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

What’s really going on .....

SNAP OUT OF IT SNAPPERHEADS !!

Wakey Wakey retired surf city civilians I come bearing great news !!! After an incredibly relentless and frustratingly long and if not history making flat spell basically since early December if you don’t count the tease and hoaxe Cyclone Oma..... trust me on this one .... It’s all about to change for the better !!! Stay tuned this weekend as I continue revamping this website breathing life into our dull and flaccid nelson surf lives ..... get ready for the ride

December: The Month The Waves Came.

Hey there guys and long time no update and many apology due to the fact of locking myself out of my own google account which may have been a good thing as well as a bad thing!!
Rightio.... DECEMBER and wow what a start last weekend with just about every break in town pumping with one particular Saturday evening session going down at Snappers in the glassy 6 foot realm some calling "the best in 3 years"... I guess they mean since Cyclone Pam then?
Alas however Snappers was not the only place firing on all cyclinders and the gossip from round town is that Cable Bay was equally as good on the Saturday evening.
Just when you thought it was all over on monday it actually wasnt it was still a good 3foot down at Schnaps and only 5 or 6 crew onto it and then just to add insult to injury yesterday another swell appeared and today well. you guessed it,,,,,, there is still waves ,,,,
So December the 5th and 5 days in a row where it hasnt dropped below 3 feet.,(head high).
Not bad for a town with no waves.

So anybody seen this young lad around the lineup lately?
Dont worry you will.
Nelsonboardriders would like to welcome Tom and Dom to Surf City.
A father and son combo set to rival any Charlie Medina, Gabby mix it is great to have these guys move into town and give the nest a good ruffle, both these guys are incredibly accomplished surfers ,
young Tom finishing second in the under 14 U.K tour last year is no mean feat.
I am personally also a little excited to see this young lad wipe some smirks off some faces of some more prominent South Island Clubs over the next calendar year. No Pressure tho Tommy !!
Also a shout out to Surf Mum Sara who waits patiently on the beach while the boys put on the show.

SO anyways...... its been pumping, it still is kinda pumping by Nelson standards so lets get out there and celebrate the warm water and waves !!

Oh and best of luck to Josh Sheridan and Tom on their strike mission to westport for the first of the SOuth Island Grom Series events this weekend!!!   Smash it up boys !!

Well its been a long time now its time to get your bubble burst.

Well now wait a minute..... What the hell does that title even mean??
What now?, let me tell you what now.
It all begins with complacency.

(above): Graham Clark during the session known as Nicaragua 

Getting lazy in surf city can mean missed oppurtunity and your surfing 'career' can fly right by without you even noticing then next minute you're riding a mountbike or a SUP claiming a higher special relationship with nature. That my friends is the easy way out .
You want to be a surfer in Nelson you have to keep that froth going day in, day out.
Stare at the forecast charts 7 - 10 - 15 days out even, and never ever lose sight of the next approaching swell, ignore surf forecasting sites with convenient bar graphs and worm and use old man of the sea weather map nouse and coincide with coastal marine weather forecasts.
" I dont have a surfing career" I hear you say... ok then Donavan Frankenreiter perhaps 'career' was a poor choice of word but the point is the same.
It is Nelson we live in, dont take your finger off the trigger cos that target in sight may be gone the next time you look.

The water is warming up. What is your excuse..... see you out there.

:note- this article is written for tounge in cheek purpose and by no means should you forfeit any activity you enjoy the same as you enjoy surfing.

Surf City Window Chasers

This week's consistent swell forecast would add weight to the fact that Nelson does infact have a "swell season" and we would largely say mid winter to mid spring whereby system after system of consistent Northwest to Southwest flow comes through the days get longer and the nightime temps not so frosty. A vast array of waves last week including empty Cable Bay and extra large Schnappers made it so that most of us got wet.

So the above forecast looks great on paper, but it will be a case of Johnny on the Spot.
Northwest/Southwest flows are fickle beasts and what might be ugly one hour may be pumping the next. Its all about picking the right window. Im hoping you all get something to smile about !!

