Swellnet Live: at Cape Solander

Ben Matson picture
Ben Matson (thermalben)
Swellnet Dispatch
Check out our live webcast from Cape Solander and Middles. Mark Mathews and a host of surfers charging 6-8ft slabs with blue skies and offshore winds.

11:30am update: We're offline for a bit... wind has come up from the south and a few crew have paddled in, so we'll keep an eye on it and push the start button if it turns on again.

3pm update: Webcast is over but you can watch the day's vision below.

Comments

thermalben's picture
thermalben's picture
thermalben Friday, 30 Jan 2015 at 10:01am

Looks like they're at Middles right now.. seen a couple of incredible drops (and some nasty beatdowns too). If anyone paddles out at Cape Solander we'll swing the camera around.

zenagain's picture
zenagain's picture
zenagain Friday, 30 Jan 2015 at 10:20am

Cool concept.

i like the idea of setting up a cam at a name break around oz when it's firing and being able to watch the local guys get into it.

Logistically would have to be tough but great idea. Cheers.

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Friday, 30 Jan 2015 at 12:27pm

It's a great idea unless it's your local break I'm guessing.

S'pose Solander can take care of itself but there's plenty of spots where it would be about as welcome as gonorrhoea.

zenagain's picture
zenagain's picture
zenagain Friday, 30 Jan 2015 at 1:37pm

I said name break.

I doubt if having a camera pointed at Winki or Margs or Snapper is going to make one iota of difference to the crowd.

seaman-staines's picture
seaman-staines's picture
seaman-staines Friday, 30 Jan 2015 at 1:46pm

Thanks for naming Snapper, if it's crowded this weekend you will hear about it!

thermalben's picture
thermalben's picture
thermalben Friday, 30 Jan 2015 at 10:22am

It's actually been in the planning for about 6 years Zen, since we started webcasting surfing competitions. As you say, the logistics are insane but technology is slowly making things possible (albeit at great expense). Looking forward to expanding a lot more within this genre over the coming months.

tomjoad's picture
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tomjoad Friday, 30 Jan 2015 at 10:42am

Agree with Zen - great idea, thanks Ben! Now if only my employer's firewall would permit the live stream...

thermalben's picture
thermalben's picture
thermalben Friday, 30 Jan 2015 at 11:12am

We're offline for a bit.

Wind has come up from the south and a few crew have paddled in, so we'll keep an eye on it and push the start button if it turns on again.

Rabbits68's picture
Rabbits68's picture
Rabbits68 Friday, 30 Jan 2015 at 12:00pm

Cheers Ben. Was the previous live stream recorded & can it be played back for us punters that missed it??

thermalben's picture
thermalben's picture
thermalben Friday, 30 Jan 2015 at 12:11pm

Not available right now but I'll see if I can dig it up this evening.

Rabbits68's picture
Rabbits68's picture
Rabbits68 Friday, 30 Jan 2015 at 12:20pm

Fantastic Ben!! Sounds like it was a great session. Cheers

thermalben's picture
thermalben's picture
thermalben Friday, 30 Jan 2015 at 3:13pm

Should be able to see the day's vision in the player above now (no editing, straight off camera).

Rabbits68's picture
Rabbits68's picture
Rabbits68 Friday, 30 Jan 2015 at 3:33pm

Thanks Ben!! Will check it out.

Tim Bonython's picture
Tim Bonython's picture
Tim Bonython Friday, 30 Jan 2015 at 3:13pm

5/10 lads. We were hoping but that summer wind moved in by 9.50am.

DeXtrus's picture
DeXtrus's picture
DeXtrus Friday, 30 Jan 2015 at 3:49pm

I'm sorry - but how is it ok to live broadcast from somewhere like here?!

It wasn't too many years ago that this wave was relatively "unknown" - now its getting named and live broadcast?

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Friday, 30 Jan 2015 at 3:56pm

deckstrus , take it up with the Bra Boys weren't they behind the world wide live streaming of the Red Bull comp .

DeXtrus's picture
DeXtrus's picture
DeXtrus Friday, 30 Jan 2015 at 4:51pm

udo, sure i appreciate that - but that was @ "ours" a spot everyone knows and "middles" was never mentioned to my knowledge?

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Friday, 30 Jan 2015 at 5:04pm

They're about 50m apart mate. You surf one or the other depending on conditions.

curly2alex's picture
curly2alex's picture
curly2alex Friday, 30 Jan 2015 at 7:49pm

I'm impressed........THIS kind of thing IS progress.
Be nice to just have "set wave" times given for the playback so we can skip to em.

wellymon's picture
wellymon's picture
wellymon Friday, 30 Jan 2015 at 9:10pm

Geez there are some keen blokes out there.
F--k that

I'm not sure that locals at very many spots wold appreciate that tho.
Maybe a comp in the Chat-----ummmms would be cool ;
haha

stoney's picture
stoney's picture
stoney Saturday, 31 Jan 2015 at 6:57am

This is groundbreaking stuff!
I am in qld so I am hardly about to contribute to crowd!
Being able to move around and focus on take off spot, depending upon conditions makes it a real step up from the static swell cams.
Am imagining big screen TV with screen split into 10 pictures of my favourite 10 surf spots, live around Australia, or the world for that matter.
Go BEN go Swellnet!!

Blowin's picture
Blowin's picture
Blowin Saturday, 31 Jan 2015 at 8:27am

One area that I truly am a xenophobe in is the world of surf cams. You blokes do a Stirling job, but developments like this scare me. Whilst Swellnet display admirable discretion, some other players in this field are a lot less scrupulous.

One surf site has at least one surf cam that is a slap in the face to anyone with a modicum of reserve about the betrayal of low key spots. Fellas responsible should be limited to surfing on sunny two foot Sundays at Manly for the rest of their lives.

thermalben's picture
thermalben's picture
thermalben Monday, 2 Feb 2015 at 6:42am

I'm interested to know what 'low key' surf spot have surfcams. We always think long and hard about the places we put surfcams, but sometimes it's difficult to please everyone - one person's secret spot is another person's crowded, well documented location. 

In fact, this topic is worthy of a seperate article, which I'll try and find some time to write about in the next week or so.

Blowin's picture
Blowin's picture
Blowin Monday, 2 Feb 2015 at 9:26am

Without revealing the location Ben, I can say that the spot I'm referring to is far from well documented and whilst I have surfed it with a crowd of maybe a dozen and heard of more people out, it's the sort of place that would justify a much larger crowd if only people knew about it or, more specifically, when it was on.

Maybe you already know about it Ben. I never did till I went there by happy coincidence. Happy days if you do.

I can think of two reasons why the camera would be there and inadvertently displaying the spot, but the cynic in me guesses otherwise.

t-diddy's picture
t-diddy's picture
t-diddy Saturday, 31 Jan 2015 at 9:17pm

dont think there's any risk of this wave getting too crowded. No thanks boyz

BrendanBatty's picture
BrendanBatty's picture
BrendanBatty Sunday, 1 Feb 2015 at 7:53pm

It's not the same without the inane Yank commentary. I sort of miss it.

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Monday, 2 Feb 2015 at 8:59am

Gotta admit I feel deeply uneasy and queasy about this new use of technology.

Name spots. Now it's Solander. Where's next? Lennox, Angourie, Sandon, Voodoo?

I kinda thought, RedBull comp notwithstanding that Ours was sort of a wilderness spot on the edge of the city. Still kind of wild.

But no, Big Brother is watching, beaming it out to the World. The concept of entering the ocean and removing oneself from the technological Bullshit of dry land is now disappearing under the impetus of consumer voyeurism. Surfers are falling over themselves to sell the wildness and sanctity of the pursuit of surfing to the demands of the Surveillance Society.
And for what? A few moments of titillation and distraction.

It's just one more example of the Commons being exploited for Private gain.

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Monday, 2 Feb 2015 at 9:28am

Little bit melodramatic if you ask me. Every time it breaks the carpark is full to overflowing, the rocks are crowded, and the filmers often outnumber surfers, never mind the noxious smell of diesel when it's big enough to tow. Calling it a wilderness spot is way off the mark.

Also, the resultant imagery from photogs is seen across all mediums within hours of being captured. The only difference being this was real time.

See Ben's explanation above about where this tech may get used.

Blowin's picture
Blowin's picture
Blowin Monday, 2 Feb 2015 at 9:41am

.

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Monday, 2 Feb 2015 at 12:05pm

Probably was Stu but you can't deny the issues are pertinent.
We are living in an increasingly surveilled society and surfing is now becoming more and more part of that matrix.
You don't feel in some part of your self a bit uneasy about these developments?

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Monday, 2 Feb 2015 at 1:07pm

Do I feel uneasy? Not really, but then I've been privy to the discussions so I'm very aware of what won't be done for ethical reasons. I don't see it as any different to a webcast.

tonybarber's picture
tonybarber's picture
tonybarber Monday, 2 Feb 2015 at 12:16pm

I suggest this is helping to head towards man made or 'adjusted' point breaks, like footy fields, etc. This live cam just highlights popularity but also we are looking for more spots to surf. Bit off topic, granted but to me the comments indicate we want live access but privacy or exclusivity.

DeXtrus's picture
DeXtrus's picture
DeXtrus Monday, 2 Feb 2015 at 12:57pm

My feelings on this don't change - and the sentiment is echoed by a few I've spoken to.

Yes, everyone knows "Ours" but 98% of surfers don't want a bar of it so will never go out there to discover there could be other options within stones throw.

There is just NO NEED to do it - so why would you?

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Monday, 2 Feb 2015 at 1:05pm

Look mate, you've clearly betrayed the fact you have no idea about the area so why are you going on with this? You appear to be going out of your way to get outraged. Fact is, Middles is also a very heavy wave, blow the drop and you're a good chance of getting drydocked. Joe Average doesn't want a bar of it, nor the third wave out there, Daggers, which rarely gets surfed cos it's the heaviest of the lot.

