Lulworth Adventures with the Chiverses

I'm in Hampshire with Zappa and family, and we got a call from Chivers saying he and Alice were somewhere near Swannage, Dorset and that we should come and have a deep water soloing day.

Deep water soloing is climbing above water without ropes, based on the concept that if you fall off you just fall into nice, safe, soft, deep water. Enthusiasts have taken it further by grading it on how true this idea actually is for the route, with S grades:

S0 - lots of deep water beneath you, perfectly safe (providing you can swim)
S1 - there might be the odd boulder and/or shallow bits you might want to watch out for
S2 - you should probably only do it at high tide, and pick your landing site carefully when you suddenly loose your footing and plummet downwards
S3 - don't fall off because you will almost definitely die.

We only do S0. Otherwise how is it fun? Anyway. Off we went to Lulworth cove, armed with chalk (for grip), a barbeque, an inflatable kayak and lots of clothes. It was blowing a gale and the sea was pretty choppy. I elected to be photographer.

The rock was doing crazy things. Just cos I hated geography doesn't mean I'm not completely amazed by stuff like this.

A brief sunny moment.  

The others decided to do a traverse all the way around the block on the right hand side of the cave, coming through the cave from the other side. Zappa did a recce of the other side in the kayak. He fell out immediately and I was laughing so hard I completely failed to take a picture.

Off they went, merrily, and I waited in line with the cave to get some good shots of them coming through the cave....

...err and they came back round the same way, looking very wet.



 They'd got halfway round and a big wave had rolled up. Zappa saw it and climbed higher, but Tom and Alice got drenched! Alice's legs actually got swept to the side and she somehow managed to cling onto two little crimpey holds to stop herself being washed down the rock face.

They decided to just stick to playing in the cave.

Joker.

Zappa comes off!

Zappa and I decided to go for a ride in the kayak so I could see the other side of the rock thingy. I don't know why I didn't grasp how rough the sea was going to be, I could see the waves coming through the cave the whole time and my friends had nearly gotten swept away, but it came as a terrifying surprise. It was ridiculous! I may have just screamed the entire time like some complete girl, couldn't help it. The sea was grey and white and churning, huge rocks would suddenly surface like whales right beside us - I was absolutely terrified! I really thought we'd soon be swimming. To get back through the cave we had to scoot alongside the horrible sometimes-submerged whale rock otherwise we'd miss the entrance. We got through and then a big wave came and dumped us on the rocks of the beach, quite conveniently really, it couldn't have been any luckier. I stopped screaming and proclaimed it enormous fun.

Seal Rocks

We continued down the coast and went to a place called Diamond Head, which was supposed to be good for surfing. There wasn't much going on and the surf was all messy and rubbish so we carried on. We went to Forster-Tuncurry, which is the two towns of Forster and Tuncurry joined together by a big fat concrete bridge. This was another of those places with wonderfully designed tourist magazines telling you it's the best place in the world, but it was just another town and we weren't persuaded to stay. Gosh, we're becoming place snobs. What if we're just impossible to please now? We were thinking maybe we should just go straight to Sydney. I told Zappa that at some point I had decided I wanted to go to Seal Rocks. I could no longer remember the reason, and there was no mention of it in our remaining tourist propaganda, but I just knew I wanted to go there. So off we went.

On the way we unexpectedly started skirting round the Great Lakes (we were previously wondering where they were!) and they were beautiful! So peaceful, and in the late afternoon light they just looked gorgeous. I didn't take any pictures as we were moving but in case you're desperate to see it, here's someone else's photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/petaurus/3641146840/sizes/m/in/photostream/

I was getting tired and the light was going, it was clear we had to stay somewhere as we probably didn't have enough time to get back to Sydney at a reasonable hour. We agreed we'd come back and stay in the Lakes if Seal Rocks was rubbish.

We found the road that led to Seal Rocks with my expert map-reading, which turned out to be a track with the biggest potholes we'd seen so far. We didn't hold out much hope for it being amazing, let alone have anywhere we could stay. I started to feel guilty about insisting we come all this way to this random place for no remembered reason. But when we got there, it was incredible.

Perfect, peeling waves - the best surf I've ever seen - in the most beautiful setting everrr. And then - look right - there's a campsite!

 The second bay

 Zappa got straight on a sunset surf, and absolutely stunned me with what he can do now. He always talks the surfing talk but when I come to watch he just stands there - until today. He was doing proper turns and everything! I was so proud of him!

 Pelicans provide patient company for the fishermen

I am SO in love with this place, it's already my favourite place in Australia so far. You know how sometimes you just know something is just right?

Crowdy Head

On of the places on our list to go to was Crowdy Bay National Park, as it featured in a touristy magazine and looked amazing. I'd already looked up the campsite we'd be staying in and was looking forward to it.
In Australia, some places have been entirely taken over by old people. Entire towns. They are eerie places. Everything is immaculate. There is at least one pharmacy on every street. The only animals around are little hairy rats on leads. All socks are blindly white and are pulled up to mid-calf. There is ALWAYS a bowls club, usually with tons of people playing. There are newly built, toy-town style 'shopping villages' with carefully replanted shrubs, where tumbleweeds go to get their sardines. Harrington, where the campsite was, was one of these places.

The, er, church, at Harrington's deserted shopping village.

We drove on through to Crowdy Head and found a seafood wholesaler, a lighthouse and a nice little surf break, nothing inspiring enough to stay for more than a day, but we went up to the lighthouse and Zappa gave the break a go.

I saw a cookie monster in one of those claw machines and wanted it and Zappa won it for me! That's proper boyfriend stuff that is. However he came wearing a hideous basketball outfit so I am making him a jumper. This and watching some of Zap's wipeouts kept me amused.

Search for Surf

Firstly, have a complimentary map.

The other day, Zappa decided he was going to go and surf Nambucca Heads, which the internet said was great. It was a grey day and had started drizzling when he asked if I wanted to come too. I thought, why the hell not, I can see new places and crochet in the van.

We found Nambucca's Shelley Beach, which the surf site had said was good and consistent, and was good for beginners.

It was rocky and scary and we thought we saw a shark. On with the search!

We went to Nambucca's Main Beach, where a load of old people were having fun with a bodyboard in the mush, but it wasn't really surfable, it was a blown out mess. We went into a surf shop and asked where else we could try. A lady told us to try Scott's Head, so off we went.

Scott's head seems to mainly be a big caravan park and old person houses, but as we wound our way through the cresents and closes we eventually came to the beach:

Woop woop!

Zap had great fun and got some rides. He also had some really funny wipeouts which were great fun to watch - although it was still raining so I mainly crocheted.

The next day we went to South Valla beach, which I am now totally in love with, it is gorgeous - and deserted!

Zappa watched some kite surfers play about for hours, and now wants to be a kite surfer really really badly, and has decided he is definitely buying all the kit when he gets back to the UK. This morning he has decided he is definitely buying a motorbike as soon as he gets home.

Yesterday we went to Digger's Beach again, where we met Matt (he wasn't there though), and there is absolutely no shade there so we bought me an Australia beach tent (it has an Australia flag on it - I am very proud of it). Zappa had a good surf, although it was super windy and getting the board to the water and back was a mission.

Autumn has definitely arrived, rather suddenly. Long pjs and a duvet and even .........socks in the mornings! It's still hot in the daytime though.

Emma Catches the Smallest Wave of the Day

The waves were even smaller today! We were glad to have our massive board. I did raather well stamina-wise today and had two turns with the board, and managed to get Zappa to be photographer.

Popping up

Jolly surfer

Just popped up and so happy!

