Weather on the web, has predicted rain for the rest of year, so when it dawned sunny with a hint of north swell, Josh and I headed for the Bra.
Bondi was 1ft max, and I knew a new east swell was predicted, but we got a shock when I got South Maroubra and it was bombing. Solid 6ft
with bigger sets, getting bigger all the time.
It took me a long time to understand swell direction here in Sydney, it's more important than the wind tide or even swell size.
Josh and I split up, I chose to walk to the far North End of Maroubra, where it was only 4-5ft, whilst Josh decided to take of the bomb sets of the South end.
I actually had a fun surf at the North End, lots of close-outs, the lack of south swells, meant there hasn't been all the normal sand build-up in the northern ends,
which is partly why, the Northern beaches are closing out a lot too, but still some diamonds in the dirt, at the Bra.
At one stage, I was the deepest guy North, but as the swell kept pushing, everyone else got on my act, within an hour there was a bustling pack of 50 surfers,
contesting for the lefts which come wrapping from the north, into the North end of Maroubra.
I rode my 5'9" thruster, and I love this board for hitting the lip.
Josh was less lucky, after catching a few bombs, and getting caught inside on a few, he tried a risky under-the-lip turn. His board flipped and he sliced his foot.
He is currently in the Prince of Wales, lots like at least 10-15 stitches on the ball of his foot. Out the water until at least Xmas.
This is JB's first injury for 5 years. Back in Mona Vale, he used to known as Captain Casuality.
When I received 47 stitches in my face from my board, Josh came along to take a photo for gash of the month in Tracks.
The nurses at Mona Vale Hostipal knew him on a first name basis. He had torn his cartledge in both his knees, twisted his ankles and finally when he received 5 stitches in his hand,
the doctors were shocked to find, that he had gandular fever as well.
Only Glen "Man-van-staal" Drysdale has had more stitches than me, but I can still claim more suture-work than JB, I think.
My stitches total is:
1. Burst Apendix removed...20 stitches
2. Adhesion of scar tissue from Apendix removed (went surfing too soon after previous accident) ...... 20 stitches
3. Car Accident, Pie driving, Jack navigating (both blind drunk) 21 and 11 stitches on both sides of my head
4. Fin cut Kalk Bay reef.....5 stitches, underneath my foot, went rotten (surfed too soon) re-stitched another 10 stitches.
5. Fin cut hand Derde Steen ...2 stitches
6. Board in face Mona Vale.....47 stitches and plastic surgery
7. Fleshy lump removed from back...... 20 stitches
8. Fleshy lump Medical Centre doctors stuff up and the wound bled internally, so re-stitched another 30 stiches.
9. Nose of Surfboard in achilles tendon, (almost severed my tendon) ....9 stitches
198 stitches....beat that anyone???
Once I got back to Bondi, it had picked up to 4-5ft in the South End.
Wife was happy as larry with her beach-chair sitting in the North End, across the road from our apartment, so I joined her and had two more sessions,
in boardies (I wore a steamer at the Bra, the water is still only 19 degrees) on my 5'4" quad foamy.
Now that Summer is here, they don't let any fibreglass boards surf between the flags.
laters
AK