Waves like this aren’t for everyone, but everyone who likes waves like this LOVES Shipstern Bluff. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
When one spends most of their days chasing giant swells around the world as Tim Bonython does, one is bound to get skunked every now and then. In recent weeks, Bonython hasn’t had the best luck, but when he saw a big blob on the forecast heading towards Shipstern Bluff, a place he knows and loves, he figured it was likely to produce the kinds of waves he looks for.
“After a string of disappointing swell chases, this one finally came together,” he explained. “Nothing huge, but with clean offshore winds, plenty of waves, and crystal-clear winter light, it was more than worth the trip. For the second time in a row I rolled the dice on a Shipsterns forecast, and this time it paid off. On paper it looked promising, although the swell was downgraded a little each day leading into Friday. Apparently the day before was even bigger, but my plans were locked in.”
Days like this one require an early start, so Bonython set his alarm for 5 a.m. in order to meet Simon “Willie” Nelson, the guy who captained the boat Bonython hitched a ride with, at the boat ramp.
“Arriving early in the lineup was the best decision of the day,” Bonython continued. “The sunrise was absolutely breathtaking, lighting up the towering cliffs of Shipstern Bluff like something you’d see in Fiji. My camera was rolling from the second we arrived, capturing every moment.”
As the sun rose in the sky, the swell began to really produce. The lineup was full of surfers who saw the same forecast Bonython did. Tasmanian water isn’t warm in July — around 51°F — but Lennox Head surfer Jai Glindeman, Hawaiian charger Eli Olson (on his first trip to Shippies), and a few locals like Tyler Hollmer-Cross, James McKean, and bodyboarder Sam Thomas were more than willing to brave the icy waters in hopes of scoring a big old slab. But when you’re up close with Shipstern Bluff, things can go wrong quickly.
“One moment nearly became unforgettable for all the wrong reasons,” Bonython remembered. “I asked Simon to edge the boat closer to the bowl for a better angle when a solid 12–15 foot set suddenly appeared from the south, heading straight for us. Simon threw the Shark Cat into overdrive, just managing to outrun the breaking wave. The impact launched everyone into the air before we crashed back down landing on the floor in the middle of the boat in a tangled heap. For a few seconds we all lay there on the deck, checking that everyone was okay… before bursting into relieved laughter.”
After that early scare, the day could only get better. And better it got.
“It was one of those rare bluebird winter sessions at one of the most spectacular and majestic waves on the planet,” Bonython said. “Every barrel, every wipeout and every highlight was captured — except, of course, our own ‘wave of the day’ during the boat escape.”
