Pittwater LIfe December 2019 Issue

PL’s DECEMBER SURF CALENDAR
8-20/12: Billabong Pipe Masters, Oahu, Hawaii
Biggest pro surfing event of the year and one in which numerous
narratives are at play. You can see the narratives from a distance.
There’s a world title up for grabs between the three great Brazilian
surfers, Gabriel Medina, Filipe Toledo, and frontrunner Italo
Ferreira, and the outside chance, South Africa’s Jordy Smith. There’s
the comeback of the surfer who should have been world champ
this year, John Florence, who dominated the first five events before
heading off for knee surgery. There’s the duel between John and
the great Kelly Slater for the last spot in the US Olympic surfing
team. There’s all the surfers trying to make the cutoff for the 2020
world tour. But all that pales next to the spot itself, Pipeline. If she
wakes up and starts throwing chairs around the room, all those
storylines will be rendered moot. Pittwater Life will be on the beach
so we’ll wrap the whole show for you in January’s column.
MY MASSIVE SUMMER FORECAST...
OK, bold I know, but here we go. The effects of the stratospheric
warming event to our south are declining, and with that goes the big
energy from Southern Ocean lows, which kept the surf meter ticking
through November. The NW monsoon that tends to pull moisture
down across Australia and plays a part in feeding tropical surf
energy is very slow to start this year.
Still, December should see a classic early summer trough of low
pressure form and re-form across the continent, running NW/SE and
facing off against a Tasman Sea high. This is usually a precursor to
the monsoon, but in December, for us at least, it’s likely to result in
hot, dry days relieved by strong coastal northerlies and occasional
thunderstorms. Very bleak surf outlook through this period – if you
see a wave, catch it. January may see a change to some cooler
damp weather coming in from the SE off the Tasman and breaking
up those northerlies, though still not a lot of surf.
Good news? Not many bluebottles in these wind patterns. Bad
news? Not much overhead surf until February, when the monsoon
shoulda kicked in properly and some kind of tropics action begins.
Have a fantastic Christmas anyway!
Nick Carroll
Surfing Life
out of a wetsuit in some
carpark in mid-winter, the
surf poncho was bound to
evolve into something a little
less rank. Slowtide is a very
modern brand of apres-surf
gear – towels etc – and they
make very cool designed-up
versions of the surf poncho
(left), they’ll fit pretty much
anyone and they definitely had
a major edge on the three or
four scary dirty old things in
the back of my car. $99. From
Glass Avenue, Newport
EXPERIENCES!
It’s the New Black as far as gifts
go, right? If you’re not having
an Experience, you’re barely
living...
An hour in a wave machine!
Surfing is full of accidental
experiences but one super
strange, very non-accidental
one will soon be appearing on
the Australian surfing radar.
That is the URBNsurf Tullamarine
wave pool (above),
The Local Voice Since 1991
designed by Spanish wave
generating company Wavegarden
and built by its Australian
franchisee URBNsurf. It’s the
first and only modern (i.e. actually
generating rideable waves)
wave-pool open to the public in
Australia, and while it’s no Kelly
Slater Wave Company monster,
it’s something you’ll never have
done before. Plus because it’s
next to the airport, it’s pretty
much a FIFO. We understand
bookings will be open from
January, unless you’re willing
to bust out several thousand
bucks for what they call a Foundation
Membership. Otherwise,
under $100 an hour at https://
urbnsurf.com
DECEMBER 2019 45