Photos

On Saturday Mark Mathews and Caleb McLean hosted Pat Gudauskas at a local Sydney rock ledge.

The Margies Pro moved to The Box for Round 5 of competition and the commentators perked right up.

"A funny thing happened on the way back from the cafe. Found this great peak. Back soon to blow the froth off it.

On Monday, Swellnet's coffee boy and occasional forecaster, Craig Brokensha, ducked downstairs for an early AM round of bean juice. The errand took far longer than usual.

Time and tide waits for no man, and a Shippies swell doesn't wait for photographers to get all their ducks lined up in a row.

Time to dream a little dream, lay back and think of Indo. Just squint your eyes, add a jungle headland, and this Australian regional classic becomes the Grajagan express.

Jordy Smith, Jack Robinson, and Yadin Nicol punt into the wind at North Point while warming up for Margies.

Jordan Barta swam the channel as Mark Mathews, Makua Rothman, and Perth Standlick had varying degrees of success at Cape Solander.

The Noosa Points just put on the best week of the season and in between surfing and working Craig Brokensha snapped off these shots as a week-long trade-swell gave way to thumping cyclone swell.

Random happenings - loggers, dogs, SUPs, anything! - from a week of perfect waves.

It may lay dormant for more than half the year, but late-summer and early-autumn are a time of bounty in Noosa.

Grey skies and a little wobble in the waves began day two, but the rise in swell more than compensated.

"Stop, stop," I yelled. "This is starting to sound like advertorial!"

Swellnet forecaster Craig Brokensha just returned from a two week trip to Japan. While there he mangled the language, violated ancient customs, and even copped a nasty chopstick injury. He also scored a few bluebird days in the ranges and some five degree peaks north of Tokyo.

On Sunday Shippies broke under blue skies and light winds. Andrew Chisholm stood his ground down at sea level. 

Much like the drop at Cape Solander this gallery is a tad late.

After nine days of knee-high tedium the 'swell' finally arrived for the final weekend of the Australian Open of Surfing. Short period, two to three foot waves propelled the finalists a bit further and a bit higher.

With the Chinese New Year having just been celebrated - Happy Year of the Horse everyone! - winter swells are still sliding in. Clean winds and clear conditions are the order of most days with plenty of surf time on offer

I've already written plenty about this session. But as I took my post-session photos with an old model iPhone and Jordan Barta was using something slightly more appropriate it's worth posting his shots also. Keen-eyed readers might notice the difference in quality.

Old Baldy continued the roll through the semis and into the final. Of course he won the thing. Laid down a 9.53 in the first ten seconds of the final. It was that sorta day.