HILDA'S HELMET

Helmets rock, according to Hilda (seen here fresh from a surf at North Avalon). Not only does it protect her head from head-ons with other people's boards, it also keeps her head warm, she reckons. And what's more, it keeps the cold water out of the ears. Given the current temperatures, it might be a good investment.

I ❤ Green Ones

Gotta Love this:

http://www.surfersvillage.com/surfing/48231/news.htm

WAX OFF

"Wax On. Wax Off." That immortal line from the classic 1984 film 'The Karate Kid' has inspired more than just a few people over the years. I used the title 'Wax On' for the first party that I helped organise for the Bondi Girls Surf Riders, held in association with Bondi FM at the Bondi Pavillion back in 2007. We had another big bash under that same title the following year but the girls decided to scale it back for the tenth anniversary last year which they held upstairs at the Waverly Bowling Club (a memorable night for many reasons!).
So I used the title for the contemporary surf-inspired art exhibition at Hazelhurst instead. When it wrapped I posted under the title 'Wax Off' but it seems that another art gallery is using it to launch their second surf art show in Melbourne this month. The one thing that strikes me about the line-up is the lack of chicks represented. Lucky it's not like that in the surf.

http://www.green-woodgallery.com/?module=exhibitions

WALK AGAINST WARMING

Climate chaos played an appropriate role in yesterday's Walk Against Warming which attracted 10,000 people in Sydney alone. I was asked to represent on behalf of The Climate Project and was the first speaker to address the rally. Everyone at Belmore Park near Central Station was basking in sparkling sunshine. But just as the speeches drew to a close, the heavens opened up and the rain pelted down. Hail was even reported falling in some parts of the city. One surfie chick i know was out at Long Reef and had to hold her board over her head for about five minutes protection. The ice was so strong she now has little dings all over the bottom of her board!

The Sydney Morning Herald has a report on the event:

(http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/thousands-protest-on-climate-change-20100815-12506.html)

News flash! Al Gore signals me out on his blog: :http://blog.algore.com/2010/08/the_movement_we_need.html

SURF'S UP

Surf's pumpin' so I'm heading off to pick up my board which got dinged in the tiny Rex jet coming back from Ballina. Don't know how it happened as there were only six of us on the flight so it wasn't as if it got crunched in all the luggage. Went to collect it the other day only to find that my fixer had somehow managed to put another ding in the tail. Cripes! Can't wait for that new fatuburner to arrive. Meanwhile, here's a pic of me going out on the first day of the swell in Malibu last March. Nearly drowned in all the weeds but a fun (if somewhat chilly) time was had.

BYRONIA

Whales breaching, dolphins frolicking, warm waves peeling, hippies nuzzling....where else could you be but Byronia?

Lobbed in last Friday and paddled straight out at north Tallow's where the water was fine, if a bit ramshackle. Caught a few then came in to see a pod of whales fully flying out of the ocean on their way north. Could they have been the same ones spotted just five days earlier off the 'bra? Considering that humpback whales can reach speeds of up to 27 kilometres an hour and Byron is 774 kms from Sydney....well, it's possible. Watched the leviathans round Australia's easternmost point from the iconic lighthouse as the sun set over the spectacular hinterland peaks.

Surfed deserted Seven Mile Beach for the next few days as the swell dropped off to next to nothing. But with days like this, fine food galore and friends to play with, what's there to complain about?