Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries:
We had a couple of pulses last week – a nice wee south swell popped up for a few days and then we scored some of that north swell that turned an island near Mount Maunganui into something out of the movies. I think every surfer in the North Island zeroed in on this one stretch of beach and for good reason. Expect the surf zines to be filled with those photos in a month or two.
Down south the swell was a good one also with the North Coast firing, banks filled with sand from these long flat spells making the most of the energy. Not for me, though. Bogged down in a few deadlines and photo shoots and unable to get amongst it this week.
Instead I was confined to the city beaches and the low-energy drawl of an early summer flat spell. This run of teeny swell and calm conditions is perfect for the groms and anyone learning to surf. The waist-high peaks have been overrun by young surf rats and their over-zealous fathers (that's me among them). The under 10s category at the South Coast Boardriders ladder contest at the weekend was a frenzy of dad's slinging their kids into waves over a 20-minute period. At times I wasn't sure who the contest was between – the Dads? Or the kids? Afterwards the kids looked pretty stoked and the dads looked exhausted. If summer continues like this then I'd expect Dunedin's grommets to be thriving by winter.
This week, not a lot of surf photos, but I did wake on Sunday morning to the sound of crashing waves and proimise of a new swell. Trouble was the sea fog had rolled in completely and I couldn't tell what size the waves were. Even from the St Clair Esplanade, it was almost impossible to gauge the line-up. It made for some cool photos though ... a little St Clair verison of a white Xmas.
Wishing you all an awesome Xmas, thanks for being on this journey with Box of Light and I hope Santa brings us all a decent swell.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS If I had a penny for every time someone asked me how to learn to surf I'd be a rich man. If you want to get in on the action then here's the best advice you could have: book a lesson at a surf school. They are located all around New Zealand and usually have everyhing you could need and super knowledgeable surf coaches to help you advance really quickly. You'll be ripping in no time.
Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries: