Surf Column
Did everyone manage to get a few waves at some point this week? Because the swell is forecast to be pretty tiny this weekend. We should see waves in the one-foot range and offshore north-west winds early on both days, but north-east onshore winds on Saturday arvo.
At least one Gisborne surfer will be getting barrelled though . . . Ricardo Christie is surfing in the Pipeline Masters in Hawaii. He went up against Kai Otton and last year’s champ Julian Wilson in Round 1 this morning but was unable to generate two decent scores and came last. There were solid six-to-eight-foot sets and he pulled into a few big barrels but could not find an exit and got a 3.1 two-wave total. Christie will surf in Round 2 either today or tomorrow and has to win to have any chance of making the finals and requalifying for the Championship Tour. Can he do it?
The water is pretty warm at the moment — around 17 degrees but feels like early 20s — and it is almost time to shed some rubber.
I was grateful for the full 3/2 millimetre wetsuit early this week though. There were a few jellyfish lurking in the line-up at Wainui and apparently this is the price we pay for easterly swell and summer currents. The species is lion’s mane and although they are not deadly, caution is advised. A few people have been stung and one guy copped one in the eye at “No Access” and had to go in. Urine or vinegar can help ease the pain but I doubt he would have been too keen for either of those in his eye.
I was not too stoked to see there was another sewage discharge into the Waimata River on Tuesday night. Six-thousand litres leaked into the river because of a mechanical malfunction at the Russell Street pump station. Did anyone not get the council’s warning alert and surf Waikanae or Midway on Wednesday?
Currently there is a five-day caution in place for town beaches and this would apply through to Sunday, but the council will update this today. If the all-clear is given, the conditions should be ideal for the special-needs surfing event for kids on Sunday. This is a chance for the younger crew to get out in the water and experience the thrill of surfing, with help from some local experts. It starts at 10am at Roberts Road and people should bring a koha.
Wainui School will host the Gisborne Boardriders Club prize-giving on Sunday at 5pm, followed by a barbecue. Points have been added up from all four of the comps this year and awards will given to the top surfers in each division. These range from groms to seniors, both male and female, so there should be a decent amount of silverware floating around.
Before this, the GBC will have its annual general meeting.