So before I gloat and post pictures of my solo session at Cable Bay please be aware that September 5th there is a great surf movie club fundraiser going down at NMIT theatre with award winning feature film "The Way" coming thru town...... tickets are 15 bux and preface drinks and nibbles provided. MORE BIG INFO COMING SOON  !!!

Take it away Cable Bay.

The Truth About Your Local :

Introducing Schnapper Point, Nelson. The most crowded wave in Nelson and how often surfing here ends in frustration, sometimes joy but most of the times,
,,,,, a mixture of both.
Lets take a sit down and have a talk about exactly why.......

Schnappers - as a good friend once put to me - is like the local pub, the local hang, the local skatepark.
Its the place we go to immediately due to the fact that it... lets face it, is ridiculously convenient.
Its an easy paddle out the back, breaks both left and right and it also receives, well, attracts the most rideable swell in Nelson. The only place that perhaps gets more is the blind channel or "brokeback bar" but lets just leave that stuff up to the sup guys and girls as its realistically not surfable on a conventional surfboard.Aaah yes Schnappers or Snappers, however you want to spell it can be a ridiculously good wave on a really good swell and generally its a pretty user friendly kind of break with easy entry from each side and it is also closest break to town depending on where you live.
It can also be a ridiculously crap wave in weak wind swell.

The point of this spill is the fact that time and time again I hear people complaining about altercation and or interactions in the surf regarding dropping in , snaking, wave hogging, angry grumpy surfers and all of the above. Sure, I have even heard people talk about intimate relationships with the wave but lets face it, in short we go there ,,,,, because it is easy .

I guess the point im trying to make is that if you go there to surf, It most likely will be crowded. It is a shifting peak so there will technically always be someone who has "snaked" you. There may be frustrated heated exchanges even... just like the local bar haha,  but you may also... if you have the right attitude, end up having some good yarns and leave with a smile on your dial rather than venomous spite. I see and hear so many "beaten wife syndrome" stories where people complain about surfing at snappers then return there very next surf. If you dont like it, dont surf there. Take Nathan Torvic for example,,, he lives at Cable Bay and has lived in elson for a good 6 years and has never surfed Snappers.... he just surfs Delaware and Cables,,,, likewise for a couple of Glenduan residents I know who just surf the Glen and those random Rabbit Island locals that only seem to be at Rabbit Island.

Another absolute gem is when I myself and the whole Nelson Boardriders club get blamed for the surf being crowded at Snappers.... an amazing feat if it were true but it leaves me in tears, of laughter.

"But I dont have time to go anywhere else", another classic line.  Its a 5-10 minute drive and sometimes 10minute walk to the nearest and most likely better class waves. Leave home earlier or talk less shit in the carpark,

Anyways, dont be a sook, if you go to Snappers it will be crowded and you will most likely get snaked or burned, unless it gets over 4foot then we start to find out the who and the what is really going on. To the beginner, it really isnt the best place to learn to surf, try Rabbit Island, Delaware Beach or Tahunanui, the secret to learning and improving your surfing is catching heaps and heaps of waves and if you turn up to Snappers and there is 15 cars in the carpark, 23 surfers in the water and 2 set waves every ten minutes then its pretty obvious its going to be hard to get a wave whether your a beginner or an elitist.

Change your Attitude and Broaden your Horizons.

Most of all, Have Fun !!!

BONUS BITCH !! :  

 When people turn up and check snappers from the end of the carpark drive with their hands on their hips or heads for 10 or more minutes and look up and down the boulder bank like they have a special affinity with mother nature............. FFS,,,, just get out there !! Beggars Cant be Chosers !!!

Swell Season On !!!

(above) TuaraWhati in all its Glory.

Just like that. The flick of a switch. Four days in a row of waves and at least 2 more systems on the way in the forseeable future, just as the last post predicted. You just never know your luck in Surf City Nelson.!!

Less than Average.

(above): Its no secret, but it is a myth. over the hill round the way follow the yellow brick road.

