Photos: Cape Solander in May

Stu Nettle picture
Stu Nettle (stunet)
Swellnet Dispatch

Saturday was a fantastic spectacle at Cape Solander. People got injured, skis ran amok, one even got washed onto the rocks and destroyed. The Cape once again showed how it can transform an otherwise exquisite swell into fifty metres of brutality. Don't let the blue sky and clear water fool you.

Tim Bonython filmed for ten hours straight, with a video edit soon to come. Till then, here's some stills from a savage day.

Lucas 'Boo' Street

Matt Dunsmore under an arcing lipline

Max McGuigan hands free and deep

Maxime Rayer indifferent to the danger

Dean Jamieson counterbalancing each direction

Laurie Towner made the trip but was reluctant to hassle in the crowded and competitive lineup, bagging just a handful of waves

Max McGuigan again

Evan Faulks - above and below - from where you'd rather not be

...and the outcome

Spud gets angry

Josh Ku

Russ drives from way deep as the pack dives

Comments

joesydney's picture
joesydney's picture
joesydney Tuesday, 11 May 2021 at 12:31pm

Man it was a zoo from the vid I saw....more dangerous from people than the wave. It does not look like a wave than can handle that sort of crowd

brandonrooney14's picture
brandonrooney14's picture
brandonrooney14 Tuesday, 11 May 2021 at 2:59pm

Too many humans and bit too much on with both skis and paddlers. One or the other is fine but gets pretty interesting with both...

Trentslatterphoto's picture
Trentslatterphoto's picture
Trentslatterphoto Tuesday, 11 May 2021 at 1:00pm

sick frames looks so green.

zenagain's picture
zenagain's picture
zenagain Tuesday, 11 May 2021 at 2:03pm

Thick.

joesydney's picture
joesydney's picture
joesydney Tuesday, 11 May 2021 at 2:12pm
lomah's picture
lomah's picture
lomah Tuesday, 11 May 2021 at 2:29pm

Wasn’t it this guy who assured us that everyone towing out there knew exactly what they were doing and got a bit upset when punters pointed out the dangers. Apologies if I’ve got the the people mixed up.

Trentslatterphoto's picture
Trentslatterphoto's picture
Trentslatterphoto Tuesday, 11 May 2021 at 4:21pm

the only guarantee when it comes to the ocean and jet skis is one day they are gonna bend you over

eel's picture
eel's picture
eel Tuesday, 11 May 2021 at 6:56pm

Yep, that was Tim

ra28's picture
ra28's picture
ra28 Tuesday, 11 May 2021 at 8:18pm

Also suggested setting up a go fund me page for the JetSki on kips Insta page, don’t think that’s necessary

Jono's picture
Jono's picture
Jono Tuesday, 11 May 2021 at 2:23pm

Laurie on a nice one

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Tuesday, 11 May 2021 at 4:36pm

"Minor rib injury"

"9 weeks"

Fuck.

clif's picture
clif's picture
clif Tuesday, 11 May 2021 at 6:25pm

pro surfers are soft, mate :-)

batfink's picture
batfink's picture
batfink Wednesday, 12 May 2021 at 5:52pm

Hell yes, Stu, I’m afraid to say. Rib injuries keep you out of the water until they are fully healed. Even then the ligaments and tendons need to be re-stretched after that long out, so you feel sore from that too.

Yours being back ribs may be better though. They’re slow.

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Wednesday, 12 May 2021 at 7:12pm

Copped some similar real talk from a medical fella today. Told me that anytime a rib breaks in two or more places, the floating piece(s) between the breaks slow the healing and potentially complicate it too.

Good news has been light on the ground lately.

Jono's picture
Jono's picture
Jono Wednesday, 12 May 2021 at 9:38pm

It's a shit place Stu, but it's temporary, and it will be a distant memory soon. I know it's annoying to hear (and not that comforting right now) but as far as injuries go, it could have been a whole lot worse. You'll smash the recovery and be back into it in a while. It will seem like long time, but you'll adapt. Dr Phil, signing out.

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Tuesday, 11 May 2021 at 5:04pm
Nick Bone's picture
Nick Bone's picture
Nick Bone Tuesday, 11 May 2021 at 8:04pm

Fucking fuck oath

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Tuesday, 11 May 2021 at 8:41pm
tango's picture
tango's picture
tango Wednesday, 12 May 2021 at 8:23am

Well the boys can surf a bit but they're all pretty good at promo...

joesydney's picture
joesydney's picture
joesydney Wednesday, 12 May 2021 at 9:42am

If you get barrelled and no one sees it, did you really ever get barrelled....?
Existential question for the day.

tango's picture
tango's picture
tango Wednesday, 12 May 2021 at 9:52am

Ha! If nobody sees the insta photo you definitely didn't.

joesydney's picture
joesydney's picture
joesydney Wednesday, 12 May 2021 at 10:42am

Not the same league as Ours but the local was looking good on Saturday and all the rippers were at Ours so it was win-win

joesydney's picture
joesydney's picture
joesydney Wednesday, 12 May 2021 at 10:43am
Blowin's picture
Blowin's picture
Blowin Wednesday, 12 May 2021 at 12:19pm

Is this the least appealing wave in Australia? At least riding sloppy close out beach breaks - the nearest contender for the award- won’t expose you to death or dismemberment on the nearby rock shelf, stinking JetSki noise ,fumes and wake and exposure to a mass gathering of desperate Insta celebrities.

