After an autumn that had pretty consistent fun waves at home on the Sunshine Coast, I held high expectations for a good winter. After waiting around for too long at home holding out for even a single good day, the idea got tossed around that a South Coast trip could well be in order. Although it hadn’t really been a stand out winter so far down there either, the thought of the cold water, consistent waves and two weeks away from the monotony had me raring to go.
After pinning the drive down, we arrived to not a whole lot on the wave front, which felt pretty dissatisfying after the long haul down. This feeling was short lived however, lasting barely 24 hours, as before I knew it I was submerged in the cold, blue waters of the South Coast, camera in hand. It felt quite surreal to be sitting out in the lineup looking at waves that I’d been watching on surf movies for years, and humbling to really feel the power of the waves down there. You can watch a clip of a wave a thousand times, but nothing compares to sitting there, staring into the abyss, and feeling it through every sense, not just visually.
Even on the smaller days, the raw and rugged coastlines that border the South Coast provided endless exploration opportunity. Slabs, snow, skating, it felt like there was constantly something to do. I guess that’s the beauty of trips away, right? You see everything through rose-tinted spectacles.
