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