Surprises were in store for today's surfers as the windblown 3ft sou-east swell that was bringing in all the bluebottles cleaned up overnight and gave us some half-decent corners.
The banks are still bad though,and you have to find what you can, with the middle of the beach giving the best options-that's why they call it Midway! Once you avoid the frontal dune cliffs and climb over the dangling fence posts the world is your oyster. It's a pity some oysters are bad!
Swellnet's forecast isn't too good either, with today being the biggest for the week before a NorEast pattern develops, giving us some cranky 2 footer's to think about.
I took today's pics pretty early at Midway and I am writing this in McDonalds at Caringbah between earth shattering photographic jobs ,so my life is going great thanks, for asking. That's why this report isn't Pulitzer Prize-winning. All the usual suspects were out there and there were some pretty good waves between the closeouts if you were patient.
Hopefully these new weather patterns will build our banks or it could be a long Summer. Don't forget all you old surfers, the Tradies Surf Masters is on the Ist weekend in November so get your entries in.
In good news,Mick Fanning has won the 2014 Moche Rip Curl Pro Portugal, defeating Jordy Smith (ZAF) in clean 3-to-5-foot barrels at the iconic Supertubos in Peniche. Its Fanning’s third event victory this season, after wins at Bells Beach and Jeffreys Bay and moves him up to World No. 2 on the Samsung Galaxy ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) rankings.
Following the event in Portugal, only reigning three-time ASP World Champion Fanning, 11-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) and current World No. 1 Gabriel Medina (BRA) remain in contention for the World Title heading into the final event of the season in Hawaii.
Fanning looked in form throughout the contest, winning all but his Round 1 heat. The Australian surfed five separate heats on the final day, dispatching Alejo Muniz (BRA), Filipe Toledo (BRA) and Kai Otton (AUS), en route to the Final, where he faced Jordy Smith (ZAF). Fanning overtakes Kelly Slater (USA) on the WCT Rankings, claiming the second spot going into the last event of the season, the Billabong Pipeline Masters from December 8 - 20, 2014-bring it on!
Meanwhile at Bombo beach, Kiama, conditions decreased as the Wahu Surfer Groms Comp series crowned seven new champions in tricky one foot waves.The third event of the ten-event series saw 100-plus surfers compete (under-14 years of age) as they battled it out for bragging rights and a truckload of Wahu prizes.
After throwing down some of the most critical turns of the entire event, Jackson Roberts (Bateau Bay) reigned supreme in the Under-14 Boys final, toppling fellow event standouts Cronulla's own Jay Brown , Keanu Miller (Bulli) and Beau Buckpitt (Culburra) who finished in second, third and fourth respectively. The Central Coast natural footer managed to find several diamonds in the rough to get the upper hand in the blue-ribbon battle and notch up a heat total of 10.67 (out of a possible twenty points). EVENT 6 is at - Cronulla, NSW - December 20-21, 2014.
From one extreme to another, the world’s best big wave surfers are back on call as the ASP commences the second half of the 2014/2015 Big Wave World Tour (BWWT) season. With a window running from October 15, 2014 to February 28, 2015, the second half of the ASP BWWT season focuses on the Northern Hemisphere swell cycle with the potential of running three world-class events at some of the most dangerous locations on the planet.
“We’re excited to get the Northern Hemisphere season under way,” said ASP Big Wave Commissioner, Peter Mel. “We’ve seen a unique weather pattern over the summer, which bodes well for an active upcoming season. All the signs are there so we’re very hopeful.”
The Todos Santos Challenge in Mexico, the Punta Galea Challenge in the Basque Country, Spain and the Pe’ahi Challenge in Maui, Hawaii comprise the Northern Hemisphere half of the 2014/2015 BWWT season.
From October 24 to November 1, Peru will become the gathering place of the world's best surfers, who will compete in the historic 2014 ISA 50th Anniversary World Surfing Games (WSG). The competition will be held at one of the most popular and consistent point breaks of the Peruvian coast.
The ISA 50th Anniversary WSG begins in less than ten days. Over 25 countries from all corners of the planet and more than 150 men and women surfers will soon arrive to the beautiful country of Peru, its welcoming people, great food, and incredible waves.
After that event the International Surfing Association is proud to announce the ISA's third annual Hainan Wanning Riyue Bay International Surfing Festival, in Wanning, Hainan Island, China this coming November 23 - 28. The week long festival, features two surfing events: the ISA China Cup, a National Team competition, and the Hainan Classic, a Men's 4-star ASP Qualifying Series event. It's also the first time China will compete with its own team in the ISA China Cup and in ISA history.
From November 23 - 24, the invitation-only ISA China Cup features the top seven surfing nations in the world based on the National Team results from the 2013 REEF ISA World Surfing Games held in May, 2013, in Santa Catalina, Panama, plus the addition of the national Chinese team.
The eight invited National Teams include: South Africa, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Panama, Costa Rica, Argentina, and for the first time ever, China. Each national team will include their country's best four men and two women shortboarders, who will compete for Team and Individual Gold Medals and the honour of representing their nations.
Hopefully we can win something!