tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42545323451153566092012-02-09T10:56:05.458ZThey call me Gull and I've been known to squawk a bit. I threw away my thrusters in 1999. I now spend my days riding boards of all shapes and sizes - from single fins to quads to bonzer fives in Wales where I'm fortunate enough to have an abundance of quality beach breaks and reefs on my doorstep. I'll be documenting my exploits as often as I can. There will also be plenty of other aquatic action, surf related updates and photography featured. Feel free to comment.Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.comBlogger2531100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-70914481653008407692012-02-09T10:41:00.003Z2012-02-09T10:56:05.464Z

Very light SE windDropping tide from high at 7.30am3ft+ clean waves1m on the wave buoy @ 13.2 seconds, 264 degreesApologies I'll stop mentioning the cold soon - once it gets bloody warm again! More snow on the way apparently for SE Wales but at least the windscreen was ice free today until...I put my wipers on accidentally and instantly lost all my driving vision on the way to the beach!I'd

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-70966048993978024622012-02-08T10:05:00.003Z2012-02-08T10:17:44.836Z

I'm nursing a tendon injury below the knee currently so not been surfing much in the last month. I had a dip @ Freshwest 2 weeks ago but only in 2ft weak, surf - off F.point and wasn't particularly comfortable turning or attempting manoeuvres so I've been hitting the pool instead x 3 times a week to keep surf fit. Off to Fuerteventura on 18 Feb for a week. It's been 4 years since my last visit so

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-37644837904868220112012-01-16T11:32:00.003Z2012-01-16T11:43:32.851Z

By 'eck it was a chilly one this morning but well worth a dip. Lightish NE wind, 13 sec wave period and 1.3m of swell meant clean 3ft+ on the beach @ Rest Bay today.I should've got changed into my wetty @ home today but had been too organised last night and already put my stuff into the van. With freezing temps and a frost on the car, my suit was refrigerated this morning and I had numb hands

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-70355038205483395852011-12-02T10:38:00.004Z2011-12-02T16:50:15.458Z

Thursday 1 DecemberYesterday we had a lovely groundswell, 2.7m and 10 seconds with light WNW winds so I knew the point would be pumping. The tide wasn't great, a little too low but I had a pass and enough time to squeeze into a few waves before work. I decided to don my 6mm full winter suit and boy was it hard work! It felt heavy just throwing it into my wetsuit bucket but once water was added

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-7038587059511632092011-11-22T15:06:00.004Z2011-11-22T15:38:23.028Z

Can't complain - not much anyway!The water is still relatively warm, around 13 degs last time I checked and we've had an abundance of solid groundswell and half decent wave periods, combined with a few offshore days.The swells come and go but I've lost my mojo lately and can't say I've had a really good surf since my last session @ Morfa.I've had a few Thurs and Fri dawnies @ sker and while it's

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-39249145809926954772011-10-12T09:29:00.002+01:002011-10-12T09:40:39.193+01:00

Not posted for a while as the surf has either been cranking or distinctly average so apologies.My last good session went down 2 weeks ago. I'd booked the friday off in preparation and hooked up with greg hill for an industrial session. Super tubes wasn't super at all, it looked small, really small so we opted for plan B which was going to be our second surf spot anyway. The tides were stupidly

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-59464348268315712912011-09-15T15:34:00.004+01:002011-09-15T15:53:33.052+01:00

Hurricane Katia has been battering Wales this week but sheltered spots have provided some respite even if it did mean many of us were forced to surf Coney beach :(You can see some of the pics taken at Coney, Porthcawl here.I popped down on Weds evening and after a frustrating 30 mins or so, finally caught a half decent wave. It was in the 3-4ft range with a howling cross offshore nw wind with the

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-17149379012039271612011-08-22T12:04:00.003+01:002011-08-22T12:21:23.006+01:00

Saturday was a pleasant surprise. Gave Merchant his early morning wake up call at 8am and suggested a dip at Rest Bay. The winds were onshore but light and there was a medium swell running. Nath had had a few beers the night before and was already talking about it being a tricky paddle out so the warning signs were there! ;) We paddled out and I lost Nath about halfway out last seen going the

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-9005018066718385032011-08-16T14:08:00.002+01:002011-08-16T14:26:25.539+01:00

I've been away visiting the outlaws in Germany recently, typically I left the day before a new low pressure pushed in from the Atlantic, but from all accounts, I've missed nothing other than some smallish blown out onshore days. 11 days away from the ocean were certainly taking their toll though and I was frothing like David Frothelhoff by the time we got back late on Sunday night! Despite Fin

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-72203427601146635262011-08-02T11:39:00.002+01:002011-08-02T11:48:42.899+01:00

The fact that I've not blogged since June 29 speaks volumes in gull's world...It's been dire.I've mustered two really poor surfs at the end of July, one in choppy onshore 1-2ft, the other in windless seas but on a large tide and small swell so I spent an hour dodging rocks and just about managing to stand up on the weak pulses. Despite the dire waves, I actually surfed quite well, popping up

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-59855475582430596452011-06-29T14:29:00.003+01:002011-06-29T14:45:15.139+01:00

The wave drought finally broke last week when we enjoyed a heat wave 'of sorts' with temps reaching a staggering 26 degrees in parts of Wales ;0Not only did we have blue sky and sunshine but also a light cross offshore SE wind and solid ground swell, nudging 4ft on sets with a 10 sec wave period making all the difference.Everywhere was heaving and Sker was no exception but I found a nice peak and

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-17876683003672548712011-06-29T14:25:00.002+01:002011-06-29T14:29:22.778+01:00

Colleague in work sent me this link of his pooch having a go in Cornwall and I have to say - she puts a lot of the kooks in Rest Bay to shame. Straight into the sea, paddling out back, to the lineup and waits for a set before paddling for a couple. Well done Ella the surf dog. Imagine what she could do on a board?!

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-83374644646631579052011-06-24T11:16:00.004+01:002011-06-24T11:36:06.982+01:00

That seems to be the headline for this month. I was chatting to bob blythe the other day who informed me that June was always good for as long as he could remember (back in the day!) and this was the worst one he could remember and he's getting on a bit now ;)We've had the swell but the wind has killed it thanks largely to the jet stream being too far south - it's now buggered off up north again

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-83283236400759829282011-06-15T13:16:00.002+01:002011-06-15T13:23:22.615+01:00

Wimbledon is just around the corner but we've not had nice hot sunny weather( lasting longer than a day) for about 2 months now. Weak lows keep sending wind and rain in our general direction so we end up shit surf and wet weather. I'm meeting a lot of disgruntled surfers at the moment and this is shaping up to be one of our worst summers in a long while (for surf and weather).I'm helping out with

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-33102107956740839212011-06-07T09:41:00.004+01:002011-06-07T10:03:38.762+01:00

Just spent a week camping it up down in Cornwall wit the family (the Badlands area) hanging out with local bad asses dave & lara salter and their crazy pooch 'lil miss cool'.The epic surf never really materialised, the first few days were onshore and blown out 2-3ft but the wind eased and the sun made an appearance mid week. Nevertheless we had a fun trip and visited Lands End, Porthcurno,

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-7716959616206817572011-05-24T17:26:00.002+01:002011-05-24T17:34:05.406+01:00

Gull's cradle will rock but that's about all as it's been completely blown out of late! The Porthcawl wind data recorded a 92km gust yesterday and it seems to have been blowing for days now :(Coney has been a mess with small tides so the wind has still managed to ruin things but a few deperados have been in braving the Coney wedge including Harv who reckoned it was 3ft but looked dire when I

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-69731641836680787322011-05-12T13:51:00.000+01:002011-05-13T21:34:49.101+01:00

Not a lot of surf around currently and with a dying swell and strong sw winds it's hardly worth checking as high pressure edges closer.But all is not lost! Local surfer George Schofield has a new underwear business in the pipeline (no pun intended) so check out some Grinders and help him fund a new surfboard ;)

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-38600452963515518562011-05-06T17:01:00.006+01:002011-05-06T17:34:03.382+01:00

Thursday night1.2m9-10 seconds, underlying period = 5 secondslight SEFriday dawnie:1.5m, 8-9 seconds, underlying period = 5-6 secondsModerate SSENot a bad 24 hrs really. Finished early yesterday evening so managed to get in the water by 5.15pm along with Doc, Grant and Sven. Quiet to begin with but the summer student hoards soon descended...God I hate summer surfers. They do my bleedin' head in!

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-77054589703560730572011-05-05T10:37:00.002+01:002011-05-05T10:41:29.311+01:00

It may not be a winter onion sitting off the west coast but it's not too bad for May - a 988 last time I checked and with a blocking high to the east, we should be in for a good run with the winds too. The current forecast is for SSE winds and plenty of swell over the next 5 days peaking on Monday.Currently Rest Bay is clean with plenty of lines and around 2-3ft on the dropping tide. tides are

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-46820733589111144182011-05-03T10:05:00.002+01:002011-05-03T10:15:03.870+01:00

Well it's been the sunniest, driest March and April since 1950 something which never bodes well for surf but the Easter Monday and following Tuesday did deliver some ice waves.Monday although small, served up punchy, fast bowling peaks around 2-3ft and despite still being drunk from the night before, I surfed my socks off and had some really nice rides????! I'm normally badly affected by 'beer

