BurbleChaz

All week the surf forecast has been promising a weekend extravaganza. A storm in the Tasman was kicking the swell up all week. Today dawned grey, cold (maybe below 20 degrees), windy and horrible. 'Sod it', we said, and hopped on the ferry anyway. As we rolled across Sydney Heads we saw a 40-footer going to sea under storm jib and trysail. Dudes, you're doing it wrong. You come in under that rig, then tell lies at the bar. If you can't hoist the main, you don't go to sea. But maybe I'm a wuss. On the beach The Intrepid Photographer, clad in seven layers and a waterproof, chortled a little as I stripped down to my skivvies on the beach. The wind was over force six, and the raindrops were leaving a rash on bare skin. Wetsuit on, and a glance at the waves.

The stiff breeze is straight offshore. The sets are rolling in, sitting up cleanly to around five feet and dumping on the beach. At the break there is a surfer every five metres from Manly to Narrabeen. The rain is getting nasty. I have the easy job - into the water and out to the break. Other People choose to stand on the beach with a long lens.

The waves are uniform, clean and big, but getting out to the break is remarkably easy. The trick is to judge which ones will break before they get to you, and which ones you can float over. Diving under a breaker is exciting, violent and quick. Trying to float over a breaker is terrifying, violent and less quick. If in doubt, I dive.

Anyway, piccies: I think these three were from the same wave. I did catch a bigger one (honest), but it was so fast that autofocus couldn't keep up. Hah.

Never surf anything bigger than your own head

Plummeting no longer optional

This is unlikely to end well.

There's some video here. Feel free to point and laugh. I'm knackered now. Not going tomorrow, even if the surf is bigger. Sore shoulders. Bad weather. Not going.