There was large media throng present - TV and video cameras everywhere but no-one out in the lineup at Ours. Apparently everyone had turned up to watch Mick Fanning who had flown down from Qld to have a crack at Ours along with Kobby Abberton and the usual crew. They were hoping the size of the swell would have seen Ours pumping but unfortunately it was just too sketchy for anyone to have a go at. The swell angle wasn't quite right and the waves just weren't lining up and breaking through. There were no takers - and for a very good reason. Sanity prevailed as major sized sets powered through into Botany Bay.
So while they had decided to head off down the coast to a spot south of the Gong (where they scored major barrels) it was left to a select crew of regulars to finally have a go at Ours' little brother - Middles.
Middles is the next bay south to Ours. Big meaty barrels that break within 10-15 metres of large barnacle covered rocks that form a small cove. While it may not be quite as gnarly and dangerous as Ours it certainly still throws lots of hazards and surprises at anyone taking the wave too lightly.
Breaking so close to the rock strewn shoreline you have to be on your guard at all times. The jump off point can be tricky too - time it wrong and you pay your dues big time. The same applies when you catch the waves. You need to be aware of exactly where and how the barrels are breaking. The regular crew make it look easy as they effortlessly thread their way through the tubes on offer.
But even the best of them can get caught out as the last few images in this series show. I had my eyes glued to my 600m tele while shooting the brief sequence and didn't notice what it was that made the surfer decide to bale big time as he was preparing to line up for another barrel. The option obviously wasn't worth considering.
Just before noon the winds died off for a while and the conditions improved. I was lucky enough to catch Mark Matthews toying with the meaty tubes before I had to head off to snap some sports photos. Maybe I'll make that Part 3 of what turned out to be a pretty good session.
Strauss.
