The Australian coastline is over 16,000 miles long and with plenty of options for surf along a good portion of it, we took to the road again. A road trip is always a gamble, but usually the rewards can be far greater than the risks involve. After a few weeks of the Gold Coast ‘s crowded right points, we searched for something completely opposite and within a few days we were on to it. The beach breaks in Australia are up there with the best in the world, and a few of the smoking left-handers we found were holding true to that statement. Content with our current surroundings, we will be posted up for a few more days of dark emerald caves.
Josh Kerr is regarded as one of the best aerialists in the world and its clear when watching him surf that he intends to keep it that way. Kerrzy’s bag of tricks is endless and you can bet he is busy dreaming up fresh and creative ways to take to the air day in and day out. Later this week we will be posting a short and sweet clip displaying how big Josh can go in just one quick session.
“The loss of Kirra Point has been caused by an excessive build-up of sand that has been pumped and dredged into Coolangatta Bay over the past 12 years. In this time there have been relatively low levels of storm activity and the sand has not naturally made its way north at the same speed at which it was placed in the bay.
An increase in the level of sand in the bay by 3–4 metres on average has resulted in a significant widening of the beaches – in some cases by over 150m, the loss of surf quality, an increase in rips which has made swimming more dangerous and the loss of Kirra Reef. The reef, which is located at the northern extent of the temperate marine zone and the southern extent of the tropical marine zone supported a diverse range of marine species.”
kirrapoint.org
Although Kirra looks nothing like its former self, it can still produce fun waves with a barrel or two on offer. With the swell up a bit Asher and Kerrzy gave good old Kirra a go and found some clean long lines and a very light crowd. After all the rain from the previous storm the water was far from the usual topaz blue making Kirra look a lot like California or anywhere else but the gold Coast for that matter.
This is some of the art that we designed for Asher Pacey’s board during the filming of the movie. Click one of the links below to download this desktop wallpaper. enjoy-
We are busy editing the next few posts about the storm that hit during our stay on the gold coast, so here is some eye candy to feast on for the time being. COLORS ON THE CRAFT is a short film featuring time lapse photography of art coming to life on Asher’s board. Stay tuned for footage and photos of the storm that rocked the Gold Coast and Northern NSW last May, proving to be one of the biggest storms of the decade flooding much of Northern NSW and carrying meters of beach out to sea and up the coast. We will also be sharing video of our adventure miles out to sea in search of perfect empty barrels in very sharky waters.
Sand is of the up most importance to the many world class points on the Gold Coast and during the summer and fall months the sand bars can take quite a beating and change drastically. We witnessed such a change when one of the biggest storms to hit the region in decades came ashore and demolished the sand bars. We were lucky enough to get a few days before the sand was displaced and the wave know as Snapper Rocks disappeared completely only to turn into a mushy close out for months before the sand would regroup. Although this wasn’t classic Snapper, it was the one of the last days it would resemble anything of its normal shape for the months to come. Asher Pacey, Mick Fanning, Dean Morrison and friends took full advantage of the dark barrels before the storm hit and the sand disappeared.
Waves are created as wind transfers energy to the ocean’s surface. As the wind blows, it pushes the water in front of it. The water gains energy from the wind due to the friction between the wind and water. RPS MetOcean found that the waves around Australia constitute an energy resource of almost 200,000 megawatts, or four times the country’s total currently installed power-generation capacity. We tapped into this energy source with another week of lefts, rights, a frames, crowds, empty line ups and everything in between.
While on the Gold Coast we spent a day at the D’Arcy surfboard factory to check out the process of building a board and to find out how D’Arcy’s shop was named the most environmentally friendly facility in Australia. While there is still a need to develop greener materials used to build a board, D’Arcy shows that we can still take action now to ensure the cleanest outcome for the environment and our future. The factory is outfitted with various extraction fans and other technology to lower the toxic dust and floating fumes emitted in the manufacturing process. The air leaving the building is actually cleaner than the air outside and with just a 3% emission output, the factory is setting high standards for environmental responsibility and awareness.
The crew over at MESURF took some time to interview us recently, check it out for some insight into CIRCULATE and take a look at the rest of the site for tons of great content. Read the interview here.
Here is the first of many WAY OF THE OCEAN desktop wallpapers. We will be offering new imagery weekly. Click one of the links below for the correct size. The file will open in a new window.
The only thing constant is change . . . and as time marches on around us it is easy to loose sight of all the natural beauty that surrounds our everyday lives. Often we forget to sit back, relax and take it all in, creating our own pace.
More than half of the earth’s population lives within 60 miles (100 km) of the ocean. But even those who live far away feel the effects the ocean has on our weather. The ocean has the ability to absorb, store, and release heat into the atmosphere and by doing so directly affects the land. Changes in water temperature cause major climate events such as El Nino, those temperature changes have a huge impact on weather events such as hurricanes, typhoons, floods, and droughts which directly affect the land and the people that live on that land.
We awoke to a fresh cool offshore breeze and a solid 4 foot swell. It was a tell tale sign of the changing of seasons. The cool, dry morning offshores that often accompany winter greet the strong southerly swells and groom the long lines into clean hollow a frames.
We headed back to Coolangatta where Asher lives to meet up with Josh Kerr who had some time off between WCT events. The waves were only small but there was hope on the horizon. We settled for a quick afternoon session and then assessed the situation for the remainder of the week and once again things were looking good in the forecast. stay tuned for video . . .
The gold coast of Australia can be quite a spectacle at times. Modern high rises dwarf the many palm trees and beach goers while surf shop after surf shop line the beach side streets filled with restaurants and shopping malls. One thing is certain, surfing is a major part of daily life on the gold coast and for good reason. The climate is subtropical with 287 days of sunshine annually, an average water temp of 72 degrees and enough world class point breaks and beach breaks to satisfy even the most seasoned traveler.
With a population of 482,566 in 2005, the gold coast is the seventh largest city in Australia and is also the most biologically-diverse city in Australia. Its vegetation ranges from mountain rainforest to coastal wetlands and is home to more than:
* 34 species of amphibians
* 323 birds
* 72 mammals
* 71 reptiles
* 25 species of fish
With so much diversity in such a small stretch of coast we were looking forward to checking out all the gold coast has to offer.
Every now and again a day rolls around where you find yourself in the right place at the right time. In Asher Pacey’s case these days seem to be more often than not and this day was no exception. The swell had swung just the right direction for a few out of the way places to potentially light up. We took the gamble and it payed off in the form of a near perfect right peeling around a rock ledge with multiple tube sections on offer. These are the days everyone lives for, just you and the ocean and the clarity that comes with solitude.
Stunning is the first word that comes to mind when describing the landscape in Australia. From the dense rainforests to the swooping green valleys that lead to wide open sandy beaches and rocky coves, there is plenty to set your sights on. In between surfs we found our eyes drawn to the natural beauty surrounding us and spent a day exploring the coast. First stop was the rainforest which was nothing short of amazing. So clean, crisp and lush you could feel it in every breath. Although rainforest’s only cover 6 % of the earths surface, they are responsible for up to 40% of the earths oxygen supply and more than two thirds of the worlds plant species are found in tropical rainforests. They have been called the “jewel of the earth’ and after spending an afternoon there it is obvious how one could draw that conclusion. After a cool drink from one of the many fresh water streams we headed back down to the beaches to have a look around. There is so much to see and so many places to surf that one could drive themselves mad just thinking of all the possibilities. It was refreshing to see some untouched coastline with no signs of human destruction or intervention. No cigarette butts, coffee cups, cans or plastic just pure ocean and sand. We made it a point to pick up at least one piece of trash everyday from each beach we visited but for once we were left empty handed. Coming from California this was hard to comprehend after so much rain and swell that the sand was still pure and garbage free, the way it should be.
Australia’s waters contain all five of the world’s ocean temperature zones: polar, sub-polar, temperate, subtropical and tropical. Luckily for us, we found ourselves in a subtropical zone with comfortable water and air temps. Generally Australia is a relatively dry continent, however prior to our arrival they had seen months of torrential rains along the East Coast, particularly in Queensland and Northern NSW. Another generalization is crystal clear blue water. This was not the case after so much rain and flooding. Most of the line ups closely resembled a Mexican beach break rather than the pristine swimming pool colors you so often will see. With the rain came very green landscape, tons of mosquitoes and lots of silty run-off, oh yea and a few sneaky sandbars as well.
Day 5 : The waves were pumping for the first four days and Asher had already locked into many dozens of filthy dark caverns of moving water. Just when we were ready for a rest we happened upon a fickle gem of a left point. It takes a lot for the sand to line up correctly but on this day all the stars aligned and with no rivers or inlets for miles in either direction the water color was an impressive emerald green. Knowing that these days are few and far between, Asher spent nearly seven hours in the water and mostly in the tube hiding from the glaring sun.
Australia is a magical place with an abundance of surf, culture and wildlife. Being the largest island on the planet Australia boasts 16,006 miles of coastline to explore. From the tropical coral reefs in the North East to the cold water and lonely beaches of the South West the land down under can satisfy almost anyone.
Upon our arrival we were greeted by one of the country’s finest, Asher Pacey. Asher’s family roots go deep into Australia’s history and being that he is a class act in and out of the water he made for the perfect tour guide to begin exploring this wonderful continent. The swell had been up for weeks and Asher was buzzing having racked up countless minutes of tube time over the last month. We were pleased to hear that the swell train was supposed to continue in the weeks to come and we quickly grew anxious to see what the morning light would bring. Although the first day was supposed to be the smallest it had been in awhile the winds were going to be good and after all, it wasn’t going to be flat. Our first glimpse of the ocean the next morning proved that surf forecasting can sometimes be a flawed science.
The first session was a good introduction to Australian beach breaks and the heavy peaks they provide. This was just the beginning and the swell forecast was looking good for the next couple of days. Stay tuned . . .
WAY OF THE OCEAN is a definitive look at wave riding in the current state of our oceans. Follow the world's best surfers around the globe exploring all the natural wonders of our precious oceans. The salt water provides life and energy on a daily basis and the time to restore and preserve our oceans is now.
This documentary of epic proportions will be released
as a five part movie series beginning with
WAY OF THE OCEAN: Australia in late 2010
directed by: Matt Kleiner
starring:
Asher Pacey, Josh Kerr
Adam Robertson, Jordy Smith
Dane Reynolds, Craig Anderson
and more . . . .
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