Talk to a visitor for a perspective on surf

AS QUICKLY as the swells arrived last week, they just as quickly disappeared.

First we had one of the most pumping starts to the New Year with a two-day pulsing southeast swell lighting up Wainui, giving everyone a New Year barrel or 10.

Then a maccing south swell arrived to top it off which, while a little straight for some places, gave everybody I spoke to their fair share of waves, and some more than others.

It is funny, though, as this week I seemed to quickly forget it all.

By Monday and Tuesday the south swell had backed off and I was back to checking waist-to-chest high waves and umming and ahing about whether to paddle out, “it’s a bit fat” or “it’s closing out a little” being my main qualms.

I ended up taking my longboard out at North Makorori on Tuesday evening where some long — but fat — lefts were rolling off the reef.

About halfway through the surf I met an older guy and his son who had driven down from Mt Maunganui for the day.

He could not have been frothing harder.

It was barely shoulder high on the sets yet his face was beaming and his kid was on another planet in joy — he was riding his brand new longboard, after all.

Not even the hectic amount of seaweed in the line-up could dampen their spirits.

These were the best waves they’d surfed in weeks, maybe months, they told me.

That morning the father had also ummed and ahed, not about whether to paddle out or not, but whether to make the four-hour journey to Gisborne.

But he could not have been more stoked with his decision. The only swells they’d had at the Mount this summer came and went in a matter of hours thanks to a blustery offshore.

Here I was, almost reluctantly paddling out into waves that for some surfers would have been the best waves of their summer.

That conversation gave me the perspective I sometimes need after a good run of swell. No matter how bad it gets here, it’s (normally) worse somewhere else.

It is best to make the most of it, even if that means not surfing gaping Wainui tunnels every day.

Gisborne Boardriders Club is holding its annual meeting on Tuesday at 5.30pm at the Wainui surf lifesaving clubrooms.

Surfing development manager Kelly Ryan says he would love to have a good cross-section of surfers represented at the meeting, “even if it’s just to share an opinion on an environmental issue or the direction of surfing in our district and how the club could support this”.

Kelly’s new role with GBC is all about promoting surfing in the area, and getting more people involved in the club is a big part of that.

Here is a good chance to show some support for surfing in Gisborne.

Few Gizzy surfers are in the premier open men’s and open women’s divisions at the nationals being contested at Piha this week.

That said, many younger surfers have had semifinal finishes. Saffi Vette is tearing up a storm, having qualified for the final in the u16 girls’ division, and the semifinals in the u18 and open women’s divisions.

Those heats may get under way today, depending on conditions.

She will be looking to add national titles to the u16 girls’ title she won at the National Scholastic Surfing Championships at Makorori Beach in October.

The GBC surfing competition season’s first event for 2017 is on January 21.

It will be free to enter and for the first time will have a Break of Origin competition running alongside the normal competition.

Every surfer entering will nominate for themselves a Break of Origin from around the district and will earn points towards this as the competition progresses.

Waitangi Weekend is shaping up to be busy for surfers.

The Makorori First Light Longboard Classic will be held on Sunday, February 5. More details to come.

GBC is also taking a team to compete in the Hurley Club Challenge on the Coromandel Peninsula that weekend, and they would dearly love to bring back the title.

Any surfers interested in competing are asked to register their interest with Kelly Ryan by phoning 021 164 1799.

See you out the back.