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-37748240195480614442011-04-21T09:55:00.002+01:002011-04-21T10:08:03.996+01:00

Not much surf to report since our last good swell really, a few small longboard days here and there but that's been about it. I went for a run last night and was saddened to find a small but fun looking summer wave at rest breaking around 2ft on sets so perhaps I should have checked first! ;0The Welsh National Surfing Championships are scheduled for this weekend but with a small swell forecast I

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-4191853666325698522011-04-08T16:51:00.003+01:002011-04-08T17:09:04.748+01:00

Thursday night @ Rest Bay:Waves: 1.2 mPeriod: 10.8 secondsWinds:Light SETides: 2 hours before highIt's been a fun week for surf - three surfs in three days can't be bad and I actually feel paddle fit at least :)After my paddleathon on Weds night I opted for Rest Bay last night and bumped into 'the plough' as I parked up. I'd not seen him in ages and it turns out he's still living in Bristol but

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-23346511837294507882011-04-07T09:31:00.002+01:002011-04-07T09:46:55.067+01:00

Waves: 1.3mPeriod: 13.7 secsWind: Light SSEThat's how the rip felt last night @ sker!Still it was a lovely evening and I shared the waves with only one other surfer for a while before the after work crowd turned up. The waves ranged from 3-4ft with shifting peaks, the odd rogue set and lots of pristine waves on offer but always one step ahead of gull!The first few waves were nice. Fast, punchy

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-32868647778157334632011-04-06T15:49:00.003+01:002011-04-06T15:55:00.446+01:00

Looks like we've got a few dyas of decent surf comnig up before high pressure comes to the party and spoils eeverything!The swell is 3-4ft and winds are light Southerly so it looks like I'll be surfing after work today :)Nice pics from Hugh @ Porthcawlsurf today:The wave period was nudging 11 seconds earlier with a 1.7m swell and hardly a breath of no wind but time was not on my side this

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-84008487096728200842011-04-06T15:40:00.003+01:002011-04-06T15:49:46.162+01:00

Mixed bag of late. Friday evening was okay for a quick dip @ coney...yes coney. I snagged one or two okay rides but my best was probably a left which held up long enough to whack the lip a couple of times despite some kook paddling right across me dressed in a rather severe looking helmet - and no it wasn't Hazel! This was a bloke.My next session was on the Saturday at Rest Bay. The sun was

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-77271074414860792072011-03-31T12:58:00.002+01:002011-03-31T13:00:36.214+01:00

It's finally swung onshore...But fear not! especially if you own a dog. Check out this awesome video:Dogboarding from DANIELS on Vimeo.I'm off to buy a pooch right now. I'm thinking start with something smaller as I'm not a good skater?

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-68167122789082196342011-03-31T12:49:00.003+01:002011-03-31T12:58:53.414+01:00

I had arranged to meet up with Aran in the morning for a pre work surf but my gut was telling to hang on so I did. Aran made do with 1-2ft on the drop and for him to say it was shit really puts it into perspective! ;)The wave period was fluctuating between 15 and 18 seconds but the wave buoys were still only registering a couple of feet...Luckily my gamble paid off and I finished early to squeeze

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-56295479550915925702011-03-28T09:42:00.002+01:002011-03-28T10:00:32.949+01:00

Apologies I've either been injured or it's be flat of late so not blogged in a while but I managed a couple of surfs last week - I say surfs, they were more like paddles.Monday was okay from what I remember, small, 1-2ft but super clean and then tiny on Tues when I dragged Steve Beach out of his lair for a paddle @ sker but by the time he arrived it had dropped to a weak 1 ft so we weren't in for

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-85308082395147657752011-03-11T10:07:00.003Z2011-03-11T10:23:18.224Z

Breaking news on BBC and the rest of the world currently as Japan is struck by a earthquake and 10m high tsunami. The footage is incredible as ever, almost unbelievable as we're so used to Hollywood cgi special effects. Watching a mountain of water complete with flames steadily marching inland carrying everything includng fire in it's wake is quite startling to see. I watched earlier in disbelief

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-1483392871638201992011-02-24T13:58:00.003Z2011-02-24T14:04:27.055Z

We've had some huge tides recently and Sunday and Monday were no exception at 10 metres odd. This meant that the Severn Bore would awaken from it's winter slumber, ready to be ruined by kayakers once again;)Loads of footage already up (check You Tube)and some saying it's the best and biggest they've seen it at certain spots. Apart from the commentary, this clip is pretty cool as it shows a surfer

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-81729734433168151252011-02-22T09:42:00.002Z2011-02-22T09:46:44.221Z

Who cares if Sunny Garcia goes to the slammer again when the surf is so good?!Swell: 1.5mPeriod: 13 secondsWinds: V.light E windsSea Temp: 6.5 deg CIt may be a bit foggy out there but the coast is groomed with pleasant looking corduroy lines. Get on it!

