Risky...
For clarification, I took this minutes before paddling out. Seemed like a no brainer at the time..
I would have too.
I've surfed a lot of the risky spots by myself the last cpl years too. Usually I will surf them when it's either small so I ride a log or when the waves are good like above and i will ride a 6'6 step up just to feel a bit safer :) .
I've done my share of solo dawn raids down here in SA, but it's funny, since the spate of attacks up in northern NSW, where I grew up and learnt to surf, I've been a bit freaked out about doing it, even though I'm half-way across the country. Only seen one shark since I've been here, as opposed to the hundreds now being seen around the Ballina-Brunswick stretch.
That's the thing , they're there but you just don't see them.
About 6 months ago I was up at the lookout on the point at Coolum and witnessed 2 massive manta rays swim under a group of 6 surfers out from the point. The water was crystal clear but they didn't see a thing, just gazing out to sea . Pretty sure it happens with sharks all the time.
Crazy hey. Spooky thinking about the times you didn't know..
The above was such a good day of surfing though. Surfed here for a while, it was quite heavy (This was a smaller wave), then surfed Lennox for like 4 hours.
Funniest thing is I fell UP the rocks, got a smoker all the way through and was climbing up just in front of that little shelter-y tin roof thing, got up over the slippery rocks and once I was on grass, fell backward onto my ass back down the rock bank.
I had a small Epiphany last night. Last Winter I surfed here, solo. (Patches beach, Ballina) around 7am, perfectly sunny, not a soul in sight, big trawler out the back, HUUUGE gutter on the (long) paddle out.
It just dawned on me 18 months later that this was probably a very risky decision; considering the caliber of marine life that seems to be thriving down in those areas....
Looks good though right?