Make no mistakes nor excuses Nelson Surflings the last 4 months basically since Cyclone Gita we have had an incredibly poor run. Lacklustre windswells and delapidating systems excite the senses upon approach only to dissipate upon arrival. Stare at the sky and question yourselves "what does it all mean" as we pass the shortest day of the year the truth lies plane to see.... ahem...
 Anyhow that one probably flew straight over the top of most peoples heads.

Ok, so what does it mean?..... It means one thing.  -Things can only get better.

The next sytem approaching may be the one we have been waiting for.... the trend bucker, the mover and shaker.... the pattern destroyer,

However it pans out........ you just never know your luck in Surf City.

Keeping it Simple.

Good afternoon surflings.We hope you are keeping warm on this deceptively not warm kind of day. Sure it is sunny but step into the shade for a moment brother/sister and you will know what I mean.

Above: Best Part of SISA contests is hanging with crew from all over, Nelson, Greymouth , Piha you name it their in there!

Right without further ado a quick spill on the Coldwater Classic , lets just say the Nelson crew did exceptionally well for the first time ever all competitors made their heats on the first day meaning we got to surf the contest the second day. Josh Sheridan raised his own bar and went on a Tear plowing through 3 heats on the first day lifting the rest of the Nelson crews' performance big time and with grommet Raul Ventura being pitted against myself in an early heat their were in-house bets on who would take down who but lets just say in the end common sense prevailed!! Wink wink, nudge nudge, know what I mean.

So with contest finishing up and our club finishing second on the quiz night to make up for our water skills it was an awesomely great and fitting send-off to our club treasurer/sec Trudie Pegg who is handing in her badge and gun as club treasurer.

What this means in the interim is myself, el-president'e is going to call some shots whilst we seek a new and worthy replacement for Trudie.
Basically, club subs are mostly due for most crew but this time we are lucky enough to have a giant box of wax so basically if you pay your subs we will send you 2x blocks of wax as an enticement to pay, all you need to do is pay your subs to this account ANZ nelson Boardriders surf club 010702 0238590 00 .... use name as reference then either facey message your address or email it to nelsonboardriders @ hotmail dot com ...........

Its not rocket science so rather than you guys asking if your subs are due perhaps check your own bank statements via search and if you havent paid in the last 12 months or even 10 months then perhaps just do the conscience thing and pay up , I am not going to police payments as its you guys who are dedicating the dosh but dont be surprised if I pull that "free sausage" out of your mouth next club day !!! 

JJokes Aside.
*We are looking at a club contest mid august til mid september .
*Expressions of interest for club tres/sec welcome.

NELSONBOARDRIDERS - "Making Average Surfers Look Reasonable since 2005"

Coldwater Classic Team All Geared Up

Thats right! This weekend heralds the Coldwater Classic Surfing Competition in Kaikoura beginning
Friday. Half a dozen crew from Nelson are travelling down including Adan Saroka, Josh Sheridan, Emma Pegg, Raul Ventura, Graham Clark and Me, Myself and I. 
Not to mention camp mother and swan dancing club sec/treas Trudie Pegg.
Shacking up and somewhat teaming up with the Buller Crew it should be an awesome atmosphere.
The forecast doesnt look all out amazing for the event itself but the first day and the Thursday we travel down look particularly tasty !!

If you are at a loose end this weekend we invite you all to come check out the action with some big name surfers from both the North and South Islands competing this looks set to be an action packed event as always.
If you cant join us then give us a prop and a good luck wish as its always great to rep surf city at these events !!

Mahalo.

Disorganised Chaos Prevails

The title says it all...... what all surfers despise the most is organisation - which is why it has taken me 14 years to realise what the Nelson Boardriders Club is actually about.... breathe deep and dig in.

(above): Names to be Confirmed - This is what its all about people.

Ok so I guess this is waht happens when you order 60 sausages insead of 200.....
What an AMAZING DAY on Sunday for our Club BBQ get-together,.. at one stage I counted 40 frothing little and big kids in the water along our section of beach frontage ( where we were set-up) and how I dont attribute everyones attendance to our club thing I do think 80percent of the crew there were part of it..... and the word of mouth got around amongst the young crew and it brought out exactly what this club is and is not about.
First and foremost. Enjoying Surfing. Then sharing that enjoyment with new-comers and alongside your more experienced of surfing friends who are telling tall stories and just relishing in all that is soothing about our salty pastime.

