Maybe the King has lost perspective?

Report - windy as fuck. V strong 40 - 50 knot Westerlies, 7m westerly swell. Low tide 13.10 (but not that low)

With a 7m swell if you didn't live down here you would think that the waves would be enormous, but no the westerly swell just goes right on by.

Still some sets are getting in and Rebounds (pictured) is getting the odd 3 ft set.

Rebounds takes its name from waves bouncing off the rocky point and rebounding almost perpendicular to the main swell lines. If you can time it right you can take off on a very nicely formed steep peak. The rebounding wave really gives you some good speed, but you have to get to your feet very quickly. The larger waves have a tendency to close out at low tide, but there are always some rippers coming through.

The spot also has the advantage of being protected from any wind with west in it.

Overall its a fun wave.

Through being a member of Tracks online forums etc, I receive a weekly online mag update called "The Rouge Bugle", maybe I am old and out of touch, but I have no idea what that name refers to.

But that's not the point I want to make. In the last edition there is a short interview with Kelly Slater on his first session at Shipsterns. In it he describes how he had to change boards for whatever reason.

He goes onto say how much hassle it was to change and "my board was under all the other boards, and it doesn’t have any fins wax or logos or anything".

I can understand you might be a bit worried about control without fins or wax, but how can anyone possibly surf without logos?

Which begs the question, if a pro surfs without being in front of a camera, did he really surf at all?

Commercialism of Surfing part 3. What's Good about it?

Report - small 1 - 1.5 ft on open beaches. NW offshore winds. Low Tide 8.50 am

Old photo today, there are already enough photos of no surf in previous posts. This is one of a good day in winter last year.

The commercialisation of surfing has done a number of good things for the sport.

The main benefit being ongoing development. If people weren't making money out of it, then there wouldn't be funds to research and develop things like shortboards, thrusters, epoxy, new fins, those hydrofoil things in the movie Step Into Liquid and dare I say it bodyboards.

A case in point. If Simon Anderson was stuck working behind a desk at the local council instead of making a living as a pro surfer and shaping boards, would we ever have been blessed with the the thruster. Maybe some one else would have come up with the idea, but now 30 or so years down the track, we are still using them and even though there have been refinements and adjustments, they haven't changed dramatically since.

I have tried single fin boards, whilst it great for novelty I won't be going down to my local shaper and getting him to make me one up.

And thanks to all those shapers that continue to tweek designs try to get just a little bit better performance out of each board they make.

By directly leading to greater participation, commercialism has further helped development. ie more people=more ideas. With the exception of bodyboards most of the bad ones have disappeared over the years as they either didn't work or were just dumb to start with. There aren't too many people jumping onto the finless board or surfing goggles bandwagons.

The next great benefit is exploration. Whether driven by a desire to escape crowds, the need to camp overnight or fodder for a new magazine article, by having the time and money those making a buck out of surfing have gone in search of new waves in locations all over the world. It wasn't that long ago that Bali was an exotic destination. Now with the aid of various websites and travel companies you can plan a whole surfing trip months in advance and have a reasonable expectation of getting some swell. Its never guaranteed though.

How about the guy who thinks that his local break is getting crowded so decides to hit the road, or these days google earth and search out new locations that might work, possibly even better than where he lives and finds a break that no one has ever surfed before. Nowadays its very unlikely you will do this in California or the east coast Australia, but move to Africa or Siberia and you may have chance. At least you will likely find some spot that you haven't previously surfed yourself.

Sitting nicely alongside exploration is pushing the boundaries. Most recently this is in the form of big wave, tow in surfing. It seems that every month a magazine comes out with the biggest waves ever ridden. Without commercial funding how are these guys going to afford the plane/helicopter/boat ride to access these offshore reefs. then they need jet skis to tow them in on. 10 years ago no one was thinking about heading 20km offshore to surf some 50ft wave. It just couldn't be done.

Commercialism has brought surfing to a wider audience at the same time increasing the amount of participants. This has brought convenience. If you live near the beach in a well populated area, you won't have to drive more than 10 minutes (depending on traffic) to find a fully stocked surf shop containing everything and more that you might want for a trip to the beach.

An overseas surf trip to Indo used to mean major expedition. Now we can book a flight to Bali, jump on a plane be there in less than 6 hours and find accommodation on arrival. You could probably get straight onto a 10 day, all inclusive cruise of the islands as well. Thats convenience. There are hordes of motorcyclists all just itching to take you to Uluwatu for (even though you may be getting ripped off at local rates) what is really a very low price.

Does the good outweigh the bad effects?

Yes. If you want to skip on the crowds, have had enough of glossy magazines ramming photos of young up and coming next world champs down your throat then it can all be avoided.

Take a drive.

No one is forcing you to wear Rip Curl clothes, or even wetsuits- there are plenty of alternatives.

Don't buy a magazine, read the newspaper.

Report - Smallish 1 - 2ft waves on open beaches. Very light offshore NW winds. High Tide

Some banks holding ok at Sandpits. Not much action anywhere else.

The main focus of today's photo isn't the waves, its the plume of smoke in the background.

