Shippies at the height of this week's swell pulse
Surfers around the world were watching and waiting this swell. The biggest Antarctic storm of the year so far has generated a massive swell that has been surfed in Indonesia, Western Australia, South Australia, and Tuesday was our turn to sample its power.
Camping under the stars, waiting for waves
So much of surfing is about the thrill of the chase, identifying a storm that could create swell, figuring out were and when that swell could reach landfall. Taking a punt, committing and just go. I travelled up the Shippies with Jessie Peters and Luke Crouch ahead of the swell to be there for it's arrival.
Supertubes on the evening the swell started to pulse. Click on the image to see it larger and for purchasing options
It's exciting to be in place waiting to welcome waves. The points slowly filled with other surfer/campers. There's always a friendly vibe of a shared goal and maybe even a mutual appreciation of a shared methodology- be there, be Johnny on the spot. It's really quite a privilege to enjoy Shippies' beauty.
Jesse, stoking on the evening camp vibes
Fellow photog Lindsay Butler, back from working on the Rigs in the Bass Strait, and hating being on the frontside of the lens
Best bach on the beach!
Everyone slept lightly, the swell, very literally, started to roar at 1am. Moonlit lines of whitewash pushing further out and along, is it peaking now? Will it last until dawn? Am I parked high enough up out of the washes?
The mission I came for, pano camera in place
No one slept in, that said no one hurried out either, the swell was huge and the tide was only going to get better. I had my own mission, and I was not relishing it. On my [ever growing] Need To Have image list is a series of images from Shippies super dune. It's a daunting dune for a film photographer, but I wanted to take up enough kit that I had everything covered.
Simplicity and muted morning tones, Click on the image to see it larger and for purchasing options
Time to shoot some surfing
Old mate Dave Gilbert giving the swell some scale
Tom Shand was ripping on his snubby
How stoked would you be with this wall to scribe on!
The swell that made many a camper very happy
That trek up the dune was appreciated, Surfline ran one of my images.