***Official 2022 Community Surf Journal***

[Oceanslide]

Beautiful, albeit chilly weather and clean, soft waves. Great for a log…would’ve sucked on anything else.
Maiden sesh on a 9’8” Bing Beacon. Very fun,
Great wave catching, glide/trim, super stable, couple extended 5’s. I’ll take it! Here’s to 2022!

 

[Tarab_ish]

Great weekend, great start to the year.

Surfed the beach out front Sat and today afternoons to dark. My last surf of 2021 I felt out of shape and bummed, but I was feeling good and for whatever reason felt the wave catching mojo was with me both days.

Surfed my "silver bullet 2" thing by Vernor that I picked up well-used. It looks like the standard step-down that ...Lost et. al. make a million of, though the tail on this thing is even wider than on those. I had previously surfed it in dumpy summer windswell and kinda hated it -- it felt thin but too wide, just awkward all around. But on a clean but mushy open face it started skating. My first time connecting with it, I think it'll go well in sizable but slow pointbreak.

 

[Retropete]

Scored some bombs at my local point with cyclone Seth at its peak this morning. Crowd were thick on the main point (90 or so) but sitting wide on the next part bordering the beachbreak was actually pulling in the biggest waves and I was pretty much taking my pick of the set waves as there were only half a dozen anywhere near me and they were all sitting inside and didn't want any part of the bigger ones. Stocked as no need to hassle or dodge anyone. Riding my Paulownia/cork 7' twin keel Hughies fish which felt great.
Happily I didn't surf Noosa. It's become a ridiculous sh!t show whenever there's a decent swell. Here's a clip of the madness.

 

[potato-nator]

 

[Mr Doof]

January 1, 2022 - Paddled out into junk. Should have gone somewhere else or waited, but wanted to do morning waffles with Sweetie-pie and then go on long traditional 1st day of the year beach walk no matter the weather. Weather was great for our walk at noon, and tide change confirmed earlier thoughts.

January 2, 2022 - Timed tide better. Chest high with many smaller and fewer larger. Modest longshore drift. Took the short wide board and found I hadn't lost my feel for the board despite me riding nothing less than 6"8's since November. Two super rides stand out:

a. Crowded knot disperses a little when a slightly larger set moves in with most paddling out and south. I paddle north on a hopeful half-calculated whim and manage to pick off a slightly smaller wave that had shift over, but once it hit the inside, was a super speedy left where it was all about moving that rear foot more to the rail/backside fins (to two of the 4 fins) and crouching hi-line under the lip. When I kicked out, saw a bigger wave spilling on the outside and thought I should have waited, and then saw someone spin and go only to get dropped on by another. Smaller wave for the win!

b. Towards the end, when I am tired of fighting the rip, increasing current, and fresh shoulders, took off on a bigger right that was all drop and weak looking slope, and for a second, thought it could reform on the inside, but since I had started drifting, didn't know it would reform, so early kick out, and then sprint paddle to the second wave of the set which had moved over a little. Spin and go right, and late-ish drop is saved by my Spiderman reflexes ( ok, really it was the offshore wind holding the wave up and the fickle nature of the beachbreak). Bottom turn to hard carve off the top and nearly stall it because I nearly used up all my reflexes on recovering from the drop, then redirect and pump before the lips hits, and almost a mirror of the same ride as listed above.

Bonus: Last wave shuts down quick, so belly it in, threading needle between fishing lines. Small kid next to dad (?) ask, "Did you see any crabs out there?" I tell him no and ask dad how the crab season has been for him. He frowns and shakes his head. Kid brightens and goes "We bought crabs from the store last time." Dad scowls. My inside face goes

PS

Link to 2021 reports.

 

[flyinraptr]

First session of 2022 this afternoon. Water temp 80deg, air temp 85deg, wind - strong 20-25 mph offshore/side shore. Waves - waist to head high. Got the first barrel of the year going backside - late drop on a left. A couple of fun rights ... wind made it difficult but every so often it would stop and conditions would clean up. For the first 2 hours only myself and a friend in the lineup ... couple of other people eventually paddled out to join us. Considering we're in the middle of our off-season - i can't complain one bit.

 

[Oceanslide]

Scored some bombs at my local point with cyclone Seth at its peak this morning. Crowd were thick on the main point (90 or so) but sitting wide on the next part bordering the beachbreak was actually pulling in the biggest waves and I was pretty much taking my pick of the set waves as there were only half a dozen anywhere near me and they were all sitting inside and didn't want any part of the bigger ones. Stocked as no need to hassle or dodge anyone. Riding my Paulownia/cork 7' twin keel Hughies fish which felt great.
Happily I didn't surf Noosa. It's become a ridiculous sh!t show whenever there's a decent swell. Here's a clip of the madness.

So...Noosa=Swami's on a hyped swell (not to Swami's for more drop-ins)?

 

[000]

tried to surf today, low tide, tiny slice of reef, glassy, nobody out
sat 40 minutes and nothing broke
went to a shallower peak, and then someone paddled out to me
got 3 dribblers and went home

 

[Retropete]

So...Noosa=Swami's on a hyped swell (not to Swami's for more drop-ins)?

Sounds like it. The trouble with when its too big for the other 2 points there everyone gets packed into the Nationals-First point stretch. Then stack on top the long weekend for New years and it was off the charts people.
Meanwhile at Kirra...

How's old mate on the first wave riding the Gary Mcneill middy...@Goodfish this could be you. Soooo pitted!

 

[Tarab_ish]

^ I was watching the kirra cam for a while when the swell was big and it looked kinda wild n' wooly, but pretty good and relatively uncrowded at least for there. I just don't get how people tolerate the jetski stepoffs. It wasn't that big, and they were whipping people in right in front of the pack over and over. The nice thing about good pointbreaks is that they sometimes get big enough to keep the whole crowd moving so that the lineup opens up, and it seems like that just couldn't happen there. I imagine if I lived there and couldn't afford a jetski I'd feel a lot of license to drop in, and then not play chicken about whether you're actually dropping in.

 

[b.r.]

I can’t remember if Daily Dale said the first surf of the year or the first surf on your birthday sets the tone for your year of waves. Hope it’s birthday because I jacked up my 9 4 epoxy on my last wave yesterday. High tide beach break connecting the outside soft peaks to the inside shorepound. Last wave I pulled out too late and the board slammed onto the sand. Bummer, going camping for a few days but looks like a bump up in the surf so hopefully I won’t need the LB anyways.

 

[Oceanslide]

Paddled out in the freezing ass cold dark on the log and…wished I hadn’t. Small and Uber weak, but even worse it was super inconsistent. By myself as far as I could see for the first half, then a couple beginners paddled out. Peeps with more sense than I prob shined it, wisely.
Skiing tmrw, so guaranteed some fun ones!

 

[Mr J]

Now completed my trip to the gulf of Thailand. The surf hire man is about 1.5 km up the beach from our hotel and came on his motorbike to collect the body board that my wife hired - great service.

The surf held with a couple more mornings of workable waist to chest high clean peaks and smaller sloppy arvo conditions. Which allowed me a total of 5 surfs in 3 days after a day of rest at the end of the trip. Back in Bangkok now and Feeling the effects of the exertion today, but no major muscle soreness. Normally that would be too much for me, but afternoon sessions were generally relaxed where I would go out and catch a few waves then go out for a few body surfs while my wife body boards. Then repeat a couple more times. When I say body surf/body board I mean stand in waist deep water and jump towards the beach when a wave comes. No flippers, we are not Newport Wedge style hell-riders. The air and water temp makes it very easy, no need for wetsuits and putting our bags and towel next to the hotel security guard on the beach is very convenient.

One of the mornings offered me a ride where the shoulder and lip was so nicely formed that I got several superman off the tops in quick succession. That sort of ride is rare for me even back in Oz. Only other person in the water during the sunrise sessions was the Japanese Thai resident, he lives in Bangkok normally. Sunrise is good to watch and on the horizon due to the beach facing East, the sun rises very rapidly.

This was the smallest it got in the last 2 days. Its another first wave from an arvo session. I went thru a few frames of this after I got over the hump and despite the meagre ride I am satisfied that I did get a crouching tiger position where my right arm reaches forward then claws backwards palm down. My left arm moves up into superman but the top of the wave completely disappears so no off the lip.