I was swimming about with the camera while Zappa had the board (he didn't have much luck today, we swapped roles from yesterday, hence lack of decent pics), and a surfer nearby told me there was a school of fish headed this way in case I wanted to digitally capture them. I said 'Really?' and then looked at the next wave coming towards us and it was FULL of fish! A glass wall of fish travelling forward! I didn't get a picture of that sadly but I did have time to stick the camera underwater as they went by:

'You just have to hope there isn't something bigger following them,' said the blokie.
There was many a boring lull between the sets of little waves, and some people had to get inventive to amuse themselves:

And finally, the title shot - the smallest wave of the day:

My last wave was awwwesome, I kept stepping forward because the wave seemed to be overtaking me, and I was going and going and I looked down and realised I only had a foot of board left - of course I then had to go for the hang five which overdid it and made us tumble over, but I was about to reach the sand anyway, and you have to try these things when you're that close!!

Zappa Catches the Biggest Wave of the Day

Yes. That is the biggest wave we saw all day.

I caught some smaller ones but they didn't have any power so I couldn't do anything exciting with them. Zappa and I took it in turns with the board for a while, one swimming, one surfing. I was swimming around and I felt something sting my arm, it wasn't that painful so I wasn't bothered about it. I got stung again. I got bored of being stung and tired of swimming so I stole the board and rode it into the beach, and looked at my arm, and it had parallel red tentacle marks down it! It was coooool, but they went away before I could take pictures of them, which I was pretty bummed out about.

Stroke of a Swan

I made a Short Film the other day, and am generously opening it to our blog readers, free of charge! I know.

It was a grey day and the surf was flat. That is the only explanation I can give.

Goanna

Today I saw my first goanna!

It was MAHssive - easily as long as my picnic table!

And look how funnily it walked:

Saw it after a hot sunny surfing session at the Pass. I exhausted myself by paddling all over the place but not to where any good waves where breaking. I eventually got a good little wave by letting Zappa set me up for it. Zap got some nice ones, despite the water being people soup today.

Julian Rocks

Today the weather was finally sunny after more days of rain. So we decided to go with a dive company to Julian Rocks, two big rocks sticking out of the ocean about 2km off The Pass, the break we usually surf in Byron. It's a marine reserve so things are still alive there.

Orange Basslets and an Exciting Purple Fish

Tall-fin Bat Fish

ooo...

Big Wobbegong shark! It was pretty deep for a snorkellor, I was rather pleased with myself.

Zappa

Me. 'Thumbs...down......yeees....well done.'

THEN:

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh......(angelic singing)

SO COOL! I love turtles!

After a while I actually started feeling a little seasick! Luckily that was just as we were sposed to leave, so nothing missed. I snorkelled for a whole hour, without even noticing the time going.

We met three Irish girls who were great fun, and a troop of Swiss French people. I felt very clever going over and speaking to one of them in French about the turtle we'd seen. How good is the French word for turtle: la tortue? Say it in a super French accent, it rocks. 'Vous avez vu la tortue? C'est magnifique non?!'

I loved the snorkelling, I mean look at what we saw. You know what though, I liked the boat ride just as much! One of those RIBs, and it felt soo good to be back on a boat, I've missed it so much! We zoomed over the waves, wooo into the sky and stomach-droppingly down. Such a good day!

First ride of the new board

Today we had a nice lazy start and I made pancakes, and we went to the Pass to surf. I went down in jeans and walking boots and it made the sun come out! I felt clever. The waves were 2-3 foot, no wind, gorgeous. I was totally energyless and wasn't going to go in (anyone seeing a pattern?) but Zappa once again persuaded me to have a little go, and I was itching to see what sort of thing our savings had got us. I was pretty scared that it was badly shaped or something, because why else would someone sell their McCoy?! Plus Zappa was saying things like he had to pull the front of it up before he popped up everytime, so I was like oooh nooo....

I asked Zap to push me into a little already-broken wave, cos that's all I was up for. I popped up...and stayed up! Woo! It was loads of fun. Then I realised I was headed straight for a guy standing in the water - and turned round him! Score! It handles nicely. I rode right up to the beach and daintily sat back down on the board instead of falling off. I felt better already. Zappa didn't need to ask me if I wanted another one.

