BurbleChaz

To live in Sydney without surfing would be like living in Paris without eating out. You'd avoid a lot of expense, pain, and embarrassment. No. Sorry. I mean, it would be a tragic waste of a world-class opportunity.

So, to Ocean Surf Beach at Manly (again), and the hiring of a boogie board. Ten bucks an hour. Fun was had. Forty minutes was quite enough. Off to buy such a toy for ourselves. Unfortunately, as related here, polystyrene costs about $1000 a kilo here. So, off to the mighty Gumtree. A slightly-used board was going for $20. In Manly. Where the beach is. Where we were going. About now. So, off we went, mobiles in hand, deals being struck. The seller was waiting for us on the wharf. Apparently, she had bought it in Hawaii, expecting to use it when the wind was light, and she couldn't go kitesurfing. Since no wind==no surf, the board was not serving its purpose for her. Lucky us.

So, to the beach, where we learned some important things. At high water, the beach is steep. The surf sneaks up as oily rollers, occasionally creaming a little, and then dumps megawatts in the last 20 metres. Ideal for bodyboarding :-) In 40 minutes, I got sunburn on my back, boardrash on my belly and a huge grin.

If I wait long enough, the surf will come...

We're going back tomorrow.