Normally, no swell would be a terrible forecast for most of us. But I have to confess to being quietly stoked to see near-flat conditions on the South Coast this past weekend and in the forecast for this week. Sounds odd, but we actually get so much swell that trying to teach my kids, 12, 10 and 8 to surf on the south coast is near impossible. It's like trying to learn to skateboard with a run down Baldwin Street (that's the world's steepest). Or trying to learn to ski on the 2000m Caroline Face on the east face of Aoraki Mt Cook (this European trio actually made the first-ever descent there on Friday).
Most other beaches around New Zealand get lots of small waves and clean little peaks that give their grommets the perfect canvas to hone their skills. I always get a pang of envy when I see the grom culture that thrives around these spots. Gisborne has some of the best, then Mount Maunganui, Coromandel and all the way up the east coast to Tutukaka and the Far North. Superb little beaches that can turn a grommet into a beaming surf rat filled with stoke.
So a week of sunshine and small waves is an opportuntiy to be seized in Dunedin and that is exactly what has happened at our beaches this past few days: grommets rising to the top and small, lazy swells delivering a payload of summery peaks and walls. Stoke aplenty.
Here's what's coming next: lots of tiny grom swells with a long period (22 seconds) pulse on Wednesday and Friday. More here.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS New Zealand surf photographer extraordinaire Warren Hawke just released his latest book: NZ Surf: The Collection VOL 1. Warren has book launches planned for Kaikoura and Christchurch. More details here.
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