February 18th 2025: Tropical Dunedin

The swell that was promised this past weekend may not have come to much on the South Coast, but the stunning summer weather and hot days made Dunedin feel like some kind of tropical paradise. The water was so clear and warm that it really did look more like the Whitsundays.

The Otago Surf Champs were on at Blackhead and we all expected the east-northeast swell to produce some quality waves, but it was almost flat the entire weekend. The north coast copped the swell and was the better option in hindsight – the slight onshore wind was reduced by the topography's pressure bubble at most spots.

There are still a lot of sea lion pups around as they gather before heading up to the more remote Otago Peninsula beaches. As cute as they can be it's really important not to interact with the pups. Any human habituation can be a death sentence for the pups. Sadly, not all humans have a kind heart when it comes to these marine mammals. Give them space and move away if approached by them on land. If you encounter them in the water, just ignore them, stay calm and be boring. That is the best practise according to our friends at DOC and the New Zealand Sea Lion Trust.

As kaitiaki of our beaches, most of our readers will have seen tourists getting too close – often for selfies and sometimes even to give them a pat! If you see this behaviour please ask them to step away and then help educate them about living with sea lions – mainly by giving them space.

See you at the beach ... Derek

PS Want to escape to the tropics and surf your brains out? We have one spot that's come up on our May 22-June 05, 2025 boat trip to Mentawai/Telo Islands. Get in touch if you're keen to be a part of this dream surf trip and we can send you all the details.