The Surf at Effingham

Because I'm in Oz and it's a lovely day to enjoy the beach, I'm gonna keep this overdue update short and sweet;
My last go on the olo was Sunday, March the 2nd the day before heading out to the Central Coast, Australia for a week.

Conditions were shoulder to head and had some good pitch and pump, with an arguably perfect morning dawning. I txt'd the crew and Andy the photog with the morning report, and decided it was a perfect day to surf my local.... so off to the end of the street I headed with the monster board in tow.

I hungrily took the first shift this session and with a light offshore luffing lazily,

the sun throwing perfect golden backlighting and the sea a brilliant blue-greeen dream I quickly managed to get into several fast fun lefts.

The pitch of these waves gave me the opportunity to feel what the olo might be able to do in conditions more top-to-bottom and I admit this session has begun to shift my thinking about the board's capabilities in the tube.


I managed this session to find the "sweet spot" further back toward the tail on which the board pivots with amazing ease and the thing just magically finds the pocket almost on its own.

I got several speedy walls and was able to throw some turns and even a border-line floater at one point.

I traded places with Downsouth for a while, hooting encouragement to him as he got the feel for the board and eventually worked up the comittment to make the drop at the right, critical-late moment. Funny that a board that big won't actually let you get in "early" despite its appearances.

Downsouth caught a couple, spent a good while paddling it 'round and then it was over to Brighton Pumps who got a bit of a shocker at the difficulty of surfing the beast.

Today wasn't his day for the olo, but I think he enjoyed the go nonetheless. Back aboard the plank, I managed to find a few more over the next hour or so, culminating in a shoulder high duck-in tube that then transitioned to a flying-down-the-line soul arch while letting out a joyful whoop to end the morning right.

I'm starting to get that board wired, and find myself anxious to get it into something a bit bigger, a bit dicier, a bit heavier and see how it goes. Looking forward to a weekend journey over the coast - which is looking like T-bay next weekend.

As always, thanks Roy for investing your efforts and trust in this project. The hikoi is a truly unique experience and thus far I'm lovin' being a part of it!

~groovn~

Mega thanks to Andy at www.surfsnapper.co.nz who gave his time to photograph the guys from the water.
All photo credits above to him, don't they look stunning!