Photography by Aaron Pierce, Andrew Shield and Swelly
The way TC Fili’s tendrils arrived to tickle the Gold Coast points, It was like Easter came a week early.
There was Good Friday, the first real day of the swell, chunky but across the beaches and a bit questionable until the afternoon, when the southeast wind blew in and suddenly everything started to light up.
There was a big chaotic Saturday, a morning of dense energy that descended upon Corumbin and almost engulfed Snapper for a while, but opened Kira for a few rows, and by Arvo lit things up again, displaying the splendor, seemingly unshakable sandy Greenmount.
And then there was Sunday, when it seemed that wherever you went hunting, you would find chockies.
Then Monday, always the best day of any Easter weekend, is when Philly kicks up another hot occasional cake.
Here’s a family Queensland Point family photo album from our team, four days we don’t want to forget.
Early Sunday morning at Snapper. Only the light alone tells you the time of the year. Photo: shield
Nick Vasek, raw power, impeccable timing. Between Vasa at Snapper, Max McGuigan, Josh Ku, Joey Keogh and a gang in the Sydney slabs, the La Niña scene is pretty much dominated by goofs. Sequence: Sully
Early on Sunday, while someone is going away from the side of the rock in Snapper, lifeguards and others on the sand bring up local surfer Sam Yoon. Sam suffered a severe cut to his leg – after the surgery he was expected to make a full recovery. Phew. Photo: shield
Inside the Snapper keyhole, noon Friday. “This was my second time,” says the photographer. “The first time was a fiasco. I drifted all the way to Coolangatta and didn’t get a shot. I thought, You better take this picture now, in case it’s the only picture I take today!” It wasn’t. Photo: Sweli
Yes, it’s that easy. Well, it’s not, but some people make it look that way. Josh Kerr, Monday morning. Sequence: armor
Burleigh on Monday, when the last real batch of TC Fili wind squadron was delivered to the coast. “Burley was six, maybe eight feet,” the photographer says. “I saw a poor Brazilian man who had lost his plate wandering about from Tallebudgera, never to be found again. She is gone.”
Mikey McDonagh was just one surfer who got some time before the Challenger Series event in early May. If this surfing continues and Mickey’s shape continues, it’s some kind of threat. Photo: Sweli
Joel Parkinson launches the unique Greenmount segment, Friday afternoon. Little did he know, but Joel was about to drift away in a surprise two-day birthday celebration! Which partly explains the absences from the squad during the period. You can’t do everything. Photo: shield
Kehu Butler, inside Greenmount on Friday arvo. Like Mikey, Kehu tunes in for the Challenger, which is looming as a prominent event on the Aussie WSL calendar. “He and Billy[Styrmand]were browsing in here in big piles,” says the photographer. “They were frothing!” Photo: shield
A strong couple. Sheldon Simkus (left, photo shield) and Missy Callahan (right, photo Swelly), the top of the fencing turns down the bank. La Niña Summer has set in a lot of good surfer work to good ground, no more than Macy, who seems to have tied her natural strength to flow. “It just seems to have loosened up,” says Swilly. “She is very aggressive! Now she has added that timing, surfing has gone to another level.” What the season can do.
Great morning to sit on the rocks. Shark section at Berlay on Monday. Photo: Sweli
It’s so cool being alone with a wave like this. Max Lever, best surfer streak, Burley. Serial: Aaron Pierce
Sometimes there is only one line you can follow. Toby Mossop, Further Back Down, Hope Against Hope. Photo: Sweli
Team Surfing Australia HPC in Snapper: Darren Handley, guest appearance, along with Dimity Stoyle and Chelsea Hedges. When it comes to boards and surfing knowledge, you’ll accomplish more on weekends like these than on months of gym or heat workouts. Photo: Sweli
Kira’s surprise, Sunday morning. The surprise is that almost no one came out, although that seemed to be true for the Queen during this entire event. Everyone should have wrapped up in the Greenmount Coliseum experience. still! “It was a very high tide and I thought, ‘No, there won’t be anything,'” says the photographer. Then came this crazy group. Photo: Sweli
King King wrap around, Monday Arvo. Kaos grabbed a win under his belt from Cabarita and it’s another sleeper hit waiting to happen at Challenger. Photo: Sweli
Jimmy Dean, as fun as it sounds, is inside Greenmount. “I haven’t seen him on a regular board in two years,” says the photographer. why not. Photo: shield
Messi again, driving in the same section four days later. It’s impossible to guess how many waves have perfectly passed through this sand line between Jimi’s and Macy’s, but who counts? Photo: shield
Billy Stermand, Punctuation Tuesday, The Day After It Wasn’t Supposed to End But It Wasn’t, Quite. Photo: shield
Late on Monday, the energy started to crack a bit after such an amazing race. Photo: Sweli
Only a grommet can fit, and she just runs it. Sierra Care, early Monday. Photo: Sweli
So many waves raging, so many witnesses. A late moment of a wonderful few days. Photo: Sweli
Really really good Easter weekend coming up for these parts: Sunny Coast | Gold Coast | Northern New South Wales Northern New South Wales
More from TC File: What was Noosa like? Oh yeah, like that!
Comments
Post a Comment