August 17th 2021: Blip

There was a blip in the forecast this past week that a few surfers were quite interested in. Especially me. It wasn't a guaranteed swell, but it had some very nice winds accompanying it and a long period that might just make up for its lack in sheer size. That's enough of a gamble to tilt the favour in our easily tiltable direction.

Down at Papatowai the swell was forecast to fill in overnight and then start to roll off through Sunday. That meant a local reef, that would love the promised winds, came into frame. We haven't surfed this place for quite some time so even a hint of potential was lure enough. We took the bait and made our way to one of my favourite rock outcrops on the south coast.

You can read the full story when we publish it later today over on New Zealand Surf Journal, but for now know that this reef was far from its usual, mostly uninhabitable, self. Instead of barrels that would encrypt surfers in a formiddable vault, it even let some back out again ... that's unheard of.

Here's a sneak glimpse of the madness ... have a superb week.

See you at the beach ... Derek

PS Our singer songwriter friend Sam Charlesworth (who you can read about right here in this awesome article by Oscar Hetherington) will be releasing his new song 'Look Mum I'm On TV!" on August 21. If you haven't heard Sam's music then search Sam Charlesworth on Spotify, Apple Music etc and find out why the students are going mad for him. Enjoy ...