It was 5:30am and Gina poked me in the middle of the back. “If you wanna go for a surf – get up!” … Oh yeah, I was ready. I had eaten dodgy Chinese the night before and gotten up twice through the night to throw my guts up… but I was ready!
Snuck out of the house without waking the kids – even had to take off the handbrake and push the Tarago (Previa for you non-Australians) out the driveway so I didn’t wake up Luca. Board was already in the back as I had gone for a late night surf check before going to bed.
Checked Eloura and Wanda’s… they were getting the brunt of the freak southerly swell and as 8ft+ waves collided with each other, spray flew in to the air a good 15 feet! Needless to say, I kept driving, that was just suicide – If you managed to get out that is. Looked at Cronulla Point and Shark Island – the swell was moving past The Island and hitting the point. And the shore break at North Cronulla looked make-able too.
Went out by the South Cronulla surf club and within diving one set I was washed to the other end of the beach and hit the rocks at the tidal pool. Got out and walked back to the surf club. Thought about quitting – “maybe it’s too big and I am getting too old for this.” Then my testicles chimed in “Bahaha! Get out there!”… I said a little prayer and did as all males before me have done and trusted their hormones.
The second time I went to paddle out I edged near the rock shelf on the southern side of the beach for a little protection from the tidal surge and managed to get past the shore break – finally I could see I was paddling amongst enormous mountains of water heading for the shore. There were several *big* waves moving past in different directions and it was hard to keep my bearings. I got nervous – I had never been in swell this messy at Cronulla before.
Truth be known, I always get a bit nervous when going out somewhere new – and that’s what this was. I have never ridden Cronulla Point or Shark Island before. Which is strange since I have paddled out over a kilometre on my own to secluded 7ft surf in Samoa and last month I was surfing 6ft Cloud Break (!) – there is something about the Island that is humbling and discomforting.
There was not a big crowd – only a few guys were on The Point – it was still early and I was finding my spot. The sets were unbelievable; some must have been up to 8 feet. I have never been next to guys this good: both body boarders and stand-up were taking the drop – which was easily 6 to seven feet and pulling in to very heavy set waves. I looked for a spot with respect and hung out for a good ride.
Finally I caught what I was after… 6 feet, took the drop – but not too deep in the wave – and rode it in to the shore break. Hmmm, the shore break. Yes, I had forgotten about how brutal that was. Luckily I got a nice left hander which brought me away from the rocks and I popped some air at the end of it. Finally I managed to get another one in and that was my first attempt at Cronulla Point.
Filed under: life
