My mind raced ahead of the facts. I knew the swell had been a bit raw around the East Cape, but between there and Dunedin is 1000km of grooming oceanscape to line it all up. Surely by the time it hit Otago's coastline it would be clean and powerful with a stretched out period ... maybe even as good as we'd ever expect to get? At least similar to the picture conjured up in my imagination?
From the conception of that vision until the moment I headed into the lineup I was convinced. At first light I peered out to a washing machine Aramoana. Sets were breaking in the harbour mouth – I had never seen that before and certainly not at high tide. Shelley Beach had a punchy raw left winding off in the corner and sets spilling in the middle of the bay. It was a promising start.
Further up the coast and the main point break was awash – sets overstepping their mark with the 60° swell angle and pushing through with big, slow mush burgers. The smaller ones hugged the bank, but they were few and far between ... and seemed like a waste.
The next more sheltered point wasn't much better. We were running out of options. So much swell and yet so few options. It couldn't have been more frustrating. Then I get a phone call from Doug Young and Dave Lyons, they've turned up on the coast with 14-year-old Reuben Lyons who is stinging to get amongst it.
We head out to the most promising option just as the swell peaks. The walls are still pushing wide and crumbling, but very surfable. Every now and then one picks up the bank and reels down it like something straight out of Indo. The next sets march wider and I have a few hours of shooting and swimming under the wide ones trying to line up a shot on the one section that throws up an occasional hollow section.
I'm expecting the whole show to light up as the tide bottoms out, but instead the current surpasses my swimming speed and leg cramps end my session.
Luckily, I'll get another window of opportunity if cyclone Oma rolls over the top of New Zealand at the end of the week. Fingers crossed.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS Want more images from this swell? We're dropping a story on this latest swell this week over at New Zealand Surf Journal. Check it out and if you haven't already, then make sure you subscribe.
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