 

[CutnSnip]

A little juice this morning in SLA finally. Chest to head high, pretty walled but some fun tweeners. Took out the 6'8 spegg for the first time in ages and the first time in head high waves. its like cheating, especially as it was crowded before the sun even broke..not great for duckdiving the bombs tho.. bunch of fun ones. no real highlights jut cruising it taking high line swoops and going for speed. 2nd session in boots felt way better than the first.

 

[silentbutdeadly]

Lot's of swell in the water but it wasn't nearly as good as expected. Still got a handful of fun ones. Focused on turning my head ald leading with my shoulder on backside turns. Forgot how much that helps.

Rode the GX but could have easily been on the gentlemen's stap.

 

[Muscles]

Surf was good this morning.

Get to the beach and pull out my new stick that I surfed once and realize I'm missing a side fin. I must have lost it on its first outing and not noticed when I walked back to my car. It is an FCS2 fin and had a grub screw in the rear and somehow the fin still came out. I don't get it. Thankfully it was a cheap set that the shaper gave me with the board.

Had to be at work so I decided that I would go for it without a fin. Took only rights since going left wouldn't work. Got smashed a few times since it is surprisingly difficult to control a board with only 2 of the 3 fins. lol.

 

[r32]

Absolutely perfect this morning. Smallish about 4-5' and slight offshore winds, and just beautiful conditions, blue sky. Shallower reefs working. Loving life today.

 

[bigglesworth]

View attachment 121783
I can’t remember if Daily Dale said the first surf of the year or the first surf on your birthday sets the tone for your year of waves.

Was really hoping this wasn't the case because my New Year's day surf wasn't that great.

Turns out it isn't, had a super fun midday session. Fun head high rights and lefts with bigger sets on the 6'2" GX. Got going super fast on a couple! Towards the end the tide started to fill in and and I certainly had the energy to keep going but called it. Enough's as good as a feast.

Oh, bumped into Al Perlee (owner of the Surf Shop up in Westport and father of Dane, the twinzer shaper) in the lot beforehand. He was on his way down to Newport and stopped for nostalgia's sake as he used to camp here back in the day. Really kind and wise man. Closest thing to surf royalty around here!

 

[b.r.]

Good times in the hood.

 

[Senor Sopa]

South end of town, y'all know the spot. There were "some" waves, Yay. Didn't even bother paddling out all December, too chitty for moi. Yay, mebbe HH on the sets. Lulz, betta then nothing.

Pulled up, kinda sloppy, and undewhelming. This was peak high tide, watched for a bit, lots of guys coming in, mostly fish shapes. Check one cruster paddle out, watched another cruster ride from farthest out all the way to the shore. That was my cue to put the new wettie on. Flapped with Bassy for 10 minutes, then paddled out dry hair. The ones I caught were fine enough, just too lully. Very 1st wave, some rando was just about to give up cuz he knew this cruster was gonna crush him and leave him in the foam. But no, I yielded with "go go go". Later on, he says thanks, I owe you one. I laughed and said no need, I will take one. He laughed. Ultimately, he paid me back with a spray job on a cutback. Late morning sesh for today's yesterdays fun

Funny chit: Pull into parking lot, see current world longboar champ suiting up. Sigh, oh well, he goes left, all good. Whilst gazing at the waves, I see a kid 7/8 sitting on a bench, all suited up. Looking cold and unstocked. Sure enough, it's champs little one. Dad points at the ankle, time to leash up the 1978 Schroff pre-twin single-fin. The kid did not look happy at all about any of the situation. Champ decides he's going to paddle across the estuary mouth. Bad move. Kid is too small to paddle, so kid holds on to tail of board while dad paddles. Every done this? It aint easy. Anyways, after enduring 15 minutes of waist high foams, they make it to the channel. Once I finally get all the way out, kid is nowhere to be seen, Champ catches one, goes in, crowd is saying the kid was crying the whole time. LOL it's good to see the champ struggle to surf and as a parent. I hope champ learned something. I felt bad for junior though.