Banzai

Even though the surf is about half the size it was yesterday, I think it is better for us along the Manly stretch. The swell also seems to have turned more east, so it is hitting the banks and holding up a little better than the last few days. Smaller waves, fewer closeouts, more turns, more fun…
Don’t be fooled by the nice warm colours in today’s photographs. Although the sun is out and everything looks to be bathed in warmth, it is damn chilly on the beach in the mornings with these......

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With line upon line of south swell pushing into Manly, hitting the banks and shutting down with ruler edge precision along the beach, I figured it was a good morning to take a drive ‘over yonder’. What I found a little higher up the Northern Beaches peninsula was a very tasty looking wave, basking in the early morning offshore breeze. I’ll admit it was damn near freezing at dawn, but getting good waves before breakfast will always warm the soul…

Joel Coleman…

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Before the sun came up I took a quick look at Manly and saw a beautiful left reel off at Queenscliff. I then jumped in the car and darted over to the south facing beaches to check the conditions. Even though it was bigger, the winds were not as favourable and there seemed to be a lot of wobble to every wave. With time before the sun broke the horizon, I headed back to Manly only to see that beautiful left had turned into a grizzly rip. The rest of the beach was producing some pretty impressi......

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Every now and again you read something in the news about the ‘best cities in the world to live in.’ If the writers were at a Sydney beach this morning we are sure to be top of that list.. It’s May, nearly winter, pfft to that! The weatherman is telling us it will be 28 degrees today. A warm water eddy is sitting off the coast meaning seawater temps are at 22 degrees. With such warm weather and light westerly winds predicted, I personally think everyone should be given the day off to en......

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While the swell might have faded even more overnight and the early low tide was causing most waves to close out across the banks, it is a spectacular day with the forecast telling us to expect 25 degrees of bliss! It is still worth a surf as the tide fills in and you know there is nothing better than some Saltwater Meditation on a day like today!...
Mothers Day is this Sunday. Sure, flowers and chocolates are nice, but mum would be more impressed with a special artwork from the Saltmotion G......

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Sorry about the lame pun in today’s title but, honestly, I could not think of any other way to describe what is going on around Manly at the moment. Actually it’s not just Manly that is providing great waves; most of the east cost is producing quality surf from this swell. The size has dropped a little since yesterday and the direction shifted slightly more south, winds are still offshore and the sun is out. What more could you ask for? Perhaps some crowd repellent. There were a lot of p......

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The sky turned on an amazing show of neon colours from horizon to horizon this morning. Not to be outdone by the colours in the sky, the ocean put on a show of its own. Freshly groomed groundswell and good quality sandbanks made for an epic early morning session in the surf. All areas along the Manly stretch from south to north had good waves and a number of hollow caves on offer. If you are reading this and did not surf today, I hate to tell you, but you missed out. However, the good news i......

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Green peelers were the order of the morning. The early high tide was gobbling up the swell and, unless you are a 45kg supergrom, the only option was to head out on a board measuring somewhere north of 8 foot. If styling along knee high waves is just not your thing, hang in there as a fresh swell is in the post which should arrive sometime over the weekend…
The Saltmotion Gallery is open all weekend, its the perfect place to sort out something special for mum. That’s right, mother’s day ......

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With another cracker of a morning, filled with sunshine and gentle offshore breezes, it was perfect for an early swim with the camera. The water temperature is still slightly north of 20 degrees making it even more inviting. I am not sure how much longer this run will last so make the most of it before winter bashes its way into town. The charts are showing some swell on the way for the weekend, winds look pretty good too, time to start making plans…

Joel Coleman…

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Nice light for photographing at the beach this morning with a thin band of cloud on the horizon giving way to a clear sky. Autumn mornings like this tend to start off pretty chilly then warm up rapidly a few minutes after the sun rises. You can tell just by looking at what people are wearing whether they left the house before or after the sun came up!... Wave wise there are some good options along the beach. It is not as clean as yesterday however the wobble in the swell seems to opening up ......

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