Saturday, July 25, 2015

The X Files

Abundance of swell brings crazy and interesting uncoverings.
Colm Dubienic goes left first time ever captured on camera.
Paua Diver surfaces just in time for some inside action......
The truth is out there.....

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Mikes link Fixed

Mikeys give a little link is http://givealittle.co.nz/cause/helpmikeycompete

Club Sub Drive

Hi Folks , just been mulling over the last years club sub's and it seems we only have 6 paying members as opposed to original 30 or so... Pretty keen to get some more t-shirts or hoodies and beloved bumper stickers printed but this involves ample club funds. Club account details below.

Account Name: Nelson Boardriders Surf Club
> > Account: ANZ 01 0702 0238590 00
> > use name as reference
> >
> > 12months sub = $25.00

Please note there is no pressure to pay nor join just follow your heart.....

kind regards,
 

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Fred Dagg was Right!! -

 Guest Author -   Sam Dillon

Winter can be depressing. It can get you down, it can get you cold, it can even get you dreaming of tropical climes.....
As surfers , especially Nelson surfers, we have a secret weapon to combat the cold! Because we know that winter is the season of swell when those big low pressure systems track further north, marching across the Tasman and kicking up the northerly ground swells we crave, you know the ones – the only ones fit into that funky jigsaw puzzle shape that is Tasman bay.
Only trouble is when the school holidays roll around my snow-crazy family harass me to head south into the mountains and ride the big white walls instead. But this year I had a cunning plan, with a frothing teenage grommet son who was ready to be blooded with some proper cold water surfing(well he claims he was raised as a toddler down the coast), I thought why not throw the boards in too and surf the icy perfection of Kaikoura on the way south? And so we did, scoring some nice SE swell at afternoon Manga’s followed by a solid glassy Meatworks session the next morning, brilliant!
First lesson for the young fella: (and one I seem re-learn every winter) Kaiks is a whooole lot colder than Nelly..... cue the Fred Dagg song. We dont know how lucky we aaare son!

Next mission is drive all night to Omarama and stay in a mates shearer’s quarters, then wake up to minus 13! Well that aint my lucky number I can tell you. The soggy wetsuits I left hanging overnight in the woolshed have got 6 inch icecles dripping off them by morning and the booties.... well you could hammer a nail in with them! Dont get that in Nelson.
The upside to minus 13 is that the snow is in perfect condition and we spend the next few days making pigs of ourselves boarding & skiing the mountains above lake Ohau, mint! Freshmint actually. Boarding a big powder face is a bit like paddling into a giant bomb at Jaws or Cortez Bank.... without all the danger and certain death hold downs, like! Heading back north to Arthurs Pass we score another day of mountain action before checking in with Grassmaster swell tracking dotcom (we have been happily divorced form the internet for many days). The Godfather of surf advises us to pin it straight down the line for home as the goods are due for delivery soon. Thats all it takes and we scorch northwards up the west coast stopping to watch the hardy Cobden locals ripping through barrelling high tide lefts along the breakwater whilst being blast frozen by the vicious 30 knot offshore Greymouth “Barber”. Hmmm makes our SW look tame.
We cruise north through Punakiki stopping to surf big clean Tauranga bay and for a real treat a sand bottom and no booties required. Another late night driving mission has us pulling in to the Glen in the pitch black and winding down the window to a warm northerly which felt distinctly tropical after the deep south. I swear I could hear the sound of coconuts falling from the palms...... although I guess it could have been the rocks rolling round in the shorebreak! We dont know how lucky we are son.
We wake on Sunday morning to the deep Boom Boom of a solid long period swell and instantly know the drive was worth it. After a slow start you can imagine the bewilderment  of pulling into an empty Snappers carpark...... what the ?? Has there been a Mick Fanning moment or something? 
Paddling out a crazy grin spread across my face as an empty double overhead set rumbles through, and then as I swing and drop down the face of a big freight train a full “Confucious-Grasshopper” moment ensued as I realized the irony of the fact that I’d driven thousands of Km in a giant circle only to find the ultimate stoke right on my front doorstep!
 
(above): Sam returns home to THE solo session.   Photo: Rob McDonald
The ultimate full circle.... We’re unaware of how fortuituos are the circumstances Fred!
Written and directed by Sam Dillon.
    

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Forget TC Pam - Tasman Low Takes Over!!


(above): Six Foot Snaps and One Guy Out!..... Photo: Damir Kolonic
Watching the latest low rip across the Tasman Sea in 24hours was quite amazing. With feelings that it could produce a swell bigger and better than earlier in the week's 6 foot power swell it was also unimagineable but alas, the isobar wind quills had winds in this low exceeding 55 knots. Most swell forecast sights were pretty slow on the uptake with this swell and only those with some old school weather nouse were on the spot for this doozy of a swell which lets face it... and try argue the point if you like. Pretty much put Cyclone Pam to bed.
(above): This guy even got married on this sandbar..... Photo: Jordy Soole

(above): Cable Bay All Day...... Photo: Colm Dubienic
It just goes to show that you really do never know your luck in Surf City. The craziest thing about this swell was lack of crowds and evidence grew throughout the day that basically everyone was spread out with crew surfing Snappers at 6foot with only a couple guys out, Cable Bay and Delaware Bay likewise.Even Rabbit Island and Tahunanui Beaches were pumping basically absolutely everywhere was pumpingg!! The lack of people in the water was astonishing and. well..... maybe it was just that little bit too cold naaaawwww coochie-coo !!!!!

Awesome day boys and girls!!! Super Stoked.
(above): The Serenity.....   Photo: Mike Baker

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Local Bodysurfer Invited to World Bodysurfing Champs !!

The Del Mar Bodysurfing Club in San Diego have invited Mikey Baker to compete in their team at the World Bodysurfing Championships, in August 22,23 - 2015 at Oceanside Beach in San Diego, California, USA. With a lack of means to get there, a friend has loaned him $1900 for the cost of the return air fare and other friends are getting in behind his mission to help him pay this back. If you would like to support Mikey the link is http://givealittle.co.nz/cause/helpmikeycompeteLets hope he gets the kind of quality waves like this, that we enjoyed c/o Tropical Cyclone Pam!

Friday, July 10, 2015

You Love Surf City Nelson.

Sit back and have a good old think about surfing in Nelson and a wry little grin will appear upon your chin... Sure we may not get waves everyday but you tell me a place that does?..This whole little spill stems from midweek conversations with a couple of groups of people who are heading away from Nelson, one lot to the snow and the other to Indo and overseas.. As jealous as I am I had to throw in the old "but you're gonna miss next weeks swell", line and funnily enough it is enough to make any die-hard Nelson frother absolutely cringe. As much as we pine over the "next week's" forecast, the next swell always does come. The pre-swell tension starts to build and when the swell finally arrives we are all such a happy bunch we are like kids to a bouncy castle.
(above): Geoff Noble bringing back the fun.... Photo: Jordy Soole.

This blog contains a "sitemeter" and the 2nd most popular overseas country that visits is Indonesia.
I mean really, who sits in Indo wondering if theyre missing a Nelson swell...???  I know I probably would...

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Photo of the Week

(above): Steve "Blink" Blenkiron gets all Speed Racer on it!!..... Photo"Bill Evans"

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Froth-Dogs Predictions

Froth-Dog's Predictions:

" Forget the 4th of July my puppies....Numbers 15 and 18 are your lucky numbers this month...."

Just When you thought it was over someone grabs you by the cucumber 🥒

What’s really going on .....