Watch: Gissy gets a walloping

Stu Nettle picture
Stu Nettle (stunet)
Swellnet Dispatch

"To be clear: they’re going to consolidate very well at some point, and New Zealand is gonna cop a hiding as a series of large NE and E’ly swells make landfall."

That's Swellnet forecaster Ben Matson describing a series of tropical lows that danced around the ocean north of New Zealand over the weekend. The quote appeared in Ben's East Coast forecast notes, with Ben deducing that NZ would cop a hiding, but Australia's East Coast, which lies in the swell shadow of NZ, wouldn't.

And so it came to pass...

So here then is a taste of what we would've received had the simple matter of tectonic drift progressed differently all those years ago.

Footage courtesy of the Gissy Herald.

Comments

Blowin's picture
Blowin's picture
Blowin Wednesday, 13 Feb 2019 at 1:37pm

Island Bay's picture
Island Bay's picture
Island Bay Wednesday, 13 Feb 2019 at 2:30pm

That same big left, only bigger and cleaner. Starts at 3:58:

Craig's picture
Craig's picture
Craig Wednesday, 13 Feb 2019 at 2:51pm

Amazing, not much given away there but a tiny cut away and it confirms where I thought it was.

dandandan's picture
dandandan's picture
dandandan Wednesday, 13 Feb 2019 at 3:55pm

Is that the wave NPJ and co. surf in Glass Love?

Island Bay's picture
Island Bay's picture
Island Bay Wednesday, 13 Feb 2019 at 4:06pm

I think that was all South Island, DDD.

goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot Wednesday, 13 Feb 2019 at 3:32pm

incredible IB

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Wednesday, 13 Feb 2019 at 4:10pm

Hell of a wave IB.

While snooping around the 'net this afternoon I came across one of my fave NZ clips.

So apropos of nothing at all...

Craig's picture
Craig's picture
Craig Wednesday, 13 Feb 2019 at 4:25pm

Haha, all time. Love the contemplation and then yep, boom.. get him!

goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot Wednesday, 13 Feb 2019 at 4:28pm

Wonder what the conversation was once they surfaced?

Island Bay's picture
Island Bay's picture
Island Bay Thursday, 14 Feb 2019 at 6:02am

"brooo, the fuk you do that for ya dropin fuquit, aye!"
"fodes carralho!"

Spuddups's picture
Spuddups's picture
Spuddups Thursday, 14 Feb 2019 at 9:10am

My sources from the lower South Island east coast inform me that it was maccing down there as well. So basically the entire east cost of NZ from The Far North to The Deep South was pumping for the best part of a week. Still plenty of left over swell today as well. Not like we've had a shortage of swell from other sources this summer on the East Coast (Particularly between Gisborne and Dunedin) but so often over here we see those Tasman lows spinning south east swell back to Oz while we're getting fuck all from them. Kinda nice to have the situation reversed for once!

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Thursday, 14 Feb 2019 at 9:13am

You get some yourself, Spud?

Spuddups's picture
Spuddups's picture
Spuddups Thursday, 14 Feb 2019 at 9:29am

I'm in Wellington so no NE swell here, only south swell. It's a 2hr drive to where the NE swell gets in and pretty much everyone I know dropped everything and headed over. I've got a week surfing around the Bottom of the South Island starting Saturday so I couldn't get together enough surf credit's from the wife to chase it this week. So to cut a long story short, no, I got lashed! Still, we've had two week long pumping south swells so far this month so I've been doing a shit load of surfing so no drama.

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Thursday, 14 Feb 2019 at 9:35am

Whats surf like there Spud?

Looks totally tucked in behind the South Island at a glance.

Swell comes up the east side of S Island?

Or W swells from the Tasman?

Island Bay's picture
Island Bay's picture
Island Bay Thursday, 14 Feb 2019 at 9:47am

We get swells from SSW to SE, Freeride. West coast just north of us gets NW swell (rare).

