Words and photos by John Barton of Pitstop Hill Resort

Weʼre always stoked when Winter finally arrives. Sure, an easy statement for us to make from the comfort of life on the equator...weʼre not the ones donning icy, wet wetsuits on the freezing bitumen at dawn or losing the feeling in our extremities day in, day out. But while Jack Frost has been busy leaving his mark on the doorsteps of most Australians, heʼs also been busy delivering crispy, clean swells to ours.

Just like your car refuses to come to life on a frigid morning, June also had a slow start. Coughing and spluttering for the first week, it finally turned over with all cylinders firing. And boy were there firing cylinders! Bank Vaults had the standout tubes - or more fittingly the ʻstand upʼ tubes of the month. A macking west swell slammed into our shores putting all the punters to the test. Some ran for the shelter of the lee side of the islands while others sucked it up and tackled some of the biggest monsters weʼve seen so far this year.

Later in the month, consistent SE winds limited options but if you were willing to share a few or go exploring there were still Mentawai quality waves to be had.

All in all, it was another epic month of waves in the tropics. And despite being in 100% humidity, some of the memories form the first month of winter still give us goosebumps.//JOHN BARTON