October 17th 2017: New swell anxiety

Waiting for a new swell is tough. Especially when alerts for all the big wave spots are pinging and the jet skis are being pulled out of hibernation. I always have sleepless nights before they arrive and I'm guessing most of the big wave surfers do also. It's excitement tinged with fear, tinged with the unknown quantities: the ocean's whim and the low-pressure system's folly.

I paddled out to St Clair Point to meet the first pulses of this new swell on Sunday night. The waves were confused and lumpy with a defined set every 30 minutes to start with and every 15 minutes by dark. A little taste of what was to come, but not enough to quiet my new swell anxiety. 

Then, boom! Monday morning arrives with the swell filled in throughout the Catlins – a lumpy, less than perfect, but formidable swell. By mid-morning there are a couple of tow teams on the reef with Davy Wooffindin and Nick Smart leading the charge. They exchange waves in an ocean that has more facets than a brilliant-cut diamond. Trying to pick a line on this reef is as testing as I have ever seen it, yet they manage to find some gems where the reef stretches the facets smooth through the bowl. Peering through the lens it's always an overwhelming sight. I can't imagine what that looks like for the surfers as they watch the walls grow right beneath their feet. Full respect for these guys.

Full respect also has to be given to the people who shaped surfing in New Zealand. I had to chuckle when a friend gave Graham Carse, of Quarry Beach Surfboards, a classic Wayne Parkes short board, complete with channels, to restore. It's two legends of the surfboard shaping industry pouring some love into one small, well-used board. Keep an eye out for a follow up story to that one, coming soon.

See you at the beach ... Derek

PS Dunedin's Elliott Brown won the National Scholastic Surfing Championship held in Gisborne last week. According to locals Elliott was a clear standout in each and every one of his heats throughout the event. In the final Elliott comboed his opponents, which means they needed two scoring rides to take the lead. Awesome.