Nelson will never be able to hail a super established surf club like the likes of our more consistent of coastal neighbours such as the Christchurch and Buller Crew because basically because we lack consistency of surf. When you couple that with the fact that surfers are generally lacklustre when it comes to organising mostly anything due to the fact that we like to leave ourselves open to last minute spontanaity...... aint that the truth.

So, without further ado heres a couple of outcomes from the weekend.
First up, a massive and huge thank you to our club treasurer/secretary Trudie Pegg who will be standing down from this position come the start of June and completion of the Kaikoura Coldwater Classic.
Basically she has had enough of you disorganised lot and has a bruised forehead from banging her head against the wall repeatedly but more importantly the end of the year will see her daughter Emma leaving school and quite possibly leaving our wee little town and therefore theres not so much of a vested interest for Trudie any longer however she has hinted at a new surf photographer career path.
Massive thank you to you Trudie from myself personally and from everyone involved in the club, as having you on board ( see what I did there) has been an amazing ride ( and again ) and it has been great to see a bit of push and shove where there was need be - and your efforts have been crucial to the club as it stands now.

Where does the club stand now?
After the weekends outcome we have never looked better.
So many newcomers to the beach and good to see some old faces back involved. We look to have a meeting mid JUNE and I rally all parents of new comers to consider taking up a serious position within the club .

Yes but what is the Nelson Boardriders Club?
Most of the time..... nothing.- but some of the time Everything.

NELSONBOARDRIDERS - "Making Average Surfers Look Reasonable since 2005"

Peace out.

Disorganised Chaos Prevails

The title says it all...... what all surfers despise the most is organisation - which is why it has taken me 14 years to realise what the Nelson Boardriders Club is actually about.... breathe deep and dig in.

(above): Names to be Confirmed - This is what its all about people.

Ok so I guess this is waht happens when you order 60 sausages insead of 200.....
What an AMAZING DAY on Sunday for our Club BBQ get-together,.. at one stage I counted 40 frothing little and big kids in the water along our section of beach frontage ( where we were set-up) and how I dont attribute everyones attendance to our club thing I do think 80percent of the crew there were part of it..... and the word of mouth got around amongst the young crew and it brought out exactly what this club is and is not about.
First and foremost. Enjoying Surfing. Then sharing that enjoyment with new-comers and friends alike alongside your more experienced of surfing friends who are telling tall stories and just relishing in all that is soothing about our salty pastime.

Nelson will never be able to hail a super established surf club like the likes of our more consistent of coastal neighbours such as the Christchurch and Buller Crew because basically because we lack consistency of surf. When you couple that with the fact that surfers are generally lacklustre when it comes to organising mostly anything due to the fact that we like to leave ourselves open to last minute spontanaity...... and aint that the truth.

So, without further ado heres a couple of outcomes from the weekend.
First up, a massive and huge thank you to our club treasurer/secretary Trudie Pegg who will be standing down from this position come the start of June and completion of the Kaikoura Coldwater Classic.
Basically she has had enough of you disorganised lot and has a bruised forehead from banging her head against the wall repeatedly but more importantly the end of the year will see her daughter Emma leaving school and quite possibly leaving our wee little town and therefore theres not so much of a vested interest for Trudie so much anymore.
Massive thank you to you Trudie from myslef personally and everyone involved in the club as having you on board ( see what I did there) has been an amazing ride ( and again ) and it has been great to see a bit of push and shove where there was need be and your efforts have been crucial to the club as it stands now.

Where does the club stand now?
After the weekends outcome we have never looked better.
So many newcomers to the beach and good to see some old faces back involved. We look to have a meeting mid july and I rally all parents of new comers to consider taking up a serious position within the club .

Yes but what is the Nelson Boardriders Club?
Most of the time..... nothing.- but some of the time Everything.

