There are two distinct surf seasons. November to May favours the west and south coasts, while during the rest of the year the east turns on.
The swell is consistent pretty much all year, though, and it is only the winds that change it up.
The eastern surf scene, where we were based, is focused around the famed right-hander at Arugam Bay.
The east, along with the north, were enveloped by the Sri Lankan civil war, which lasted from 1983 to 2009.
Since it ended, the region has only just begun to fully open up.
As a relatively unchallenging wave, Arugam Bay attracts hordes of surfers, most in the intermediate range, and almost all from wave-starved European countries, intent on catching every single ripple.
Local surf schools even take classes out there. It was a circus.
There are dozens of points up and down the coast, though. Just an hour away and you can be surfing by yourself, with perhaps just an elephant for company (they are everywhere).
Anyway, I was just settling into that paradisiacal dream — wake up, surf, curry, surf, curry, beer, sleep, repeat — then bam, straight back into a New Zealand winter.
Gisborne not too badHaving grown up in Christchurch and lived in Dunedin, Gisborne is not really all that bad.
In fact, after a week I am back in my three-millimetre wetsuit, and only busting out the hood occasionally.
The days are even getting longer, making those after-work surfs all the more pleasing.
A lot has been happening in the Gisborne surfing world recently.
Last month it was announced Gisborne would host the National Surfing Championships in January.
That is awesome news, not just because we will get to see the best surfing on offer, as Gisborne pumps way harder than anywhere else, but all the local surfing talent will have the opportunity to show their skills (plus Gisborne surfers won’t have to drive the gorge).
Surfing New Zealand have also taken steps to increase participation by having the same age-groups in the junior divisions for girls and boys.
They will discuss having equality between the genders in the older age-groups and make a call this year.
Fingers crossed for some progressive thinking from the powers that be.
Very soon five of Gisborne’s top surfing talents will head overseas to represent Aotearoa.
At the end of this month, Stella Smith and her Gold Coast-based sister Jasmine, Sean Hovell and Cory Taylor travel to Denmark for the International Surfing Association World StandUp Paddle and Paddleboard Championship.
Then in September, Saffi Vette will head to Japan as part of the New Zealand team competing in the ISA World Junior Surfing Championships.
Our other international competitor, Ricardo Christie, has made a good start at the Qualifying Series 10,000 US Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach, California.
At the time of writing, he had made his Round 3 heat and was about to surf in Round 4.
With some relatively decent swell on offer, he has every chance to earn some good points here.
On the local competition scene, I was stoked to return to Gisborne to find out the Mike Lewin Surf Designs GBC shortboard competition No.6 had not run.
The idea is to hold the competition in the best waves possible and, depending on the conditions, it will be a big-wave contest, tube-riding shoot-out or standard competition.
Each weekend of July was the holding period but, due to a lack of decent surf, it was extended into August.
Bring on some big swells!
However, it won’t be this weekend, which is looking super-dismal. It won’t be as cold as last weekend but the swell will be small and the wind will be all over the show.
There will be a chance for a longboard or (fat) shortboard, so seek out those exposed spots and have some fun.
Last weekend, on the other hand, was good fun, if you knew where to go.
It was nice to have a different swell and wind combination to go and check out a few spots that don’t work so often.
Heading into next week there should be a few fun sessions with a bit of an east swell hovering around, and offshore winds.
See you out the back.
