Out the back

Surf Column

Forecast fee a sign of the timesSO, after 12 years of free reports and surf camera access, Surf 2 Surf is charging for the service — $5 per month or $50 per year will give you daily reports, a long range forecast and access to a live stream of 17 breaks around the country.

Around 10,000 people visit the site on an average day and some have been quick to criticise this decision, but as one person pointed out on social media, “these things do not run on magic fairy dust”.

Corporate advertising has declined over the last few years and advertising alone does not cover the expenses to run the site or maintain the camera equipment, thus the pay wall had to be introduced, Surf 2 Surf director Paul Brunskill said.

Whether to charge for online content is a predicament many businesses are dealing with. Question is, is S2 premium worth the subscription fee?

Living in places like Auckland and Wellington, where it is a mission to check the surf, has made Surf 2 Surf pretty useful for me over the last few years.

The Gisborne report is updated by Brunskill’s business partner Blair Dods, who lives at Wainui, at around 6.30am every day and sometimes later on if there is a pulse in the swell or a wind change. From my experience, it is pretty reliable and a gas saver although a quick glance at the report and cam is not a substitute to checking the surf yourself on those 50/50 days.

So can you get the same outlook without paying?

Airtime, which use to be GoSurf, introduced a free live camera service shortly after the pay wall went in, stating “it sucks that people are trying to make you pay to check the surf”.

Cameras are active in Gisborne (Wainui), West Auckland, Dunedin, Raglan and Christchurch, with more on the way, but no further information is offered on the site.There are plenty of forecast sites such as Swellmap and MetService, but none give daily surf reports, which is the main thing that separates Surf 2 Surf from the pack, along with a much larger selection of cams.Surf 2 Surf is offering a free 30-day ay trial and tomorrow morning could be a good time to test it out.There should be a wave around two-foot with north-westerlies forecast early, and Sunday morning looks a bit smaller.Cyclone Ula did not produce the goods for us here, due to the northerly angle, but there is a new cyclone (looking more east than Ula) brewing north-east of New Zealand.

The forecast sites say this will produce some long-period swell (14 seconds and 1.4 metres at Wainui on Tuesday) next week as well as northerly winds, which is not ideal for Gizzy beaches.

Do you have a surplus board that is gathering dust or any gear that you no longer use? There is a surf swap tomorrow from 9am to 2pm at Beyond the Blue (opposite the Wainui Store). Bring items to trade or cash to buy because there is no eftpos.

Another surfing event to pencil in to your diary is the YouTube release of Dogz the Movie on the 23rd. The Wainui grom crew, consisting of Ben McCulloch, Reuben Mottart, Kobe Johnson, Finn Johnson, Finn Vette, Manawa Ruru and Riaki Ruru, have put together their first surf film. Most of it was shot at Wainui and other breaks in the region.

They all took shifts filming from the beach, and if the final product lives up to the trailer, expect some epic Wainui barrels, airs and huge floaters.

Local shaper Tommy Dalton will judge the best part and give a board to the winner.

If you have stories or ideas you would like to share, email Finn at finn.rainger@gisborneherald.co.nz