NELSONBOARDRIDERS - "Making Average Surfers Look Reasonable since 2005"

Peace out.

Return Kaikoura: Jaded and Disillusioned or Mere Grumpy Old Man?

Two years and Two Months, thats a long time not to visit a place.

Reknowned for its surfing, scenery and seafood and its only 3 hours away, the logistical shackles had finally been uncuffed and it was time to head back to the surf mecca. Taking the family and staying in luxury at the  Kiwi Surf Experience pad between Mangamanu and Meatworks with stunning views of the ranges we were indeed in paradise.

 That was until I hit the water and realised that my beloved pastime and release had somehow become every one elses pastime and release also. Yes it was smack bang in the middle of school holidays and yes it was the tail end of the holiday season but holy crap was it crowded!!!
Arriving in kaikoura I was kept in good company with the likes of Alan TeMoananui and Levi Oconnor and of course the Lyons boys however this crew headed south to the Cantbury Champs and I was left in the surf state of Kaikoura alone, cold and isolated with nobody to surf with,,,,,,,,,, except half the rest of the world !!!! South American, North American , German , Dutch you name it , left right centre everywhere I looked was a man bun a goatee a pretty girl with really white teeth and all zipping and zig zagging across waves on mals and mini-mals and all sorts each calling one and another off of waves in all different languages only to trip and fall 3 seconds later and there I was amongst it all .... the hypocritical Aussie expat feeling intimidated and funnily enough, foreign !!!!
 I did manage to catchup with old mate Nash Robertson on the saturday arvo at meaties but we both only lasted 10 or 20minutes in the water because of the ridiculous crowd.
Sure there was the usual Christchurch invaders but they were mostly tolerable.

So where am I going with this?...... A few things come to mind.
Do not worry about tourists returning to Kaikoura, believe me they are already back there!
Dont get me started on freedom camping, I have a new found hate,
The waves... yes there were waves, but its kind of boring surfing alone amongst 20 others.

I went to Kaikoura to have a mid life crisis but unfortunately everyone else was there having one too.

I did however have a great time with my family and friends and can honestly say that Kaikoura is well and truly on the road to recovery and if you havent been back since the quake it sure definately is about time,

Peace, Love and Harmony

Wake Up, Grab a brush and put a little Makeup.

Whoa Snap Out of It Nelson !!...... Whats been happening lately you say..??
Well infact not a freaking lot on the home turf to be honest.... but on the extremeties there has been some busy beavers !!

(above): Wake Up Mini !!

. First up Raul Ventura has been chasing the grom circuit around the south island and now with only one final event left in the Grom Series next weekend Raul currently is situated 4th in the ratings out of 20 for the under 18 groms out of the whole south island. The effort is fully commendable and shows what putting your head down and commiting both in and out of the water you really can achieve results.
Make sure you give the baby bru a slap on the back next time you see him.

Now secondly, our beloved yet departed Ben Windmill is back down South but flying the flag for Nelson Boardriders at the Colac bay classic last weekend and again this weekend at the South Island Champs. Good luck to guy and thanks for keeping your NBR rep,

Locally, a few boys are off to Indonesia in a few days including Olin Pilcher, Barry Fitzgerald and Keni Duke and despite the boys scoffing about it we all know what will happen when they leave...... Nelson will pump !!! and why would that even bother them you might ask? dont you worry I have the data counts on how many hits the Nelsonboardriders site gets grom Indonesia and abroad and the results are astounding. Jokes aside, wishing the boys some hell times and great waves.

OKay so locally, the waves have been less than average since Cyclone Gita failed to deliver any substanial goods with a couple of odd1-2ft windswells and another puffy one predicted for easter saturday  which brings me to my next topic...... Nelson Boardriders Pre Winter Club Day.

Basically the next weekend swell that falls between now and the end of April hoping that one does we will march full steam ahead and have a club/comp day at either Rabbit Island or Snappers condition and tide dependant ,,,  also a NBR AGM is also at Code Red Point and possibly looking at the second weekend into april for someone to host one somewhere round 15th 16th.

Aaaah Yibbidy Yibbida,  Thats all for now folks !!

Froth-Dog's Predictions:

FROTH-DOG  TRIPLE-THREAT.

3 x FROTH FACTOR

Everything Changed Forever.

(above) The Glen Apocalypse now , Photo: Sven Martin  @svenmartinphoto

February 2nd 2018, whether you like it or not... was the day...
 That was always going to happen.

A combination of storm surge and extra high tide and a large swell was the trifecta that straight flushed the pokie machine of weather however there was one missing element. However dramatic the day was with homes flooded across Tasman Bay and the greater west coast of the south island Nelson copped a beating but somehow we managed to escape the day with very little rain.

Had we have had 100mm of rain on top of the trifecta mentioned above the outcome would have been catastrophic.

The Boulder Bank was breached in at least 10 places by set waves and the high tide "brow" of the bank was combed over into the paddocks, sea and in Glenduans case, the houses behind. 

The whole angle of the Boulder Bank was changed. The inside of the hook in the cut has dropped so much that the inside cut surf break and outside cut may become its own little island within a couple of years. Harbourmaster Dave Duncan has sighted and says this is not a maybe..... but a given.

So, before we jump on the climate change bandwagon, lets be honest. 

Nelson hasnt had a  'good' cyclone season since 2004 and the highly ironic thing is we now have a new storm, Cyclone Gita,  threatning to do exactly the same damage, however a smaller tide this looks like a strong large groundswell but this time what we lack in rain shall be made up for with...... (drum roll please ) ......... Rainfall.

(above): Rabbit Island at High Tide looking more like an obstacle course than a beach .

Unfortunately, as a low lying town we have been playing a game of russian roulette with Swell/Tide Combos for a good decade, but with a damaged boulder bank and another approaching storm the reality is that now.... there might be 3 bullets in the chamber instead of one.

Nothing like a nature driven reality check. - Take care out there are and lets surf the shit out of this next swell.

Mahalo.

CAPE CLASSIC 2018

A heads up and a shout out to anyone keen to compete needing numbers to commit now for fundraising. Let us know email: nelsonboardriders@hotmail.com or ph:txt 0223246236

The Thrill of The Chase

So what is more exciting than surf in Nelson some might ask??
It is without a doubt the anticipation which preceeds it. Whether you stare at a Swellmap graph or delve deeper into the Madden-Julian Oscillation one thing is for sure, us surf-city frothers love nothing more than the thrill of the chase. Most of you already know where I got the inspiration for this little spill from and if you dont already know then maybe its time to pan your eyes to the horizon... Could it be that once the swell arrives it is almost anti-climatic and our eyes once again look to the crystal ball for future predictions?... Whatever or however you deal with it the anticipation and anxiety induced by an approaching swell is quite possibly the curse of the Nelson surfer.
This is why the out-of-towner will look at you puzzled when you say the word 'Groundswell',,,,

The NIWA experts late spring predicted a long hot summer due to el-nino but those same experts are
now saying past-tense that we will be in for a wet warm summer due to La-Nina

Anyhow, back to school and work we go , where the next sytem stops.... do you know .....

Weve been doing it all wrong !!

Ok so what better way to start the year than some mind bending ultimate truths.
Last Friday evening saw a great ...but short lived groundswell enter Tasman Bay, and whilst people complained about large numbers in the water at Snappers others surfed alone at other locations with the most mind numbing of all being Marco Edwards surfing Stephens Bay in Kaiteri whilst Phil Stanton hit up Patons Rock in Golden Bay pictured below.

(above): Patons Rock, Photo: Rob Davies.

Thers is an abundance of swell on the way however only the gurus will pick the eyes out of the prevailing onshore winds so good luck out there and welcome the rain like a long lost friend !!

See you in the soup.

BoL

Welcome to 2018

Welcome to 2018.
Knock knock knocking on your door. It's the suede-denim secret police.
they have come for your uncool niece. You'll go quietly to boot camp, they'll shoot you dead make you a man. Dont you worry its only a shower, For your clothes here's a pretty flower.