Swellnet Sessions

The Great East Coast Flat Spell of 2013 broke yesterday - at least for past of the afflicted coastline.

After nigh on four weeks of abject flatness an unseasonal trade wind blast coated the NSW north coast and Queensland coasts in mid-range waves. It was bigger enough to round the points at Noosa where Jack Dekort was Johnny on the spot for these photos.

All photos by Jack

A few years back Andrew and Richard James, brothers from Sydney (although Andrew is now a Bass Strait beef farmer), travelled from Capetown to Casablanca, traversing the entire west coast of Africa. They turned that epic trip into the equally epic film, Thirty Thousand.

Ain't nothing like a holiday to a far away land, somewhere that contrasts deeply with home to jolt you out of the daily grind. Tasmanian photographer, Nigel Eberhardt, knows such a place and escapes there when the need arises. Stuffed deep within the tropics where the air is thick and water blue it's as far removed as could be imagined from home.

Nigel has also included a selection of Tasmanian shots. Take away the rubber, replace the eucalypts with palm trees and they're not that different from his tropical retreat.

All photos by Nigel.

Apologies if you came here looking for info on the contest, I didn't watch a single wave. Looks like the usual suspects are still in the running so all is well in the world.

If you'd like a well-researched and written report on the day by someone who knows how to do their job click here.

However, if you just want to look at pretty photos, well, here they are.

West Australian lensman Mark Cooper just returned from an awesome eight day charter off the Maldivian North Male Atolls aboard The Perfect Wave vessel, Haira. For over a week Mark and friends surfed amazing waves in crystal clear Maldivian water.