Ugly, lurching, short and mostly unrideable ......ugghh.

All yours, gents.

Ronson's picture
Ronson's picture
Ronson Wednesday, 12 May 2021 at 3:20pm

hardly the point blowin...

Blowin's picture
Blowin's picture
Blowin Wednesday, 12 May 2021 at 3:41pm

Didn’t even mention the backwash or the vomit inducing and thankfully extinct previous name of “Ours”.

Oh, wait .....it’s also the predominant flow through point for the millions of litres of toxic pollutants exiting the sludge hole that is Botany Bay. This joint makes breaks with names such as Oilies and Shitties appear enticingly pristine.

Did I miss anything?

Least appealing wave in Australia. It’s official. Convince me otherwise.

Doesn’t mean crew aren’t into it. Some people enjoy coprophilia and some people like surfing Solander....that’s just the way things are.

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Wednesday, 12 May 2021 at 7:24pm

Amazing wave when there's not too many out and you've got space and time to ease into it.

No idea how many days exist like that anymore, but for a few years there we used to get into the park before the gates opened at 7am - either walk or kick a loose copper log off, drive the cars through, then replace it. Surf it with a handful of crew who mostly all knew each other before work.

Blowin's picture
Blowin's picture
Blowin Wednesday, 12 May 2021 at 7:42pm

Is it a decent wave? It always looks to be a 90 percent no make rate.

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Wednesday, 12 May 2021 at 7:59pm

Amazing wave, if you're into that thing. A good fit among the Cronulla reefs.

It's funny, I used to check it through the 90s, always thought it needed more tide when it actually needed less - low tides are better unless it's huge. I never saw anyone surf it even though I now know the Feinbeer brothers and Steve Doney, amongst a few others, went out there.

Often wonder if I watched it during a good, ridable day but just didn't recognise it. I mean, like Backdoor Pipeline, Solander is on full display, everyone who drives into the park can see it, yet also like Backdoor people didn't recognise it as surfable for a long time so it went largely untouched.

Just took crew with imagination to pioneer the first tracks and realise it is possible.

If perhaps I did see it on a good day then I couldn't visualise those tracks.

dangerouskook2000's picture
dangerouskook2000's picture
dangerouskook2000 Sunday, 16 May 2021 at 1:56pm

Coprophilia. Googled it. You're a funny cunt

garyg1412's picture
garyg1412's picture
garyg1412 Wednesday, 19 May 2021 at 7:55pm

Those Copraphiliacs would enjoy this one then !!!
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=136003555123650&id=100553075...

Ronson's picture
Ronson's picture
Ronson Wednesday, 12 May 2021 at 3:42pm

Occasionally photogenic (as a juxtaposition)

What's a jetski cost? 20k?

Elliedog's picture
Elliedog's picture
Elliedog Wednesday, 12 May 2021 at 3:55pm

Good for the ego Blowin. Looks like Max M has it wired.

Spuddups's picture
Spuddups's picture
Spuddups Wednesday, 12 May 2021 at 6:01pm

Putting aside the fact that a wave like that is completely out of my league, I'm filing it with every other crowded and over hyped surf-spot: Good to watch but not my cup of tea. Also, as much as I experienced a certain amount of schadenfreude watching that ski get totalled, I'm glad that bloke is okay. In the end we're all out there trying to have fun.It sucks when people get hurt.

Ronson's picture
Ronson's picture
Ronson Wednesday, 12 May 2021 at 8:19pm

Ive sat in my lower northern beaches bubble for a decade with every intention of getting down to have a look. Figured early that sitting on the shoulder doesn’t roll so now, with all the crowds and the skis and cameras then I’ve missed the boat. And by that I mean, if watching deadman’s when its big is any yardstick then its not going to be a comfortable viewing option. I’d love to see it, goes without saying.

Blowin's picture
Blowin's picture
Blowin Wednesday, 12 May 2021 at 8:27pm

Holy shit.....forgot about Deadman’s. Looks like Solander is second least appealing wave.

Max Wax's picture
Max Wax's picture
Max Wax Wednesday, 12 May 2021 at 9:11pm

I'd take deadmans over solander purely because there are no skis out there- no backwash too...
Still a shit wave though hahaha

groundswell's picture
groundswell's picture
groundswell Sunday, 16 May 2021 at 2:07pm

It is an over rated wave Blowin but it keeps the bra boys up there instead of way better waves on the south coast.

No mal half a quiver's picture
No mal half a quiver's picture
No mal half a quiver Friday, 28 May 2021 at 2:28pm

I thought that slab Hayden blare got was one of the better ones in the clip maybe towing into death slabs don’t count