Winter Swell
Funny how 'winter swell' means different things to different people in different parts of the country.
For me it still evokes memories of howling westerly winds and storm swells across the SA coast, with pockets of perfection as the wind veers between changes. Icecream headaches and numb toes, 3am road trips and truck stop food, lengthy hikes and empty reefs.
@staitey, I'm hearing ya fella, pretty shit up this ways too. Still lots of rain although the last week or so has settled into winter, nice blue skies 25 degrees and no rain, warm westerlies and no swell? I hope like, you say, we get some sept/oct waves, Weather seems to be a month or two later the last few years.
Ben your surf missions down the SA remind me so much of down in the Catlins, South of Dunedin. used to live in Wanaka and get up at 3am and drive, the funny thing was, down that ways if you saw someone let alone a surfer it was pretty amazing?.... No-one to be seen at all while surfing down there. 8-10 degree water, a big fire to warm up the wettie and a big sm-k_ to get you going?..
Not that I do that now, good memories for sure.
Being from around Nth NSW / QLD border I generally look forward to the potential of winter all day offshores, weeks on end of clean 3-4 ft ground swell, good banks and clean peaks everywhere. But I've found the past 2 winters have disappointed a little.
Last year it rained until July and this year followed suit scarily similar wet and warm fashion. Last year we had strange / random winter northerlies and this year we've had a bit of the same. Last winter seemed 8 foot or 1 foot. Yes we've had some nice swells (unseasonal east swell at that) but usually only for a day or 2 with the in between being fairly dribbly gutless surf.
It might be just a bit of a whinge due to the fact I haven't scored too much of late as we all have fairly short memories when it comes to swell but I'm hoping the end of winter / early spring gives us a little blast of what I mentioned above.......remember scoring great overhead beachies in Sept / Oct last year. Fingers crossed