Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries:
There's a certain buzz around St Clair right now. Sure the cafes, restaurants, bars and accommodation offerings are on point, as they always are, but it's more than that. Surfing at St Clair used to be the domain of a select few – those locals hard enough to brush off the sea lions, sharks and biting cold water.
Now it seems more like a welcoming playground that attracts all manner of surfers and surfcraft. Take Sunday morning for example; we had a small 1-2 foot swell peeling nicely along the banks at low tide brushed gently by a light offshore wind. The lineup was peppered with people from the Point to Poles and everyone was stoking.
There were kids, learners, mid-length riders, body boarders, swimmers, longboarders, almost pros and students all beaming from ear-to-ear with stoke. The water was warm and the air temperatures made it all feel like summer was still well entrenched in our little part of the world. During my swim I could hear the different groups chatting and laughing away. It was good vibes all round and something pretty special for St Clair.
That summery feel may all be about to end as this looming monster period of swell brings a little bit of Antarctic weather our way.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS You know we love the Sub-Antarctic Islands ... well our friend and fellow surfer Jordan Sparrow visited recently as a scholarship winner with Heritage Expeditions. He wrote a great article about his adventure – you can read his Sub-Antarctic journey right here on New Zealand Surf Journal.
Box of Light is made possible thanks to these visionaries: