As the crew for our Portugal trip all slowly started filtered towards the boarding gate introductions were made. There were surfers from all over Ireland there as well as an Estonian, Polish and Swiss surfer. A few were nervous that their skills wouldn’t be up to scratch but after a few minutes it was obvious that we had a very easy going crew and everyone seemed excited by the trip.

As we all arrived in Lisbon we were worried by the locals wearing jackets and they all seemed to be in winter mode however when we walked outside the airport it seemed like a normal Irish windy summer’s day. We all arrived in the camp and sorted who was in the older (party) house and the younger (quieter) house. All seemed in high spirits and ready for food and a bit of craic. We headed for the nearest restaurant were the local waiter was delighted to see 20 odd Irish hungry and thirsty surfers walk in the door. We all sampled the local fish dishes and drank the local beer and wine and had a great meal getting to know each other. The best bit was when we got the bill and including alcohol the bill was only 13euro each. We headed to Chris’s bar and the 1 euro beers went down a treat.

The next day the weather turned and it seemed like the stormy weather reflected the hung over mood in camp. It was wild wet and windy but there was still a few waves at the sheltered Mona leste beach break. On Monday the mood was upbeat as the sun came out and the waves cleaned up. We headed back to Supertubos were there was a few waves on offer. Mona leste offered protection from the wind and the swell. Some found the conditions tough as the wave was a shore break and unlike Irish beach breaks broke fast and close to the shore. There were loads of impressive wipe-outs and while a few found it tough others loved the challenge. The waves were breaking fast so it meant take offs had to be quick. We hung at the beach all day and surfed twice with a short lunch break at the beach bar.

The next day the wind and swell dropped off so we headed to the North shore of Peniche. The waves were mellower than the day before but had less shape so they had less shape but were easier to catch. Surfing twice both days meant everybody was drained and went for an afternoon kip. However in true Irish style all turned up at the evening BBQ that the surf camp arranged. All you could eat with beer and Wine for 12 euro. The surf report looks promising for the next few days so there was a buzz amongst the crew and all seemed in high spirits.

For more photos info etc checkout www.surfbreaks.ie or check their facebook profile at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Surf-breaks-Ireland-and-Abroad/180040166553

We are heading to Morroco in Feb so drop us an email if your keen.

Surfing News

Pete and Tom are heading off to Portugal with the surf school and have promised to keep in touch with a few blogs. If interested in the trip to Morocco in Feb give us a shout. http://www.bundoransurfco.com/blankpages/blank2colum2.asp

With winter approaching we have bloogged a few tips on choosing a winter wetsuit. check below

Marc Geegan emails a good excuse to go out this weekend."Prepare to beat those Winter Blues with some great music at The Chasing Bull Music Venue. Friday night sees Greg Gorman’s Bluestack Jam Club take the stage. On Saturday, there is a double bill with the thrilling Mirenda Rosenberg hosting a night of jazz, blues, funk and soul with special guests Mark Black and Aine O’ Doherty and Oisin Canno."

We are having an end of season sale on all shortboard board bags. Up to 50% OFF. Also the new Qicksilver battery powered heated rash vests have just arrived in the shop.


Weekend Surf Forecast

Been a few protected spots working this week with the huge swells but bundoran has been maxed out. Looks like lots of swell for the weekend and changable winds but there will be waves arround.'

On saturday the swell will be massive at open beaches and reefs and will be fairly onshore. The swell will be big enough to wrap into protected beaches and coves that will be cleaner. Streedagh will probably be the best bet for a beach break and if this maxes out Mullaghmore will have a small clean wave.

On Sunday the swell and wind will back off. There will still be swell at most spots in the 4foot range. The wind will be light onshore which means most spots will have a bit of chop but as the wind is light it should be well surfable.There is a huge fishing contest on Saturday in Rossnowalgh so best avoided. The big swell and winds mean streedagh should be a better option anyway

Later

how to choose a wetsuit

Winter is here with a bang the last 2 days. Cold NW winds mean a big drop in air temperature, and the sea will be dropping in temperature also. That means its time to break out the 5mm suits. Had a quick surf yeaterday in my 4mm and felt cold while the other guys out looked toasty in their new 5mm suits - mine is still an a hanger in the plastic wrapper gathering dust. We have some great prices on winter suits at the moment, with good quality 5mm suits starting at €130 for both men and women. http://www.bundoransurfco.com/SurfShop/Suits.asp

If you are unsure about which suit to go for, here is a little bit of advice:

1) What are you going to use it for? If you are going to be in the water a lot over the winter then you will need something extra warm. If you are only surfing a few weekends on and off then something more mid range should be fine. All decent winter suits will keep you warm but the top end suits will keep you even warmer.

2) What is the quality of the suit? Cheaper suits will use a lower grade neoprene and also have cheaper features in terms of knee pads, stitching, zips. They will also be less flexible. As you spend more on a suit you should see noticable differneces in the flexibility and feel of the neoprene. Zips and knee pads should be better. You will also see that the seams are covered with a taping or liquid seal, on either the outside or inside of the suit, or both. This tape or seal will protect the stitching of the suit. It also minimises the amount of water that could seep through the seams. Mid range suits will have some taping around the critical stress points (wrists, ankles, underarm). Most winter suits have glued and blind stitched seams (GBS) while basic, cheap suits have flatlock seams. With GBS the water is less likely to get in through the seams.

3) Try on a few different suits. There are plenty of wetsuit brands out there. Top brands include O'Neill, Xcel, Quiksilver/Roxy, Billabong, Rip Curl. Most of them make a range of suits, from basic, cheap suits to top of the range, expensive suits. All of them have slight variations in their sizings, so try on a few and see which one fits best. They all have size charts on their websites.

4) Make sure your suit fits. Modern wetuits use very flexible neoprene so ideally your suit should fit like a glove. It should be the right length on your wrists and ankles. It should have a firm seal around the neck and should not be baggy or loose anywhere. Tell tale signs of a too big suit is bagginess around the armpits. Even though suits are very flexible it is not receommended to buy a suit that is a size too small for you and then plan to stretch it out - this will put undue stress on the seams. Never buy a suit that is too big.

5) Environment. Most wetsuit brands seem to be moving towards using Japanese Yamomoto neoprene. From an environmental point of view this is positive as the neoprene is made from a limestone base, while traditional neoprene is petroleum based. Not many options for recylcing old wetsuits that we know of so maybe try and pass on your old suit to somebody or try and use it for repairs on other suits.

Spring tides

We had some big spring tides here on the weekend of the 19th September. As you can see from the photo some unfortunate person left their car on Rossnowlagh beach and got caught in the tide, so the surf instructors and students had to go for the photo opportunity. On a serious note this kind of thing happend every year in Rossnowlagh and also in the lagoon in Streedagh. Buy a tide book for €2 and keep it in your car. If the tide is over 3.6m you probably dont want to park on rossnowlagh at high tide, and if its 4.0m and above watch out for Streedagh lagoon.

September sessions right on time

Right on schedule, September has started with some good waves, even if it was short lived swell. On Tue the Peak was a lot of fun in the head high range with a little bit of onshore wind and only a few guys out. On Wed the Peak was offering up some decent waves in the 4 to 5 foot range with light offshore winds. there was quite a crowd early on but then they all seemed to leave together. There was a big Sligo contingent in the water at the Peak and inside left. Local photographer Daveth Fox was on hand with his new fisheye lens to get some of the action documeneted. Photos of unknown in a keg (could he be a Sligo man? Unlikely!!) and team rider Iarom Madden off the top.

Hi we are organising a surf trip to Portugal in early November for those looking to escape the short winter days and improve their surfing. The trip is in conjunction with www.surfbreaks.ie . All levels are welcome but it is expected that most people will have some experience.

The trip will be over a week and will be based in Peniche and costs 300euro (not including flight) the price includes 7 breakfasts and 7 dinners and also includes7 nights of accommodation in the camp, less than 50 meters from the beach 5 days of surf lessons, 2 sessions a day, 2 hours per session, transfers included 2 video sessions Surfboard and wetsuit suited to your needs Full insurance Special price if you want a board shaped just for you Obtain discounts at our Surf Camp Surf Shop Cable TV and DVD in all the apartments A wide variety of DVD movies to select from Internet access (ours or your computer via wireless) Free transfers to and from the Peniche Bus Station All the local information you may need Discount on the surf rental to use outside of the classes Peniche is just over an hour away from Lisbon which Ryan Air and Aer lingus both fly to. Peniche is considered to be the best and most consistent surf spot in Portugal and will host the ASP Tour in October. The Peninsula of Peniche will always offer you a beach where the wind will be off shore, creating perfect waves. In 15 Km of cost line you will find more than 20 surf spots for all level of surfers, from beginner to advanced. There are also many restaurants and a mini markets nearby.For more info contact surfbreaksireland@gmail.com

July Roxy Weekend

Roxy team Rider Amy May Garvey and the Surf co crew had a great Roxy weekend. The girls all left exhausted on Sunday afternoon with smiles. A big thanks to Aine, Lorne, Amy May and Aisling who run the surf lessons and Pilates sessions.

Also a big thanks to Marc from the Rare Groove Funk Orcestra, Pader from the Loosits and Aine from the Chasing Bull who all played and enjoyed the craic and beers at the BBQ on Saturday.

Tullan was small on the saturday and had great learner waves for those who were keen to get the basics. All the girls also did a pilates session with Ashling.

On Sunday the swell picked up and the bigger waves presented more challenges espicially to a few who had a very late saturday night. The sun came out and everyone had a great time.

Exhausted on the Sunday afternoon the girls picked up their Roxy goody bags (pic left). For anyone whomissed the weekend we are running another womens surf pilates weekend with Aine and Ashling on the 15th/16th of August. Details at http://www.bundoransurfco.com/bundoran02.asp

Coastalwatch :: Reference :: Features :: WA June 15, 2009. Mark Mathews biggest barrel ever!

Coastalwatch :: Reference :: Features :: WA June 15, 2009. Mark Mathews biggest barrel ever!

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Groms in Australia

Bundoran Surf Co sponsered Grom Iarom Madden has hit Australia following the Endless Winter to get the best waves. They have been hooking into a few good waves on the points and beaches but its not all fun as we can see the groms have been hitting the books studing surf technique etc etc.

Good to see someones enjoying the good life.

Seasessions is over

It was a great weekend here in Bundoran for the Seasessions festival. The sun shone all weekend and there was a great crowd in town for the festival. Good music all weekend with the likes of Kila, Mick Flannery, and Fred giving it socks. Altough the surf was small for the wekeend it was still enough for beginners going out on the surf lessons. There was not enough surf to run the contest so it will be rescheduled for the Autumn. A few small waves here this week and looks ok for this weekend also.

Neil Young and the street performers

Great day and night out in Dublin on Sunday. Was up at the Street Performance World Championships in Merrion Square during the day. Some great performers to see and all free. Saw Alakazam, Mike Wood and Magic Brian. Then it was off to the Point (cant get used to calling it the O2) for the Neil Young gig. He played a great set for 2 hours non stop with minimal talking. A great gig by a living legend.

Seasessions

Seasessions festival hits Bundoran this week with agreat lineup of acts and activities (photos from last year above). Details available at the link http://www.seasessions.com/lineup.html . Kellys Slaters new movie will get is premier at the festival as well.

Great news isthat it looks Sunny for the week. Bring on the summer please. The photo comp is still open and details and the top photos can be viewed at http://www.seasessions.com/photos.html

The waves are back

Nothing big here today (Sat 13th) but there are definitely waves. Quiet this morning at Tullan but busy by the afternoon with all the surf schools and plenty of other surfers. Still plenty of waves for everyone and really good conditions for beginners and improvers. Waves mostly in the waist high range with light offshore winds. Waves breaking nealry the whole way down the beach. Photo was taken just before the start of the heavy rain around 4pm so it was good here all day. Tomorrow looks similar and maybe even a little bigger. Decent size swell for next week but looks like being onshore.

Macchu Picchu and the way home.

Spent the last days of my trip around Cuzco and Macchu Picchu. Cuzco is the traditional Inca capital but the colonists built many buildings on top of Inca ruins so today it is an eclectic mixture of beautiful colonial buildings, narrow cobbled streets and Inca ruins. The traditional Inca trail (4 day hike) to MP books out months in advance so I joined the Inca Jungle trail to get there. It is a one day downhill cycle and 2 days walking to get to Aguas Calientes, which is the access point for MP. Even though I had seen many photos of MP it is still an amazing experience to first walk into the complex and to take it all in. It really is a special place and the highlight of my trip, along with the long waves of Chicama. I started walking at 4am to get to the entrance for 5.30. The complex opens at 6am and I was among the first few in that morning. Went on a tour of the citadel with a guide for 2 hours and then had the rest of the day to explore. I climbed Macchu Picchu mountain for great views. I had intended to climb Wayna Picchu mountain but there were a lot of people going that way. Got the train back and then a flight to Lima. Flight back home later today. This has been a great trip and I would recommend Peru as a destination to everyone. Great waves for all standards of surfers and good flat day activities. Food is good, living is cheap and the people are very friendly. Adios.

Sick Tullan,empty early

Hope you are all enjoying the sunshine. Surf and Sun on a Bank Holiday. Rory Gallagher festival on here so alot of sun burnt sore heads about. Stuck a few pics in the gallery of Tullan this morning. Only 2 guys out forthe early. They defo got the worms this morning. Should still be waves about tomorrow.

Enjoy

Chicama, the longest left point in the world

Got some good waves during the week at Chicama on the north coast of Peru. The wave is well known as the longest left point in the world, and it lived up to its name. From the take off to the pier is about 2 miles but in reality you catch a good wave and ride it for about 500m or more. Some of the really good ones were breaking for more than that. The wave was quite differnet to what I expected. The paddle out is quite tricky with a nasty shore dump to get through and very strong currents. Once you get in the line up you have to constantly paddle to keep position, but its a losing battle if the swell is head high or bigger. There are a few barrels to be had from the deep take off spot but the wave is breaking very fast so not really very makeable. The more normal take off spot is just left of the rocks and from there you can get some really good long waves. If you mess up your wave then you are probably caught in the current so hope for a smaller one on the inside. The wave is really fun and you can do really nice snaps and cutbacks into cover ups. After a few waves down the point you just paddle for the shore and start walking again, with hopefully a big smile on your face. There are a few boats ferrying people from the fancy resort back to the take off spot, much to the annoyance of those of us walking and paddling. Even with the boats and 50 people surfing there are loads of good waves for everybody. We had head high waves for 2 days and overhead for one day. The photo here does not do the spot justice, as I was too busy surfing. After that surfed Puemape for a few days, about 3 to 4 foot. Swell has gone small here now but more waves on the way. After that its off to Cusco and Macchu Picchu.

Sunday Swell

Looks like a nice swell arriving tomorrow and with the winds turning more southerly should be a few good sessions to be had. The swell direction looks perfectand the surf should hit 4 to 5 foot at the peak. Streedagh is probably the best bet if you looking for a beach break. The long days now mean its possible to surf 4 times in a day if ya got the stamina. See you out there.

Surfing in Peru

Hit the coast after the mountains and headed to the beach town of Huanchaco. Although there was not a lot of swell for the weekend it was about shoulder to head high with some fun waves. Huanchaco is a popular beach town outside the city of Trujillo. It is popular with Peruvians and tourists alike. Although this is winter there were still plenty of local day trippers on Sat and Sun, so the town was busy. They all seemed to leave around 5pm so it is quiet in the evenings. Plenty of good seafood restaurants serving ceviche and chargrilled fish. Costs about 3 to 4 euros for a good plate of fresh fish. The coast is quite arid and desertlike here, but Huanchaco is a bit of an oasis. The waves here are very consistent and not very heavy, so plenty of beginner and intermediate level surfers in the water, as well as some really good guys ripping it up. The local standard is high. It would seem that it rarely goes flat here at this time of year. Even today is small but still there are waves. The local fishermen here have been making fishing boats out of reeds bound together for the last 2,000 years. They paddle out in their craft to fish and then ride the waves back in. This is the only place where they are still used and each craft lasts only for a few months. These may be the worlds first surfers as they traditionally stand up in the boat when riding the waves in to shore. Hoping the swell will be enough for Chicama on Wed and Thu.

Santa Cruz trek

Set out from Huaraz early on Monday to start the 4 day Santa Cruz trek. There were 3 others in my group. Steve from Boston and also Gia and Helen from Perth. Our guide was David and the muleteer was Bernardo. To get to the trailhead we had a 3 drive through some spectacular scenery. We walked for about 4 hours to the first camp site. On the second day we took about 4 hours uphill for 1,000 metres to reach the pass at 4,750m and then down about 3 hours to our campsite at 4,200. Very cold at night - about minus 5 degrees and hard to sleep at this altitude. The next day we had good walking down the valley along with a side trip up to a look out point and glacial lake. The last day was an easy walk down through the valley, the scale of which is amazing. We got the best weather on the last day. We had a fair bit of rain but nothing like Irish rain. There is a big swell hitting here next week so now its down to the serious business of surfing. Next post hopefully from the coast.

Lima and the Andes

Arrived in Peru last Wed with my new all time favourite airline KLM. They give you a lot of food and there is a great selection of movies to choose from. Although they did not have a good reputation for carrying surfboards in the past I had no problems as long as the boards were booked in advance. Plenty of swell in Lima when I arrived and no doubt La Herradura was going off but I was too late. There were plenty of people surfing around Mirraflores but it looked pretty lame. Looked like the best of the swell had passed so decided to wait for the next one and headed up to Huaraz in the mountains. Straight away you notice the altitude. The town is at just over 3,000 metres. Had some good hikes the first few days to try and acclimatize. The mantra is climb high and sleep low. Went to Churrup lake today at about 4,500 metres. On Monday heading on a 3 night/4 day hike on the Santa Cruz trek. Opted to join a group since my track record at altitude is not too good, in Nepal and Ecuador. The last trip to altitude was to Cotopaxi volcano in Ecuador at about 5,500m. It is now referred to as Coto-f-ing-paxi in my house. Needless to say we did not make the summit. The 4 day trek here with all the tents and food, and a mule to carry all the gear, as well as a guide, costs 90euros. Looking forward to not carrying a heavy backpack over a 4,800 metre pass. It is cheap here - you can get a 3 course meal for less than 2euros in the places that are popular with the locals. After the trek will be off to the coast for hopefully some very long left hand points.

Headed to Dublin with the seasession boys and sampled the capitals delights. Ronan from Kila came down and had a go on the surf simulator earning himself a few Bavarias. After a nervous start he got the hang of it and is now keen to hit the real thing when he comes down for the Seasession festival at the end of June. Looks like a cracking weekend.

Details at http://www.seasession.com/

May bank holiday on the way

May bank holiday is on the way and surf forecast is looking good. We are expecting a big swell so there will be plenty of waves at all spots. The winds will be SW so Streedagh could be a good option. Rossnowlagh will also have waves but Bundoran will be too big for the beach. Waves at the reefs but a bit messy with the wind probably. If you are coming to Bundoran expect it to be busy and book a bed in advance. Being May means that the water is definitely warming up and some people are wearing 4:3's and even summer suits.

We had some a stag party out surfing at the weekend, and as you can see from the photo they were looking very stylish. The can of beer and pack of smokes shows just how serious these guys were about surfing. Anyway, they all got a few waves and had a great weekend in 'Fundoran'.

We had some decent waves yesterday and good weather. Check this sunset shot at Tullaghan taken from Pete's appartment. Being this close to the surf means is the best man for a surf report.

Josh emailed from Potugal to keep us updated on his and Karls Portugal trip

hey guys just in portugal, pretty sick place spendin most of our time in peniche as its good with the wind and swell directions, supertubes is sick love it, havent surfed coxos yet as its always been north wind but supers has been on big bazzas and heaps of sand in ya undies when ya dont make them thats what carl says anyways cause i always make it ha ha, heaps of irish over here been having a bit of craic and owe alot of people pints when i get back but its grand.

The superfreak wetsuit is sick if i were to sell one i would encourage them to drop a size as it is so flexy, first couple of surfs it feels kinda small but then they kinda mould to your body shape, im usually LT but the large is sweet so yeah thats what i reckon and yeah its real warm too, stoked boys legends. gonna be home next week maybe friday or thursday see how the buses go and the rest. might get a chance to surf the big boards this weekend so my fingers are crossed, jealous of those lakey pics and carl reckons he and aidan scored killcummen sooo jealous of that one, cant wait to get back and go surfing with yous again its on this season.......... josh

After Oz we hit Indo for some early season action. Even after summer in Oz Indo was hot and humid. A swell hit as soon as we arrived so we bolted for Sumbawa which is 2 islands to the east of Bali. Lakeys in Sumbawa is a little like Bundoran with at least 6 reef in walking distance with the main wave being a peak with a left and right. March is normally early season in Indo when swells can be inconsistent but the winds and crowds can be lighter. The water is so warm that you often sweat in the water while paddling and sunburn is a major hazard. Good tip is to buy board shorts with a zip pocket were you can keep zinc for your nose The first swell was pumping but dropped quickly and left us gagging for more. The next swell wasn’t looking big on the charts but it was 6foot plus. Unfortunately it also coincided with full moon tides meaning that it was super shallow on the low tide. Also with a lot of water moving around some of the waves were nasty rather than ‘indo perfect’. It is possible to surf Nungas a long left a little like Tullaghan left on these swells which never really gets crowded.

About 6 of us headed out for the early low tide surf with Rick a fellow bundoran resident charging on his backhand. After a few early ones we got rattled as one of the Hawaiian guys had a suspected broken neck and the reef was pretty try. The take off wasn’t too bad but once the wave doubled up in the inside you didn’t want to fall off. Definitely some of the most perfect waves I have seen in my lifetime. When we got in the Hawaiian guy was on a spinal board trying to get a helicopter to Bali. A few nervous people were busy on the internet trying to get travel insurance, it is a necessity as copters often cost over $20 000. The copter didn’t come for two and a half days and the poor guy was just lying there contemplating his fate. The surf continued to pump. After many excuses the helicopter was too take him to the local airport were a medivac plane was going to whip him too Singapore. Unbelievably the plane at the local airport over shot the runway and crashed. Not sure what happened after that. Definitely made you think when the reef was shallow.

Oz Trip part 2

After a couple of weeks on the Goldie we headed south to Byron Bay which is an old hippy/yuppie town. Cool place to hang if you like hanging out but less surf options than the Goldie. Lennox Head is 25minutes south and is a lovely quieter town with a beachie and a point and we hung there for a week. There is a lot of breaks within 5minutes drive.

We also headed further south to Angourie and surfed the point and back beach for a few days. Strangely even though it is quieter than further North, the points here can be more localised so you do have to watch your step. Cool campsites to hang out at and quiet open beaches to be explored. After heading back up North to Queensland I got a phone call from a friend to say the swell was going to pump in the south again so we turned the van around and headed south. I was taken to a beachbreak that resembled Puerto Escondito with thumping 6foot plus barrels with no one out. It was too big to paddle from the beach so we had to jump off a rock wall which was sketchy to say the least. Took a few poundings but got a few good ones to make it worth while. Mad to surf a beach break so big as no beach break would hold this size in Ireland with barrels the size of buses on offer.

As we were leaving the Quiksilver pro was starting and the waves disappeared. It’s a full circus but well worth a look if you ever get a chance as even in terrible waves the surfing is mind blowing.

Oz is a great surf destination mainly due to its consistency and warm water and there is plenty to do après surf. The better waves such as the points are very crowded and if you are comfortable with aggressive surfers around you may forget it however there is plenty of open beaches when the swell is smaller which are very consistent and while not amazing waves are great for improving your technique. The beach breaks are different to home and often have strong rips and shorebreaks and aren’t as user friendly to those just learning.

For info on surf holidays abroad check out www.surfbreaks.ie

Oz Trip

After leaving NZ we headed off to Australia to check out the famous beachies and right points. The difference in climate between Nz and Oz was noticeable as soon as we steped out of the airport to be hit with humidity. We landed on Australia day weekend and headed to the sunshine coast for a traditional Aussie wedding/piss up with some friends. It’s a good time to hit Oz as the school holidays have finished and campsites/hire cars etc are cheaper and the surf less crowded. A lot of talk about sharks here at the moment so that kinda freaked me out.

The stretch from Angourie to the Gold Coast is pretty tropical so its boardshorts and plenty of sunscreen. The whole time we were there the swell was at least 2 to 3 foot. Its hard to read weather charts there as they are so different from home. We were getting swell off a high pressure for weeks. The open beaches are very rarely flat so there is nearly always a surfable wave. The Gold Coast is one of the most commercial surf destinations on the planet with thousands of surfers including half of the ASP world Tour living there. It can get horrendously crowded but the waves can be World Class.

At the top of the 20km strip there is Sorth Stradbroke and at the bottom D’bar which are 2 of the best, most consistent beach breaks in the world. I would hit Dbar at 4.30 most mornings and surf for 2 hours before Mick Fanning and his 500 mates would arrive. The early morning session is best as there is mainly light or no winds early before the strong sea breezes kick in. Dbar is a high performance wave which has barrels, air sections and perfect walls. To catch waves you really got to push yourself and is a good place to improve your surfing. Dbar works when no were else has a wave and can handle onshore winds. A few east swells brought the superbank to life while we were there and I competed for scraps with the huge crowd. Unlike previous trips here I actually got a decent amount of waves with the secret being to look like you mean business and paddle hard. Its such an intense crowd to surf with but when you do get waves they are so whackable you get to do 10 turns on a wave. Its such a different surf experience to Ireland in everyway. The tweed coast is only 15 minutes drive south and can be a lot quieter if you want to get out of the goldie. We did a short trip up to North Stradbroke Island which is really quiet but has a great shorebreak and a mellow vibe.

For info on surf holidays abroad check out www.surfbreaks.ie

NZ SURF TRIP

Hi after Gisbourne we headed to Mahia pennisula which has to be one of the most beautiful and best places in New Zealand for a surf trip. Picks up all swells and can handle most winds and is quiet. You do need to watch access as it is tricky at spots. . Just over an hours drive from Gisboune it is a surfers dream with everything from small beachies to Huge point breaks. Sounds close at an hours drive from Gissbourne but it is fairly mountainous and remote. The swell was small when we left Gisbourne and we found a left point that was about 3 to 4 foot with no one out. Like a lot of breaks in New Zealand there was no access to the coast and you had to ask permission from the land owner who I was told was grumpy(photo of me at the top in negoiation). She was Ok with me checking it but was trying to convince me to surf a spot elsewere which was very average. I was starting to talk her around until I chickened out of surfing by myself as I got that shark fear. There is a lot of sharks about and when you are out by yourself the odds aren’t great if one is cruising and curious. They are well feed around here as the ocean is teeming with life and attacks are rare but when by yourself its easy to get spooked. Just 500m away a found another left (photo bottom left) which had 1 guy out so halfing my odds of getting bit. Was a really fun wave and considering it was a sunday afternoon in summer it was amazing only 1 guy out. Next stop Taranaki and its famous surf highway.