gary-level spanking though.

scrotina's picture
scrotina's picture
scrotina Friday, 22 Jun 2018 at 3:43pm

whenever i see footage of that place, loads of epic waves go unridden. if i was making the mission to get there, i'd want to take a jet ski to maximise tube time.

hairmick's picture
hairmick's picture
hairmick Friday, 22 Jun 2018 at 6:50pm

Must be a comment from one of the Kirra or Super bank crowd. Can't seem to get their head around paddling to get the best out of a session. Unfortunate

Älskarhavet's picture
Älskarhavet's picture
Älskarhavet Saturday, 23 Jun 2018 at 7:14am

Agree hairmick!
Keep the stinky blowflies away. Walk back! Not many incredible breaks allow you to do that so enjoy nature and keep your petrol fumes and noise away from the surfers!

ramjet's picture
ramjet's picture
ramjet Friday, 22 Jun 2018 at 3:50pm

Pretty amazing drone work as well!

timp's picture
timp's picture
timp Friday, 22 Jun 2018 at 6:01pm

Could watch it all day... beats the livin' shitballs out of Slater's pool.

timcosh's picture
timcosh's picture
timcosh Friday, 22 Jun 2018 at 6:11pm

Desensitised through saturation of the senses by the modern age? Or the dumbing down of reality? Epic.... just ask the surfer.

lawncigar's picture
lawncigar's picture
lawncigar Friday, 22 Jun 2018 at 6:11pm

geeezuzz.. so beaudifull.....

goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot Friday, 22 Jun 2018 at 6:33pm

That’s so unbelievably incredible.
His GoPro footage of this wave is mind blowing also.
I’d cut my ballsack off to trade places with him on that wave

truebluebasher's picture
truebluebasher's picture
truebluebasher Friday, 22 Jun 2018 at 8:00pm

Recall 1966 Endless Summer with Cape Saint Francis....Apart from rare showings!
Surfers had to wait 20 years before they laid eyes on those pipes again.(VHS 1986)
2018 Skeleton Bay is on a 2 minute rotation for each finger tip..

Each added surf product rips a another strip off the Surf Sanctuary...Just how it is!

Notice from beach shots... no decent sets & the waves behind being frustrating foamballs.
Grom may have been waiting a while or maybe binned a few takes to land wave of the day.
It's hard to deny he made it look so easy...Such sensible laid back lines did the lad proud!

Fair to say eager Swellnetonians would've polished off that gem with equal pride.

You're all right! It can't be healthy to scoff down slabs like Weet-Bix/ How many do you do?

shoredump's picture
shoredump's picture
shoredump Friday, 22 Jun 2018 at 8:20pm

Does anyone know if this went down about a week ago, when the other footage came out, or if it’s been breaking all week? I notice there’s been a bit of swell there all week, but nothing huge..

thepest101's picture
thepest101's picture
thepest101 Friday, 22 Jun 2018 at 10:12pm

You could quit surfing after that. Doesn’t get much better. Only if it was a right...

zenagain's picture
zenagain's picture
zenagain Friday, 22 Jun 2018 at 10:54pm

Mesmerising.

Älskarhavet's picture
Älskarhavet's picture
Älskarhavet Saturday, 23 Jun 2018 at 7:07am

Incedible wave!

The first section was epic. He did well to make some of the following barrels.
As others have said, I could watch it all day! Surfing in a remote place with no crowd.
Will we ever find another spot that good'?

truebluebasher's picture
truebluebasher's picture
truebluebasher Saturday, 23 Jun 2018 at 8:24am

crg makes a good point...the more you see the less you enjoy.
One small step for Skeg on Skeleton Bay compared to Dune Sliding Cape Saint Francis.

Thermal Space suited go pro puffer engages more with Hollywood drone than Huey.
Pesky Drone gets blow kisses while the real Star (The wave) doesn't earn a hoot?

The lad has lungs like a fish! Whitewater mouthcam stunt was Hollywood's most gripping.
Apocalyptic mouthcam beachcomber scene mirrors Planet of the Apes beach Astronaut.
If only our spaceman could stop waving up to his spacecraft.
(My apologies if the lad lives with that mouthpiece for really bad asthma.)

Don't get me wrong! I still enjoyed the first screening.
I do however agree with crg about the nice wave! It has no place in Santa's workshop.
Skeleton Bay space station rovers didn't deliver a happy ending. Surfjustsurf!

truebluebasher's picture
truebluebasher's picture
truebluebasher Saturday, 23 Jun 2018 at 6:02pm

crg/Body Slide may have flushed out a water Rat.(Magic is wearing off for me too!)
I could be wrong then I wholly apologize but given the publicity it's best we know sooner.

Not even Skeletor can fly his drone in this Namibian National Park.
Nor can he fly it so high or even so low over people's heads not here or anywhere.
Perhaps why the Drone filming starts shy of witnesses from 4WD Base Camp 1.
During the ride we see the drone cross over other park users paths (That's not on!)
This lineup is clearly not vacant for a drone fly through!
Sure! OK there are fleeting glimpses of "Good" drone piloting...(If some say so?)

Hard to believe commercial Nat' Park footage can be bartered for 3rd party subscriptions.
If Skeletor is busted for one of any dozen offences he faces fines and a National park ban.
That could trigger a ban on white trash Big Wave poachers.
I'm saying you'll lose this wave much easier than keep it...If this is dodgy then shout it out!

zenagain's picture
zenagain's picture
zenagain Saturday, 23 Jun 2018 at 10:40pm

I watched this again and can only say, by Jingo! what a wave and really well surfed.

Lanky Dean's picture
Lanky Dean's picture
Lanky Dean Sunday, 24 Jun 2018 at 5:20pm

That was bonkers!

mattmac's picture
mattmac's picture
mattmac Sunday, 24 Jun 2018 at 9:55pm

Amazing -he got more tube-time on one wave than most surfers would get in a lifetime including me:-(

JosephStalin's picture
JosephStalin's picture
JosephStalin Tuesday, 26 Jun 2018 at 4:06pm

comrade koa makes ze tubes efficiencies like I makes you disappears

Winki-outlier's picture
Winki-outlier's picture
Winki-outlier Friday, 29 Jun 2018 at 6:44pm

Epic dream state vision.....make it real !!

Mort's picture
Mort's picture
Mort Friday, 29 Jun 2018 at 9:36pm

I going to win a short story comp soon. I am not to sure the bearing of what I have just said.

Mort's picture
Mort's picture
Mort Friday, 29 Jun 2018 at 9:39pm

What it is, it is success.

Writers looking at this, will try to talk about it. It will sell magazines, I am sure.