In its supposed "world's best practice" method of wiping out our native forests, part of the Forestry process is burning off all the leftover wood that hasn't been carted away for woodchipping. This is supposed to create a bed of ash that helps new trees establish and grow quicker.

In reality its a cost saving measure, and an easy way of getting rid of a pile of wood.

In these days of global warming, mass pollution and carbon capture its totally unacceptable.

There are so many other ways of disposing this stuff without creating a pall of smoke of the whole state, forcing asthma sufferers to stay inside and remind the rest of us what its like to live in a big city in China.

Why not -

- mulch it, then spread on the ground

- leave it to rot/compost and use to fertilise the area that was going to be torched

- sell it for firewood to heat homes

- use it to generate electricity

- don't knock it over/chop it down in the first place

I am not going to go into whats wrong with the rest of the forestry practices at this stage.

Decreasing Swell

Report - Light N winds, 2.5 - 3m SW swell, 12pm high tide.

There has been a small return to warm weather during the days lately with a predominately northerly airflow. However the nights are still quite cool.

The waves this morning aren't really holding up all that well, banks along South Arm beach aren't all that great after the recent big swells.

The swell has been slowly dropping off since Thurs afternoon when it peaked at around 5m SW.

The wedge was OK on Friday morning, but a bit small.

I don't really feel like analysing the surf industry today, so will do that next time.

Wasted Swell?

Report - 3.5m SW swell. 20 - 30knot SW winds

Low Tide 12.30pm

Don't be fooled by the photo this was the only wave that didn't close in 20 minutes of watching.

I have heard a few people talk about wasted swell in the past couple of days. Its really only wasted if you plan to surf locally. If however you were prepared to drive for an hour or more, then I know of a few places on the east coast that would be pumping and offshore in these conditions.

So what's so wrong with the commercialism and corporatisation of surfing?

In its roots (lets say once us white guys got into it, not way back when it was strictly an Hawaiin pastime), surfing was an adventure, sharing some fun with mates, getting some nice waves, blowing off some steam and generally enjoying yourself.

The waves weren't crowded, you mostly surfed the local and the only fights that broke out were against the cops or the clubbies.

How has this changed?

- Commercialism has taken away this innocence.

The surfing image has been taken up, branded with a logo and mass marketed to the world. If you were a surfer back in the old days, then perhaps you miss this innocence.

But can the blame be put totally on the companies and their marketing machines. All they have done is taken a perception that existed in people's minds and run with it. The work was already half done before they even got going.

Given time the sport of surfing would have grown all by itself. Surf industry companies have definitely accelerated the process through marketing and expansion into new markets and territories.

- Surfing has lost its soul.

What that soul may have been, one can only theorise. For me its the feeling of being part of nature, harnessing the power of the ocean for my enjoyment.

For others it might be something else. It still exists in many of us, but when watching a hotly contested heat or seeing 5 semi pros out flashing skateboard moves for the camera after jumping off the back of a jet ski, the soul seems to be missing.

- Everything is about the Brand.

As long as the products keep selling, the pros are going to spend the rest of their lives walking around covered in labels. Generally they will be forbidden from wearing more than the 1 label of their major sponsor, as they make every piece of clothing that can be thought of and stick a label on it.

- lack of responsibility

theres a bunch of guys and some girls who never have to work anymore. This isn't just surfing, its any highly paid professional sport. Exemplified at this stage in Australia by Rugby League players. The antics of these guys regularly make the headlines so keep a look out in your daily newspaper.

They aren't learning the real value of the money earnt. everything comes way too easily. With an entourage of yes men around them, they lose respect for others. This is best demonstrated by dropping in on just about anyone who they do not know in a line up.

- Environmental degradation

Most products used in surfing are plastics and chemical based. Starting from the bottom

the board you are riding, consists of fibreglass, resin, or epoxy,

your boardshorts are nylon (synthetic polymers)

your rashvest is lycra (polyurethane-polyurea copolymer)

your wetsuit is neoprene (most likely petroleum based)

If you want to know the actual chemistry then look it up on the web.

Then there's all the fossil fuels burnt driving or flying around looking for the best waves. I have driven over 300km's this past week, just to find the best surf. One day I didn't even go out. How many others are doing this each week? There's a PHD for someoone.

- dissillusionment

It doesn't take long for it to happen, the realisation is pretty quick on a paddle out into a crowded line up, that the old image of carefree times in the waves is almost a thing of the past. You really need to get off the beaten track by yourself or with only a few friends to experience that.

- every one wants to be the next world champ.

not strictly true, but there are enough people in the water hogging waves to make it a lot less enjoyable for others.

- crowds and all their associated problems

eg agro, accidents, injuries, no parking, missing good waves, break down of order and just the sheer number of people.

Doubtless other people will be able to think of more issues associated with the commercialism, but for me these are what I see as being the most prevalent.

Of course its not all bad. Next blog will be on the positive aspects of commercial involvement in surfing.

Surfing. Lifestyle Choice or Commercial Venture? Intro

Report - 0.5 ft. Northerly winds.

