Photos: The feast after the famine

Stu Nettle picture
Stu Nettle (stunet)
Swellnet Dispatch

The autumn surf season came late to the Surf Coast.

Summer passed but small swell continued through March, as it had through February and January also. However, last Sunday week, the door slammed shut on that pattern when a very large but windy southwest swell engulfed the coast. It was far from classic, but it served to signify the changing season.

Then, yesterday, the Surf Coast woke to the day it'd been waiting months for when a majestic long-period southwest swell broke headlong into light northwest winds.

Everywhere was too good, but Steve Arklay hung the Winki/Bells headland photographing an autumn feast.

All photos by Steve.

Comments

sean killen's picture
sean killen's picture
sean killen Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 12:54pm

How nice are the pics sensational line up ..

pittsy's picture
pittsy's picture
pittsy Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 1:02pm

Nice pics!! From anyone out there how was it? Looks amazing in the pics and 'reasonably' manageable, but always surprised by how much power bells has (I could just be a wimp).

tux's picture
tux's picture
tux Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 1:41pm

Amazing...long period...some super solid sets...might of been a shade over the 3-4 foot they reported it being in the morning hahahahahahahahahaha

anthony.olsen's picture
anthony.olsen's picture
anthony.olsen Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 3:55pm

I was looking at the photos earlier and trying to call the size on some of the bigger ones.

I would call the bottom two photos 4 maybe 5 foot?
The first two maybe 6-8?

Bungan33's picture
Bungan33's picture
Bungan33 Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 2:39pm

Pretty epic - with some punchy clean ups.

Stok's picture
Stok's picture
Stok Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 2:43pm

Yeah it's pretty heavy. Unless you have big wave training I wouldn't risk surfing it over 5ft.

pittsy's picture
pittsy's picture
pittsy Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 2:46pm

lol

bipola's picture
bipola's picture
bipola Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 1:08pm

beautiful waves

Bungan33's picture
Bungan33's picture
Bungan33 Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 2:38pm

Just a "shade over" 3-4 foot? Not sure who does the SN report for the Bells area but I have now learnt....3-4 foot with "occasional bigger one at swell magnets" stands for double over head with occasional clean up bomb. Hard core Vicco wave size scale.....Definitely wasn't a good out to try out my newly scrubbed up 40 year old twin fin. Fast and straight man....fast and straight....

evosurfer's picture
evosurfer's picture
evosurfer Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 2:47pm

I surfed it last week was really good fun but power wise for the size of the wave
I didnt rate it.

vicbloke's picture
vicbloke's picture
vicbloke Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 3:06pm

finally, finally, finally....been waiting since June for this

Tim Fisher's picture
Tim Fisher's picture
Tim Fisher Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 3:24pm

The wall ahead of Oldmate in the fourth shot...

Bungan33's picture
Bungan33's picture
Bungan33 Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 3:47pm

If you zoom in, you get to see the joy that the lovely manicured photos dont show> the pack copping it on the head!

Hiccups's picture
Hiccups's picture
Hiccups Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 3:55pm

I was quite happy to wear a few on the head yesterday.

Stok's picture
Stok's picture
Stok Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 4:37pm

For those in the know, there were spots/areas handling it better......not giving too much away but it starts with a Western and ends with a Port.

Surfalot67's picture
Surfalot67's picture
Surfalot67 Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 5:25pm

Lol - that place is for mal riders to run and hide and practice their best barrel avoidance.

Vic Local's picture
Vic Local's picture
Vic Local Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 5:29pm

STFU Stok, Stop telling everyone how good Western Port is. The last thing we need is a bunch of Torquay / Melbourne flogs discovering that Winki is D grade compared to WP.

Stok's picture
Stok's picture
Stok Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 8:46pm

Sorry, too obvious I know right.

The good news is though, there's so many great set ups there that it can handle the blow ins and crowds, you almost always score uncrowded waves if you know where to look.

Seek and you shall find!

tango's picture
tango's picture
tango Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 5:03pm

Geez, Stok, all I can see in all those photos is "handling it". That secret spot you mentioned must have been breaking like Rifles in the ments to be much better!

harrycoopr's picture
harrycoopr's picture
harrycoopr Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 6:19pm

pissweak... shoulda been at Middleton

Weatherman's picture
Weatherman's picture
Weatherman Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 6:20pm

Pretty much the best day of the year on the SC I thought. Mid to late morning when the offshore picked up really groomed the swell. More please.

GuySmiley's picture
GuySmiley's picture
GuySmiley Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 7:30pm

Westernport

There is a series of offshore reefs accessible only by boat, known for big sharks and passing ships, whitehorses visible from high ground on both sides of the bay, a mate (RIP) who charged Margs claimed to have surfed it the once, claimed it was insane .... perhaps stok is talking about this place or maybe upstream on Somers creek??

Stok's picture
Stok's picture
Stok Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 8:57pm

Don't give away all the secrets!

Although, I will say Tankerton and surrounds has a few options for the intrepid. Fair trek to get to, but worth it.

GuySmiley's picture
GuySmiley's picture
GuySmiley Wednesday, 21 Apr 2021 at 11:48am

Tankerton jetty from where all the local chargers depart a stok, man that Phillip Island ferry must see some action

Screen-Shot-2021-04-21-at-11-46-41-am

memlasurf's picture
memlasurf's picture
memlasurf Wednesday, 21 Apr 2021 at 8:20am

Somers Creek, ha, ha, ha,....I nearly choked on that one, as for the porkies on WP I think pinocchio’s nose would stretch across bass strait.

SI's picture
SI's picture
SI Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 7:33pm

Corduroy...back in style!! How long I’ve been waiting for those lines! Most welcome. A bit of respect in the water, a bit of share and share alike and you have all you can ask, and fun for everyone. It IS doable.

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 7:48pm

crowd looks reasonable.

big enough to thin the numbers or is trick photography?

brainiac's picture
brainiac's picture
brainiac Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 8:32pm

The first 8 ft set that hit for the morning cleaned up the whole lineup at winki except for about 5 blokes. 3 leggies and one snapped board later
it sent a few people in. Some real power in that set.

Hiccups's picture
Hiccups's picture
Hiccups Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 9:05pm

Was pretty busy at Winki. I saw six on a wave at one point.

Hiccups's picture
Hiccups's picture
Hiccups Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 9:11pm

Sick day regardless

SGAG's picture
SGAG's picture
SGAG Tuesday, 20 Apr 2021 at 8:22pm

What a groundswell - freight training right through to the lefts breaking off of the button.
Wasnt sure how some of the crew on it got out tbh.
Had to be 8 feet on them set waves yeah?!
Not the nicest feeling duck diving that inside close out section on the sets at all lol i still can't hear from all of the water trapped in my head

Panman's picture
Panman's picture
Panman Wednesday, 21 Apr 2021 at 6:44am

Good luck to you vicco lads firing winki has got to be world class for sure.
I also hope your swell lasts more than one day like ours do on the east coast

mowgli's picture
mowgli's picture
mowgli Wednesday, 21 Apr 2021 at 11:07am

Do many people surf Bells on twin fish? Never see it much in pics but it's always looked like the kind of wave where that sort of board would go a dream.

lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy Wednesday, 21 Apr 2021 at 11:54am

I'm sure they do now as they seem to be everywhere. MR won the event there on a regular twinny

Hiccups's picture
Hiccups's picture
Hiccups Wednesday, 21 Apr 2021 at 12:29pm

Surfed there on Sunday for the first time in ages and there were a couple out.