The second one, as Ray said, the universe handed to me. It was the best wave I've ever ever had. It was still green, and the guy already riding it fell off just in time for me to have it. I paddle-paddle-paddled, and it looked like it could get away, but I wasn't letting it. I pushed down so the board was tilting down the wave and popped up whilst still going down it - before when I've caught green waves I've stayed laid down until I go whoosh down the face and bump onto the bottom of the wave, and I'm trying not to be bucked off, and fight to stand up - but this time I just glided down, turned right, and it's still green and glassy, and I'm like wow, ok, I'll turn left, and I glided round to the left, WOW, and then I thought, I'll try that thing people do of stepping back, bringing the nose round to the right, yeeeah look at me go, it works! I passed an old skinny guy with a beard on a board, and he whooped at me, and I realised I'd been whooping, and then I thought hmm I'm slowing down, so I stepped forward on the board, and it sped up, and the wave broke, and I rode it right into the beach. It felt amazing! And I know it's probably very boring that I've broken the entire ride down, but I'm just so amazed that those things that are sposed to happen when you move a certain way on the board, actually happened when I did them. And it felt soo good! Green waves work. And the Pass is such a good place to ride them because they're often nice and small, and gentle. Perfect longboarding waves. Longboarding is not hectic.

We didn't take any pictures today but here is a video of a gorgeous girl on her longboard, part of a DVD about Byron Bay that we watched recently. She's very much inspired me, she makes surfing into a sort of dance, which very much appeals to me, but sadly I won't ever have Argentinian legs like hers, no matter how much surfing I do.

Emma's birthday - by Zappa

My first blog. How exciting for you all.

Today has been Emma's birthday so I took the day off work (helping Ray our byron bay friend and host building a shed) and told Em we could do anything she wanted. We were deciding between snorkelling at Julian rocks – a short kayak ride from the pass in Byron, or going for a surf. After much deliberation we decided we’d go surfing on big yellow – rays 9’8” Malibu (which I have nicknamed big bird).We packed the boards and ballon animals and away we went.

The conditions were beautiful – the water was clear, the sun was shining it was amazing. Look see:

Em got some great rides – one of which she took this video of:

Check her out – groovy surf chick she is.I had some good rides on big bird so decided to get my 7’6 board out and have a little ride as I’ve been riding Ray’s custom Geoff Macoy’s (two beautiful and amazing to ride boards) and been making some good progress. Getting on my board made me realise it’s a bit too small and hard work for my abilities. It got me thinking – I should really trade this in for something a bit more sensible.... I probably shouldn’t tell Emma as she’s the sensible one when it comes to money.Anyway, after a great little session we went to buy Emma her favourite (gluten free) burger from in town. As she was so excited she obviously had to take a picture:It was sooo good and feeling very satisfied we decided to go home – but we thought we should go see Mad Dogs surfboard shop on the way home – Ray said the rafters contain an awesome surfboard museum. It was amazing, the history of surfing was all just there on display - old plywood boards and older surf skis.
Emma passed this and had to take a picture as its so pretty.

Then i spotted it. 9'6". Macoy. Immaculate. Dangerous. I was convinced Em wouldn't let me as it was $750 (prob over double that new). But she was as enthused as I was. I spoke to Mad Dog and left the shop to go seek out Ray for his advice - he successfully convinced me about a week before not to buy a beaten up old longboard so i was convinced he'd try and slow me down. Ray being a Macoy rider himself and loving his board was just amazed we'd found one so cheap and was as excited as we were. So anyway 10 mins later we were back selecting board bags and leg ropes to go with our new board and left my little board behind to find a new owner. It took us a good hour of sitting at home staring at it and pinching ourselves to be convinced it had all just happened.

So naturally - back to the beach:And then off out for some amazing sushi.I certainly enjoyed Em's birthday - particularly the present we bought ourselves. She should have birthdays more often.

Emma says: 'I had the best day EVER!!! I love EVERYTHING!'