Its really small on the peninsular for the last few days. However the place to be is along the East Coast, with solid 4 - 5 ft waves coming off a good NE groundswell. I spent 4 hours in the water at Boneyards yesterday, with plenty of barrels to go around. No photos as its so far out to sea you need a super zoom lens, which I don't have.

You probably won't see it being debated in surf magazines, certainly not the big selling ones, but there is a lot of discussion on the forums on commercialism in surfing. Is this a good or a bad thing?

You only need to visit any city beach on a weekend to see how popular the sport of surfing has become. Compare what you see to a photo of the same location 25 - 30 years ago and its obvious that the growth has been exponential.

With such a large customer base, any company already in the industry, with good management can only do well. Add to to this the customers that surf part time or wear the gear because they think it looks good, sell it all around the world and you have a multi million dollar industry.

So its in the companies interest to get out and promote their products, as any business has to do to survive. Part of this promotion is pushing the image of surfing as cool, hardcore, fun or even rebellious. Although it is such a mainstream sport now that you would be hard pressed to argue the rebelliousness of it. With all the promotion you attract new surfers and new customers and an expanding revenue base.

So what is it doing to the sport?

Many years ago, certainly before my time, surfing was considered to be more of a past time or lifestyle than a sport. As history shows that as soon as more than 1 person does an activity its human nature that they will compete to find who is best.

Its also human nature to try and make money. Where there is a market, someone will step in and exploit that market.

By its very nature, the image of surfing is very appealing. To spend your weekend, or for the lucky ones amongst us, your week in the water and riding waves is the ultimate lifestyle. There aren't many sports are there where you come out feeling clean and refreshed instead of tired and dirty. Even in the days before mass marketing, the sport was growing in popularity all by itself.

With all these factors, its easy to put together a competition. To attract competitors you need prizes To pay for the prize you need sponsors. The sponsors get advertising, the competitors get paid, the sport is promoted. More people start surfing and it grows.

Such a market has produced definite commercialism and hyping of the supposed surfing lifestyle. Along with this, the top level of surfing become very professional. Its no longer good enough just to be talented. At the elite level strict training and dedication is required to win. With millions of dollars at stake, its worth it. Every grommet taking up surfing dreams of making it to this level.

At the same time those that have participated in the sport for many years moan the demise of what was once a chance to relax and have some fun.

The next article will examine the detrimental effects of all this but there is one undeniable fact, in the year 2010, if you are surfing at almost any well known destination around the world, you are going to experience crowds.

Goin Off at The Wedge

Report - 4 - 5 ft. early light northerly breezes, turning strong NE. Low tide 9.00 am. No photos, unfortunately this morning this surfer forgot his camera, didnt even remember the mobile phone to take at least a grainy photo with.

For the lucky few hundred that were able to organise time off this morning the swell reached that height where its too big for most beachies, too small for the points, but absolutely spot on for The Wedge. There were plenty of barrels early on before the wind hit.

The Wedge is a strange set up. It sits on an open beach, yet in the lee of an island. When swells get big enough they wrap around either side of the island before joining up again and forming (here comes an overused surf term) a series of A frame peaks along the beach in the protected side of the island. Hence the name Wedge.

If the island were of a different shape eg circular, this probably wouldn't work so well. However it is elongated, with the pointy end featuring tall cliffs facing the open sea, then forming an almost triangle and gently sloping towards the mainland with the 3rd side of the triangle, facing directly towards the best surf peaks. The tall cliffs tend to break up the swell quite evenly and channel it along either side of the island, before it comes around and meets up again, just offshore of the sand.

Largely because its protected from the worst of the swells by the island, the beach at this point, rather than being the normal concave shape (towards the ocean), actually turns the other way, which also helps left handers peel for a lot longer along the beach after they have rounded the island. While right handers tend to form a large, hollow and very fast barrel. It really is the perfect set up for days like today, with the early offshore breeze.

Of course being the only wave that breaks under these conditions it gets pretty crowded. Fortunately there are a number of banks formed, and the crowd can spread out along the beach, with different sized waves for everyone.

Like the name suggests, at the best of the Aframes you need to be quick to your feet, as the wave Wedges up very quickly and you will get left behind wondering might have been and floundering around in the whitewash.

Hope some others managed to enjoy it this morning as well.

Easter Bliss

Report - 2 -3 ft waves, light offshore breeze. Low tide 7.30am



With the rising tide and continuing light offshore wind this morning the later you left it the better the waves.
I surfed from about 9.30 to 11.30 and as the tide came in the waves certainly held up better, with a few gems like the one pictured if you were prepared to wait for them.

Its Easter Sunday and the crowds are out in force on this warm, calm sunny holiday. They aren't just in the surf, there are yachts, swimmers, fishermen, jet skiers and walkers all out from town and enjoying the peninsular today.

After the last few days when winter has been warning of its approach its nice to have a relapse back into summer. Should make up for day light saving ending as well.
The summer just gone, would have to be one of the warmest and calmest that I have experienced down here. Of course its no good for the rainwater tank, but who cares when the days are so nice.

Enjoy Easter.