Looked the goods but not getting the breaks

THIS week East Coast surfing powerhouse Ricardo Christie got his World Surf League Qualifying Series (QS) campaign under way at the Newcastle Surfest. With 6000 points offered at the event, a good result there would have set Christie up nicely in his campaign to get back on the Championship Tour (CT).

Unfortunately for Christie, it was another unlucky result. He surfed a good first heat, making it to round 3, only to fall a point short of progressing any further. Christie did look the goods though, throwing down some solid hacks and air reverses, even though the waves were very average (and that is coming from a guy who grew up surfing in Christchurch).

Surfing waist high, mushy onshore waves is demoralising for the worst of us, let alone for someone who looks at home in double-overhead surf on rumbling reef breaks (think Mahia or more recently Hawaii). Presumably Christie’s move to the Gold Coast was to improve his surfing in such QS-style waves — crowded beaches and occasionally pumping sand-bottomed points (especially judging by his Instagram account).

The Australian Open of Surfing, which gets under way on February 27, is at Manly Beach, again another soft beach break. Let us hope at least there is a bit of swell for the big guy to get going. We are behind you bro.

A real ripperOn the home front, the new weekly after-school surf development programme Rippers kicked off this week. Gisborne Boardriders Club surfing development manager Kelly Ryan said it was a great success.

“It was awesome. We are full at 50 children and most turned up.”

The aim of the programme is to make surfing more accessible in Gisborne and for young surfers to get their technique down early. The groms are split into different levels and receive expert guidance on everything from water safety to how to nail a cutback.

As a surfer who has never had a surf lesson and had to teach himself to surf on an old dinger in freezing water, such a thing would have gone down a treat. Geez they have it good these days.

Piha groms, Queen StellaThis weekend Ryan is taking several GBC groms to Piha for the second Billabong Grom Series event. After several solid results at the first event in Whangamata let us hope they can continue to shine the light on Gisborne surfing.

It looks like nobody can stop standup paddleboard queen Stella Smith, who added a New Zealand open title in Bay of Plenty on the weekend to her national title from January. All of this will be good build-up for the International Surfing Association World SUP and Paddleboard Championship in Denmark in September.

The GBC contest scheduled for last weekend was postponed due to poor surf. There will be another one scheduled for April to make up.

Few window to enjoy swellDespite a solid swell this week there have been few windows to enjoy it, with mostly onshore winds and the short period swell not making things easy.

Thursday morning may have been the pick of the bunch, with some punchy three-to-four foot peaks (those lefts) and light offshores. It was hard work, though, with a solid sweep making it a struggle to stay in position. Still, if you were in the right place at the right time . . .

Looking ahead there will be waves over the weekend but you will have to get out early if you want them clean. See you out the back.