Surf Kayak information
It’s mid week. It’s too early in the morning. The tide is wrong. The surf is dumping. It’s freezing cold but still we decided that it would be better to get wet than sloth around drinking coffee and staying warm.
Here’s a little taste of our “late take offs” and other dumpings. Come share our madness !!!
This one is “gunna hurt”
It was just before dawn when I heard the central heating start up. Hmm…must be a cold morning. A quick check and I found the outside temperature was 5 degrees C. I saw the phone blinking at me with a “Surf Alert”, announcing clean conditions on the mid-coast this morning. The Winter Solstice is a couple of days away and this may be our last chance to get in a “Solstice Paddle” so out of bed and on with the kayak.
We arrived at the beach in superb calm conditions and a small but diminishing swell, however, we never miss an opportunity to paddle with friends to celebrate the Solstice and the promise of better weather.
The estuary mouth reflects the houses on the cliff
Ibis mirrored in the water looks like a painting
Of course we were not the only ones looking forward to the warmer weather to come. A pack of friendly dogs were on the beach chasing balls, running in circles, sniffing bums and rolling in something that smelt like dead fish.
Rolling in something that smells like dead fish
No better way to celebrate than to catch a wave with a fellow paddler.
Ian heads out
Steve follows him
Ian gets a few clean rides
Steve works along a small dumping wave
As the tide changed the waves became more dumping and we found ourselves buried in freezing water.
Steve buried in freezing foam
Ian gets dumped again
Playing on the same wave
Having a quick game of tag
When Steve was not looking, Ian seized an opportunity, and surfed up on to his back deck.
Well maybe kayaks can sniff bums too.
Now where did he go ?
My hands were frozen and my ears stinging from the cold but it was still a great paddle with a Steve King (of England). Looking forward to the better weather and less thermal layers.
Happy Solstice….Ian Pope
Stay CALM. The winter weather pattern is starting to set in. When you talk about Winter in South Australia you automatically imagine SW swells battering the coastline, driving by high winds.
I remember the calmer moments of winter mornings. The stillness as the fog slowly lifts; the clear crisp mornings on the beach and especially the calm winds of early morning.
Reflections in the still waters of the Onkaparinga River mouth
The bridge to the beach
Sure we have lots of mornings of driving rain and un-paddleable seas but they pass over bringing back the CALM. The bonus is that certain beaches that are normally “wave poor”, pick up a nice set on the lower tide. Such is the “Trough” surf break. I remember in my youth that it was a dirt road along the top of the cliffs that led to the beach, known as the “Trough” due to a sheep water trough on the farmers property. Now it’s in the middle of suburbia and a place of dog walkers, surf boats and the occasional kayak surfer.
Out for a morning trott along the beach
It’s amazing the entertainment a small piece of rubber can bring a dog
Today was a low tide with light northerly wind, winter morning and three intrepid paddlers set forth for a little calm winter play.
Ian and Steve push off into calm-ish waters waiting for Ian B to launch
Robyn shouted a final instruction. “You guys play nice now…Ian B may not be used to your antics.”
Ian starts with a nice small wave
Steve follows up with a similar size wave
……and shows how it’s done with a drop off the wave crest
Ian B follows with a nice ride
There are a few hazards when on a wave……
A surf boat barrells through to the shore
The main hazard for Ian B was Ian and Steve who love playing games.
Look out for that rogue wave Ian.
That scared him !!!!
Over the falls he goes.
Ooops. I think he’s practicing his roll.
“We didn’t do it on purpose Robyn. It was an accident ” Steve said, smiling.
Another great morning on the water.
Robyn and I have been wandering the west coast of South Australia enjoying the last of the autumn weather with some paddling and Fatbiking.(Our Fatbiking photos are here ) and return to Adelaide for some winter paddling.
Hope you enjoyed the photos.
Paddlers and kayaks
Ian Pope (green), Steve King (purple), Ian Brunning (orange)
Photographer
Robyn Pope
“Happy Hump Day” to all you worker bees out there. Yep, it’s Wednesday and my Urban Dictionary confirms Wednesday has been known as hump day since at least the 1950’s. The expression figures Wednesday, the middle of the workweek, as the hump people get over to coast into the weekend.
But it’s also when us “no longer working” paddlers decide to paddle “The Hump” surf break. The text came in early this morning.
“Looks good. Get up. There’s light outside”.
So out of bed, on with surf kayak and hit the road. Unfortunately we also hit major roadworks and two accidents that brought us to a standstill on the way there, but the surf was good all morning.
I don’t want to make you too jealous so I have just grabbed 5 photos to show how much fun we had. Sun shining, water not too cold yet and only a few people on the beach.
Ian on a nice clean face
Steve breaking right
Mr Cool heading back into a green wave face
This could be nasty !!!
The Curtain comes down and wipes him out
Well that’s it for today from Steve and Ian. Thanks to Robyn our ever patient photographer.
I sat deep in thought. Another year has passed me by and there are still so many things not done. Oh I’m not concerned about the garden around our cottage that’s not been tended the way it should or the shed that still remains a bit of a clutter, but more about the paddles that I haven’t completed yet and the surf breaks that remain unpaddled.
The end of the year was marked by a nice swell at the local spot and I had just spent the last little while riding some nice glassy waves with fellow paddler Steve King, or Steve…King of England as he likes to be known due to his English heritage and now I was finishing my double shot coffee and large sticky bun as is my custom after surf paddling.
I decided on the things that I want more of.
I want to wake to more mornings like this.
A clean swell and no wind in the early morning.
I want many more paddles like this with friends.
Easy take off on a green face
A nice small wave to start the day
I said go RIGHT Steve….the OTHER RIGHT
Steve finishes with a nice slide towards shore
Sometimes the waves rebuild only to finish with a steep break
Steve leans back as it’s about to give him a dunking
This one will do
Hmm….. not the best choice of waves
I want many more moments like those and probably a few less of these, although they seem to come as a set.
Bugger…..He got me again !!!
But aside from paddling my list of NY Resolutions will include;
More guitar practice for my lessons at Glenelg Guitar Studio with Leigh.
More time spent travelling the southern coastline with Robyn.
More time drinking good shiraz from Koltz Wines with Paddler Gavin.
More time doing lots of things except gardening and shed clearing.
HAPPY NEW YEAR from Ian and Robyn
