Here's a delicious little fact for your Friday: Cape Solander was first surfed in 1965.

Yep, the mother of all slabs was ridden...hell, conquered, two years before the shortboard revolution by guys riding clunky ten foot logs. Heads up to Ray Ryan, Steve Haig, and Steve Cohen.

Following the summit party other surfers tackled the Cape, some on more fitting equipment such as paipos, and some with nought but sluggoes and fins. Intimidating no doubt, yet arguably a better approach then a rockerless log.

The Cape fell out of favour for many years till the Bra Boys came and staked their claim...we all know how that story goes. Yet more recently a cadre of surfers have taken to tackling the Cape in traditional means. Pete Sperling came first but riding his wake are a bunch of nutty bodyboggers including Nick Brbot from Kurnell.

Here Nick talks about kicking over the ledge and flies the flag for this weekend's Coledale Whomp Off!

Swellnet: How long have you been bodysurfing the Cape?
Nick Brbot: I've been bodysurfing Cape for over a year now. I grew up watching the Cape since I found out it was there which was about ten years ago. I'd see the Bra Boys towing into the biggest waves I'd ever seen. Never would've thought that it was possible to bodysurf these waves.

Committing to a line early is crucial (Photo Keeland Tracy)

Who first got you out there?
So the thing about Cape is, you need to know what you're doing - the entry and exit are just as dangerous as the wave itself. Lucky for me, I had seen an article online about some bodysurfers who took on a large Sydney swell. I thought I was the only one doing it! I looked up their names on Instagram and found Peter Sperling. This guy easily had the most gnarly bodysurfing pics I had ever seen. So I decided to send him a message to see if he could show us the ropes. And the rest was history. 

Peter didn't really have to do much persuading. One morning we rocked up to cape. He was the first in. I tentatively watched for his first wave to see if it was really possible to bodysurf cape. Then he drops down a five foot bomb, holds his line, gets covered in the tube and then pops out with the spit. He just made it look easy as hell. That was all the convincing I needed.

I soon learnt it wasn't as easy as he made it look and have had my fair share of scary wipeouts.

Righio then, indulge us with an injury story, either something that's happened to you or someone else.
I've seen countless surfers do spinals and get airlifted out over the years. Within our bodysurfing crew we've had a broken forearm and a shattered kneecap out there. One of the boys, Dan Carr, is actually recovering from broken vertebrate, although he didn't  do it at Cape. It reminds us how dangerous our sport is. 

Try this on for size! (Photo Keeland Tracy)

Were you guys aware you're keeping alive a long tradition out there? Albeit one that paused for many years.
An old local told me that his mates used to bodysurf Cape back in the day when I got out of the water once. That was the first time I really heard of it.

Which is your fave wave out there, Middles or the Cape?
I've never really had Middles at its best. But I've heard stories of it being all time! So I'm gonna have to go with Cape as my favourite. It's not as perfect as Middles could be, but the added elements of the elevator drop, the nearing cliff, the super shallow reef and backwash give an added thrill to it. 

Where do you guys sit in relation to the paddlers?
It really depends on the day. Sometimes we sit with the surfers and then sometimes further on the outside as the first section of the wave can get pretty unmakeable.

Kicking over the ledge as the Cape doubles up (Photo Keeland Tracy)

You a handplane man?
Yeah I am a handplane man. I use WAW Handplanes, which are an environmentally sustainable wooden handplane. They are an Australian company and I actually bodysurf with Rikki the founder and shaper. So there have definitely been a couple of technical tweaks to handle the beast that is Cape.

What's the rapport like with the standups? You guys talk much? 
We're generally pretty good with the stand up surfers. After all we are all just in the ocean enjoying what it has to offer and everyone understands that.

Have you travelled much for bodysurfing? 
I haven't travelled too much specifically for bodysurfing, I went to the Noosa Festival of Surfing and the Byron Bay Surf Festival earlier this year. I've bodysurfed a couple of waves in Bali, notably Padang Padang and Impossibles. We actually have so many good waves in Australia that most of my bucket list waves are actually here. Like Shipsterns Bluff and the Box. 

I'd love to bodysurf Newport Wedge, there's a whole bodysurfing history behind it too which was shown in the film Dirty Old Wedge. People actually know what bodysurfing is there, which is a bit different to here.

I'm also planning a trip for the North Shore Lifeguards Pipeline Bodysurfing Championships next year and the Deus Canggu Womp Comp as well.

Arms outstretched and flying (Keeland Tracy)

The Whomp Off is on this Saturday at Coledale Beach. Swell looks good.
The swell is looking epic. I think the final location is still being finalised, however it will be decided on the Friday arvo. I'm so pumped, there's gonna be over 60 competitors and pumping 4-6ft waves.

Is it a comp format? How does it work?
It's actually a team-based event. My team is the Bate Bay Body Bashers who base themselves in the Cronulla area. It's our first comp together as a team and we are very excited for it. The boys at Shark Island Brewing Co. have been loving what were doing and have decided to support us with refreshments too!

In regards to the comp, there are four events. The first is a team-focused event where points are scored for length of ride, style, execution and flow.

The second is a tricks event.

The third is an individual round where each team must select two surfers to compete in the two final styled heats. 

The forth is the annual flipper race. It's a free for all fifty metre dash on the sand.

Six foot swell, beer, running in flippers. What could go wrong? You reckon you're at a disadvantage cos it's, you know, only breaking over sand?
For my game, the bigger the wave, the better for me. I wouldn't say I'm at a disadvantage as I've been bodysurfing beaches all my life. But if the comp was held at six foot Cape, then I'd be feeling fairly confident.

Click here for more details of the Whomp Off