March 24th 2026: A punch in the face

If summer was a bit of a rotter for surf in Dunedin, then this past week certainly made up for it. I managed to grasp a few snippets of the goodness, but mostly felt like I was in lockdown with a slew of deadlines tethering me to the studio. 

The lineups seem to be filled with a lot of travellers and students these days. I only recognised a handful of the faces out at St Clair yesterday – admittedly, I have been out of the water for a month or more. But it definitely felt like a lot of newcomers. You can tell something's up when the water is warm, the sun is shining, and there are guys in hoods, wearing booties. I was cooking in my 4:3; they must have been sweltering. 

I'm hearing some ugly reports about the crowds at Raglan, which was properly cranking all of last week. It seems the WSL event has already put Raglan on the international surf map, and now everybody wants a piece. It wouldn't bother me if there was some semblance of respect in the water, but that seems to be a thing of the past. Maybe it's time Raglan locals ratcheted up the enforcement in the water again.

When I was a teenager learning to surf in Raglan, if you did the wrong thing, you got a punch in the face. That really speeds up the pace of learning. I saw plenty of people getting lessons each surf. But, as violent as it sounds, it actually worked. There was some order in the surf, and everyone got their share of waves. It works in Taranaki, and Hawaii has it mastered. I'm not sure there's any other way to protect our waves and help locals keep their sanity. 

See you at the beach, Derek

PS Want to join me on a short six-day reconnaissance mission to Northern Sumatra, Indonesia? Of course, you do! This recce trip will check out the locations and wildlife (including orangutans) for my big photo expedition planned for 2027. I only have a few spots available on this trip, which departs from Medan, North Sumatra, on May 27, 2026. Learn more and book a spot right here through my Insider Travel Co website.