It's a strange place surfwise. No local grommets, but a flow of Uni students. If you don't know and don't look, you could surf very little.

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Thursday, 14 Feb 2019 at 9:52am

Good mate of mine really found his groove in Wellington. Chased a girl there, lost her, found another, then never came home. Put himself through uni, regular trips to the Wairarapa to feed his surf lust, keeps his head down during Bledisloe time. Loves it.

He came back recently and I barely recognised the rough neck sparky I knew.

Island Bay's picture
Island Bay's picture
Island Bay Thursday, 14 Feb 2019 at 9:58am

That sounds like a few people I know, Stu, incl myself.

It's a funny old place, but quite civilised in its own way. Best coffee and beer in the world, I reckon.
You've got to learn to live with wind, flat spells, driving, and lots of jagged rocks in the surf. No use just turning up at the local beachie and thinking you can surf that every day. Endless variables that need to be considered, which keeps crowds at a minimum in many spots.

mick-free's picture
mick-free's picture
mick-free Thursday, 14 Feb 2019 at 11:10am

Spot has been well documented, but boys surfing further out at big brothers, not without consequences though, Sanga broke his femur.

Freeride epic trip Wairapa (SE North Island). You have to explore though..which means turn up and ask where to go. Anyone who is super horny...get onto imoova.com you can relocate campervan for $5 a day and just follow the swell.

Was only 8 foot one afternoon but my home break was best in 20 years. Bugger

inzider's picture
inzider's picture
inzider Thursday, 14 Feb 2019 at 7:18pm

My sauces said the rapa had poose winds but would have been all-time otherwise

inzider's picture
inzider's picture
inzider Thursday, 14 Feb 2019 at 7:22pm

My sauces said the rapa had poose winds but would have been all-time otherwise.

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Thursday, 14 Feb 2019 at 7:49pm

Good to hear from you again, Inzider. Hope you've been well.

inzider's picture
inzider's picture
inzider Thursday, 14 Feb 2019 at 9:44pm

Yeah mate all good surfed bells on monday . 4ft sets every half hour
Just had to snake Vic local
Had to wear hi vis over my we try tho

Island Bay's picture
Island Bay's picture
Island Bay Friday, 15 Feb 2019 at 3:35am

Your sources were wrong, Inzider. It was as good as it gets.

Stupot's picture
Stupot's picture
Stupot Thursday, 14 Feb 2019 at 8:59pm

Too windy here, Northland looked epic...

crg's picture
crg's picture
crg Thursday, 14 Feb 2019 at 9:59pm

I've been receiving a steady stream of insanely perfect, empty line up shots of Northland from a Kiwi photog mate.
He was virtually begging me to come over for the swell and I just couldn't swing it.
He said he's now going to punish me with the evidence.
Hahaha...prick.

Island Bay's picture
Island Bay's picture
Island Bay Friday, 15 Feb 2019 at 11:46am

Lower North Island summary:

The best righthander in the area, and one of the best in the country, went off. Pumping swell all week, and from Tuesday afternoon till Late Friday morning, it was either glassy or offshore.

Yesterday was 4-5ft, pumping, offshore, 31 degrees, and one guy out all day!!!

Craig's picture
Craig's picture
Craig Friday, 15 Feb 2019 at 11:51am

Jeezus..

inzider's picture
inzider's picture
inzider Friday, 15 Feb 2019 at 1:46pm

Island bay
Why would you gloat about uncrowded waves? Rocks in your head mate?

Island Bay's picture
Island Bay's picture
Island Bay Friday, 15 Feb 2019 at 2:42pm

Lower North Island. Not exactly a tightly defined spot, is it?

Also, I didn't invite anyone to surf this spot with me, and didn't talk about the swell till after the event. I didn't post any photos of it or mention any names. And not gloating, just marvelling, as it wasn't me out there by myself, but a good mate.

But if you want the dark side of it, Wednesday morning was really crowded.