Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries:
When an Antarctic blast takes a direct hit on Otago the result is incredibly powerful seas and winter chaos. The ocean churns and we hope like anything we're in for a snow day. The energy levels are at an all time high and nature has no boundaries. The aftermath of these events is something else for surfers, skiers and snowboarders.
It can be a bit like Xmas morning is for children: how much fresh powder did we get? Has the wind swung offshore and where will handle a swell of this size? Those who knew (and who weren't bogged down by deadlines) found some fun waves. The rest of us just waited to see how the cards played out in terms of the great southern sand bank reshuffle. Storms like these rearrange the surfbreaks completely and in this case the banks at the previously defunct Blackhead lurched back to life.
Other breaks seem to have been cleaned out – it's robbing Peter to pay Paul type stuff. We'll have to wait for a few more swell angles to see who got the upper hand out of Peter and Paul. But change is always a good thing when you're a surfer who loves variety. That, we have plenty of.
More weather in the forecast with a 976er taking a glancing blow on the southeastern edge – more swell and snow maybe ...
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS We are very lucky in Dunedin to attract some talented surfing students and our fair share of emerging surfing photographers, too. I'd been watching with interest a young photographer's journey around our coastline and recently got the chance to interview him for a story on NZ Surf Journal. Learn all about Oscar Hetherington right here ... and say hello if you see him around the coastline.
Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries: