... continued from Thursday's Box of Light report ...
... dawn cracked open like an egg with a toughened shell from a chicken that did way too much free ranging. Tasty, yes, but it wasn't pretty. Luckily, Pam was still here and the buzz in the early hours was electric. Jetskis went in all directions, helicopters soared above and surfers wettied-up in the hope that their 20-minuite dawn trek would deliver something worth writing home about.
Mostly Pam was intact, but a brisk westerly meant many spots had judderbars the size of rubbish bins lining the face of their waves. In between the gusts some magic was to be had, first for the skis and the tow-in lads and then for the SUP paddlers. But it was two canny paddlers who crawled across the landscape on browned boards and with a look of uncertainty on their faces, that stole the show amid the chaos of Pam's first morning in Otepoti. Olie de Noel and Marco Edwards decided to rock off at a spot normally the preserve of the tow-in crew when the swell hits 5-foot plus.
Somehow they managed to get to the lineup without smearing themselves on the reef and then they proceeded to tear apart walls that probably should have been raced along in survival stance. Wave after wave they picked off the best of each set and accumulated some impressive rides and a fair few campfire stories.
As soon as she had arrived Pam was on the way out. By midday, she was spent. A few hours later, a new south swell filled in and the show started all over again ... get your fix here.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS Huge congratulations to Daniel Kereopa who was crowned the Ultimate Waterman for 2015. Epic DK! We knew you had this one from the beginning.
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