Western Australia
Some good stuff here --


Winners and finalists of the 2020 Ocean Photographer of the Year awards

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Mike, while growing up surfing up and down east and west coast of Florida, I was always amazed in the early morning sun-ups on the east coast watching this as it unfolded. In one of our favorite spots near the Palm Beach inlet you could regularly watch the sharks surfing up and down thru the shore breakers. At sea level as the sun came up, you could watch these scenarios unfold in the 4' shore breaks, great entertainment but it certainly made you aware of just how many sharks are actually there cruising up and down the coast you'd never really actually see.

Once shortly after an up-coast trip to one of our favorite spots, the local news had a video of a surfer being pulled up off his board by the Coast Guard and it wasn't until he was in the air about 10' that you could see the dark shadow of a 12' Hammerhead shark just sitting perpendicular under his board. He was one surprised and happy camper to have been pulled up off his board. We were surfing that locale earlier that day in the exact location. Sharks were never in short supply in those areas, especially from Jupiter Inlet northwards. I have many stories like many who surfed along side with their populations. After all, you're in their backyards and on any given day could have an up close encounter, it's almost a certainty if your out there for a good many years.

Whoa dude...what shark??? Back in the day in my 70' Torino GT.

Just1tym, I enjoyed your recollection of some awesome FL surf. I didn't venture too far south of Sebastian Inlet, but there were plenty of men in grey suits in that cut.

Damn, Spicoli. ^

quote:

Originally posted by rsbolo:
Just1tym, I enjoyed your recollection of some awesome FL surf. I didn't venture too far south of Sebastian Inlet, but there were plenty of men in grey suits in that cut.

On a rare occasion in one of our favorite spots Reef Road, south of the Palm Beach Inlet, we caught some anomalous south swells that were breaking long at 8-10' on the outside. I had to paddle close to 1/4mi off shore to catch those huge rollers which gave way to endless backside rides going left. Long drop and fast hard bottom turns into beautiful faces to carve forever. The inside shore break was up at 4'.

I caught sight of a beautiful set of 3, which you could see the 2ond and 3rd cresting over the first. Being totally alone that far out myself with no souls in sight was creepy enough but that was at the time something torpedoed under my board hitting the skeg and twisting me sideways into the water. No need to give me another hint, I took the first of the set and the drop was endless it seemed to hit the bottom and carve hard off onto a wall of hitting the top and cutting back right and back left. No tubes on those swells as they eventually mushed out on the reef with high tide and shore break was up around 4', real fast chop, all the way to the sand. What an amazing last ride for the day.

I was silent and still thinking about what had occurred. My best recollection and visualization of my experience was that whatever knocked me sideways off my board had the solid consistency of a submarine, kinda surreal.

Looking back, I can still remember being so far off shore, especially so close to the Palm Beach Inlet, and thinking this could really be a bad decision. Still, you (I) couldn't resist the siren call of the sea that day my friend

Could've even been a sea turtle, who knows, but what a rare and beautiful day of awesome waves.

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:
Damn, Spicoli. ^

Dude!

rsbolo, I also have a kinda funny story about the breaks at Sebastion. We caught some odd fast peaking breaks near the shore one morning. They waves would pitch up to a peak break and hollowed out very fast for some small tubes near shore. I remember being crouched out in a fast tube going right and before I knew it I was seeing nothing but a sand beach that tossed me off on the sand hard on my tailbone and tumbled backwards onto the shore where, as you could imagine a roar of laughter coming from the beach goers and bro's. I had sand from the top of my head all down my back and into "all" crevices!

Dude!!!!!

Man, what a cool photo that is, I’ve never seen one like that.