If you're not surfing the Cape, you're not surfing any of them.

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Monday, 2 Feb 2015 at 1:09pm

Stu, you've clearly got a handle on the local sentiment there.

Apart from Mark Matthews who makes a buck from exposure what is the feeling of the guys who surf out there recreationally?

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Monday, 2 Feb 2015 at 1:12pm

About what? This webcast, or exposure in general?

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Monday, 2 Feb 2015 at 1:14pm

Well both. There seemed to be a fair bit of chagrin over the RedBull comp.

But about this setting up a camera and live webcasting recreational surfing there.

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Monday, 2 Feb 2015 at 1:31pm

I've never heard any blowback. Most crew know each other so understand the dynamics, and dialogue happens in the carpark and in the lineup and not on the internet.

The fella manning the camera the other day is very heavily embedded in the local scene there, as is his brother, and he's got full consent to film.

The Red Bull comp could''ve been handled better but that was mostly about RB denying public access - nothing to do with webcasting. Every now and again you hear people arcing up with indiscriminate rants but they're mostly like that Deckstrus dill; never surfed the wave, never likely too, yet prepared to tell locals what they can and can't do.

50young's picture
50young's picture
50young Monday, 2 Feb 2015 at 1:45pm

You surfed the Cape Stu??

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Monday, 2 Feb 2015 at 1:54pm

Yeah 50young, I have.

50young's picture
50young's picture
50young Monday, 2 Feb 2015 at 1:56pm

BIG Kahonas!! I say :)

Rabbits68's picture
Rabbits68's picture
Rabbits68 Monday, 2 Feb 2015 at 2:03pm

This sort of mobile technology is only going to get better & cheaper, there's no stopping the exposure anywhere really. If people/organizations want to pursue it, particularly if there is money to be made, directly or indirectly, they will. Some will see it as positive & some negative. It's just the way of the world. Supposed "secret" surf spots will continue to be exposed, more so as the desire to search for uncrowded surf grows exponentially.

P.S. I am not reffering to the Cape region as a "secret" surf location. I'm sure it was a long time ago....

DeXtrus's picture
DeXtrus's picture
DeXtrus Monday, 2 Feb 2015 at 2:07pm

Hi Stu, yes...I have surfed out Middles a number of times over a period of years. Increasingly its become more crowded. But no, I wouldn't surf "Ours" and unless someone removes the pinnacle of rock that sticks up out of the water half way through the wave at Daggers then I won't be going out there in a hurry either (and probably not anyway). So clearly you're wrong on this...

I am not going out of my way to be "outraged" - you're really putting words in my mouth mate.

I am quite simply saying I'm surprised we're now blatantly naming and broadcasting from a wave that was considered a semi-secret spot not all that long ago - and the benefit of why we would do that...

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Monday, 2 Feb 2015 at 2:12pm

Rabbits68 it'll really be up to local communities to make a stand if they want to preserve sanctity/privacy of spots. Not in the sense of trying to keep them off limits to other people but in the sense of maintaining them as public spaces and away from commercial activities.
I've seen local communities band together and achieve that.

Rabbits68's picture
Rabbits68's picture
Rabbits68 Monday, 2 Feb 2015 at 2:17pm

Yeah true to a degree FR. I'm all for people power & didn't mean to come across negative, but the reality being where there's a dollar to be made it often takes priority over sentiment, which is wrong IMO.

Blowin's picture
Blowin's picture
Blowin Monday, 2 Feb 2015 at 2:32pm

Rabbits, don't apologise for any perceived negativity on your behalf. That's like apologising to a developer for not approving of their attempts to build a resort on pristine bush land. The onus is on the one making the radical changes to the status quo to provide reasoning as to why it should be so and to attempt to accommodate those people affected by the changes made out of their self interest.

Doesn't make you a hater to resist changes that are detrimental to yourself.

Not referring to the Swellnet team.

DeXtrus's picture
DeXtrus's picture
DeXtrus Monday, 2 Feb 2015 at 2:17pm

Oh and for the "deckstrus dill" comment - screw you hero.

Rabbits68's picture
Rabbits68's picture
Rabbits68 Monday, 2 Feb 2015 at 2:20pm

Hey Stu, have you left any room for some humble pie? :-)

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Monday, 2 Feb 2015 at 2:45pm

Because I assumed he'd never been out there? Bit rash, maybe, but I've just had lunch, so thanks anyway.

Rabbits68's picture
Rabbits68's picture
Rabbits68 Monday, 2 Feb 2015 at 3:41pm

Yeah because everything you said about Dexta that if it is to be believed (& no reason to not be believed) turned out be clearly wrong. That's all.......

If your going to dish it out Stu, always best to take it as well :-)

urallfullacrap's picture
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urallfullacrap Tuesday, 3 Feb 2015 at 5:17pm

sorry stand up boys but I think the lids have won on wave count got to lift your game