Welcome to the 2018 surf season, it’s started just like the 2017 one finished with a small wind swell barely breaking on our Cronulla beaches.
There has been no real waves to speak of with a small southerly wind pulse on new years eve the only interruption to this sad summer pattern.
The Swellnet swell prediction doesn't fill us with promise saying “Still nothing amazing expected this week. We’re looking at small, flukey swell sources from distant or poorly aligned weather systems. This will maintain low surf heights for some time.”
This mornings southerly hasn't done much to help our cause with the swell still East although there are a few little waves breaking if you look hard enough-I took todays pics at Nth Cronulla where there is a little left bank.
There is some potential for the start of next week so all we can do is keep looking.
Its a bit different in the northern Hemisphere where the official competition window of the Mavericks Challenge will run from January 3, 2018 through February 28, 2018.
“Mavericks is the crown jewel of Big Wave surfing and the tour,” said 2016 winner Nic Lamb. “It’s the only California big wave venue on the tour and perhaps the most feared. I'm excited at the direction we're headed. It was only a matter of time for the women. I couldn't be more excited to watch those heats and I'll definitely be front row glued to the action.”
The Mavericks Challenge will form part of the 2017/18 BWT Northern Hemisphere Season. The men’s division will consist of a 24-man field, comprised of the Top 10 finishers of the 2016/2017 BWT season, 6 event wildcards, 3 BWT wildcards, 1 injury wildcard, and the Top 4 Surfline Overall Performance of the Year Award recipients. The 6 event wildcards for the Mavericks Challenge will be selected by a committee made up of Mavericks legends and experts.
The world's best female big wave surfers will also have the opportunity to compete at Mavericks this upcoming season for the first time ever. The WSL Commissioner's Office has worked with a local committee made up of Mavericks surfing icons to select six of the best female big wave surfers.
In more local news ,young promising surfers from Sydney’s eastern and southern suburbs will benefit from seeing some of the world’s best surfers when the 2018 Carve Pro hits Maroubra in January.
The elite four-day competition – which will form the first of four stops on the Vissla NSW Pro Surf Series – will take place at Maroubra Beach from 18 – 21 January, 2018.
“The Carve Pro has grown exponentially since it went from a Pro Junior to a Qualifying Series event in 2016,” said Cronulla’s Carve Director Matt Whyte. “Since then, we’ve seen competitors who were junior stars grow into genuine QS warriors and we can’t wait to see who emerges through the ranks when the event kicks off in early 2018.”
200 of Australia’s and the world’s most promising male and female surfers will compete in the event.
Apart from that event the World Pro Junior starts this week at Kiama from January 4 – 13 to crown the Men’s and Women’s World Champions for 2017-if your bored and the swell picks up ,it's probably worth a drive to watch young surfers do stuff you never will!