[Idol eyes]

Like a big wet Rottweiler with no legs...
Leopard seals a classed as man eaters!

[SA Chris]

No leopard seals within a thousand miles of UK though. Greys are generally pretty timid unless you go near young.

[philo]

this is from the day we had the steamy water and the seal at the very back of the picture, can you see it?

[SA Chris]

Is Performing Monkeys DVD any good?

[Idol eyes]

Smoking surf down here!

[gme]

Britain keeps producing.



Does not take much to work out where in these lands this is but harder to find exact locations. I think there are so many new waves to be found here and a bit of effort produces gold. I have surfed three new spots this year (maybe not the first but i guess amongst a very small number).

The whole article in carve made me long for the years before work and family when i could have gone on the search for months on end as these boys do. Surfings a bit to much like a mcdonalds drive through for me now.

[SA Chris]

Nice. gme, did you see my q abouve about performing monkeys?

[gme]

I have not seen it. I Like watching uk films but I guess this is old now so will look dated. Just got Julian wilsons flick for crimbo and due to the inclusion of very expensive slo mo cameras, the worlds best surfers and helicopters it makes your average mr b uk production seem pretty tame.
 

[philo]

any of you lot manage to play out today?  Sunderland outside of the pier was firing this morning, clean long barrels overhead.  Unexpected ray of sunshine in what looked to be a gloomy piece of shit of a day.  Only 4 people in and set after set of clean waves.  Im still shakey when pitted as the super steep walls make my board rock and it kicks sideways alot.  Think i need some new fins, any suggestions for a 6'3 quad setup?

[Idol eyes]

Egor is the funniest person I have ever met, was locked into a room for three days playing the most insane drinking game ever... "The Goblet", forfeited by "A Spankoff". will pull the footage out sometime and post it!
Been smoking down here, really clean swell, slightly flawed by crappy banks at Fistral, should keep going for the next few days...

[Falling Down]

any of you lot manage to play out today?  Sunderland outside of the pier was firing this morning, clean long barrels overhead.  Unexpected ray of sunshine in what looked to be a gloomy piece of shit of a day.  Only 4 people in and set after set of clean waves.  Im still shakey when pitted as the super steep walls make my board rock and it kicks sideways alot.  Think i need some new fins, any suggestions for a 6'3 quad setup?

Sounds great Philo. To answer your question, it's more likely to be your board's rail and tail shape as much as the fins. Your riding a wide quad template right? Like mine it's just not going to hold a steep line as well as a drawn out pin or tight squash.  Are your fins LokBox? If so, you could set the front and back fins on each side wider apart which wil make the tail less loose.

[Falling Down]

Monday is looking tasty for the E. Coast although the tides are a little high.  I might be tempted to pull on my wetsuit 

[SA Chris]

Noticed that too. midday tide is as bad as can be here, dawnie at this time of year is brutal, and will be getting dark by the time it drops.
Or hope it's big enough to get into Stonehaven and have a mellow longboard session there at midday with hot chocolate and chips waiting 5 mins from beach.

[gme]

Pretty average beach session up here yesterday. Nothing special but waves for once.
Don't mention the weekend or it will disappear.
FD. Will call you.

[Idol eyes]

Both coasts fireing for three days over the New Year period...

[philo]

Sounds great Philo. To answer your question, it's more likely to be your board's rail and tail shape as much as the fins. Your riding a wide quad template right? Like mine it's just not going to hold a steep line as well as a drawn out pin or tight squash.  Are your fins LokBox? If so, you could set the front and back fins on each side wider apart which wil make the tail less loose.

Actually im on a 6'3 pintail, x18 wide.  Heres a pic - shows my fin set up.
  Check out the modern art in the background aswell. 

goes like a rocket but slides around when barrelled and super steep wedges, you know when you drop and slam the breaks to get pitted then it jacks up and I seem to slide (as if i have no fins).  Mind you, its brilliant when it works and you come powersliding out of a barrel but other times when you face plant the wave you feel more like a complete tit.   This could all be down to shit stance when barrelled/not getting my weight position sorted

[philo]

great weekend here, some beautiful waves and even better, just managed to get hold of a brand new xcel infiniti 5/4/3 for £200 in winter.  cant believe it. 

[SA Chris]

Nice. The X Zip or the O Zip? I got my O Zip for £140 on sale, but that was spring.

Had a poor session yesterday, got in at the wrong place caught two waves before waves started bouncing off seawall, so had to move and because of swell direction spent most of session avoiding groynes.

Today was infinitely better, had a great morning on longboard, including some great lefts, which I normally studiously avoid on the log. Plus rain is more pleasant to surf in than yesterday's snow.

[philo]

X zip, yesterday clean overhead wedge waves later on, bit messy but barrelling clean 5ft - the whole of the north-east was in on seaburns action, i counted 23 when i got out - for our beach break its too many.
Still managed to bag some long riding lefts on my short board.   
Got in again at dawn this morning, 5 people in for some really clean sets.  I managed to drop in on my mate and wipe him out as i tried to pull out, we laughed about it though.  I also managed to fall from a high lip drop in, front foot slipped, and rode the wave all the way to shore entirely backwards.  Its one of them moments where you shout DID ANYONE SEE THAT?  Luckily some bloke did to confirm how weird it was. 
Wetsuit comes tomorrow, the one I use now, flushes the water in my arms and where i duck dive, in the neck a little.  Hopefully with the flushy arms sorted, my hands wont be constantly flooded with cold water - might as well not use gloves (though the xcel straps - the velcro things dont seem to stop it either)

[Idol eyes]

Skunked on the south coast... FLAT!
Really poor banks and doubled swell on the north coast... not ideal, but still well surfable!
Freeezin too, Got loads of Rhino extremeties... fully rubbered up now!
Good New Year to all!

[philo]

man i wish i could be making the statement that im only just full rubbered up.  Best feeling is when you find a spot going off when the reports/ others look flat as fook

[Adam Lincoln]

Ouch. Six wave hold down.

[chris05]

Dont get me wrong I wouldn't want to be there but dont think that counts as a six wave hold down, as I understand it you have to actually be held down? 

[granticus]

Dont get me wrong I wouldn't want to be there but dont think that counts as a six wave hold down, as I understand it you have to actually be held down? 

Indeed he's managing to get a lung full of air in between    So technically not a six wave hold down just taking six on the head looks like a walk in the park

Day off Friday and allowed out to play - 9ft at 15seconds down here   Strong SWerlies and neap tides

Hmmmm...  There is this place, well off the beaten track, not in any guidebooks, not even a 'known' spot, that we've searched out (me and one other) by looking at maps, trekking, checking and missing good sessions elsewhere but it needs a thumping swell and a neap tide to come alive.  The time has finally arrived when conditions have come together and we make the hike again.  Lets hope we don't get skunked as it has potential for a dream session.  I'll take some piccies if it's working.

[fatdoc]

get in....

lets see the piccies...

no compunction on the venue

unless its a wkd beach break good for spongers