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-39793702218641982132011-02-21T09:50:00.003Z2011-02-21T10:03:19.316Z

Well I thought 2010 was a good winter but 2011 seems to be going one better currently!Waves all weekend again and offshore winds with a good wave period?!I was down the beach for a walk with family & friends on Saturday and watched a few guys messing about in fun 2-3ft glassy stuff. The sun was out and it felt like a spring day until we were swamped by sea fog which came in thick and fast. Within

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-20057870995651677152011-02-18T15:55:00.010Z2011-02-18T16:35:09.593Z

SaturdayWave Period: 16.8 secondsWinds: Moderate E going SESwell: 1.5mSwell Direction: 259 degrees, spread 12-25SundayWave Period: 14 secondsWinds: SE, variable but mainly lightSwell: 1.2mSwell Direction: 259 degrees, spread 20-30There's been lot's going on here recently with back to back days of classic surf hitting the south coast of Wales. It's more than made up for the disastrous start to the

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-17819355591339353122011-02-15T14:43:00.003Z2011-02-15T14:47:20.747Z

But here it is! Thanks to Neil Law for the heads up on this insane wave garden development idea:Check out the videos.http://www.wave-garden.com/

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-73425087986665608742011-02-14T09:10:00.009Z2011-02-15T14:34:26.003Z

Got up early on Saturday to a solid swell pounding the South Coast. There was a 14ft swell and decent period so I checked the point and was surprised to find no-one on it. The sets were swinging wider than normal but it was nudging 4ft+ on sets and I was keen to see if my ankle would hold for the Tsunami Cup on Sunday.I decided to save my energy and attempt the infamous rock jump. I'd not done

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-33493217163838725212011-02-11T09:45:00.005Z2011-02-11T11:48:27.653Z

Swell: 1.8mPeriod: 16-17 secondsWind: Very light SWTide: Small tides. On the push with HT at 10.15amI booked yesterday off well in advance of the impending swell (last week in fact) but as those of you following this blog will know, I fell out of my van on Monday morning after a swift pre-work surf whilst trying to get changed in a hurry... :(My left foot was buried snugly in an old Ugg boot with

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-15332304175287925402011-02-08T13:27:00.005Z2011-02-08T17:12:56.788Z

Swell: 1.5mPeriod: 12 secondsWinds: Light SE windWater Temp: 6.6 deg CLovely conditions out there today. I managed to persuade my better half to take Fin to nursery today providing I got him fed, watered, clothed first - so I managed to get out the door just after 7am.My first battle was with the elements as my van was completely frosted over with that annoying ice that's too thin to scrape off

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-5444814265420454662011-02-07T13:50:00.003Z2011-02-07T14:03:10.795Z

We've been battered by storms in Wales this week - so much so that my TV aerial has been blown off twice! First the bracket snapped clean off and it was only put on last year. Then on Sat night, the main arm severed leaving me with a shortened but working aerial so it's very streamlined now and minimal now - that's minimal not MINI MAL ;)That's what you get for living so close to the sea I guess.

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-61353205346306154672011-02-03T14:08:00.003Z2011-02-03T14:17:01.608Z

I've often wondered why we as surfers don't use dry suits and always assumed it was because they were just too baggy but a company in North America called Ocean Rodeo have developed one, especially for surfers which I'd definitely consider buying next time I need a steamer. Imagine not having to wear a heavy 6mm wet, winter suit which never ever dries out, especially if you want to surf over

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-47686786625962675022011-02-02T09:45:00.003Z2011-02-02T10:30:58.425Z

Good news for North Australian surfers but bad news for the rest of the country as Cyclone Yasi hits Queensland. Wind gusts of up to 125 kilometres per hour are already being felt in Cairns and Townsville, but they are expected to intensify to about 290km/hour as Yasi closes in and crosses between Innisfail and Cardwell about 11pm tonight. Here's how BBC have covered it.I've encountered a few

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-26483192470400657762011-01-27T09:42:00.004Z2011-01-27T09:48:53.637Z

We've had not much to sing and dance about lately. The surf has been flat too with high pressure dominating but a few have been out scoring waves in more exotic locations.A colleague at work, passed this onto me just now and I'm not sure how old the footage is, but it's pretty insane anyway so here you go. Night surfing at Jaws, with a head torch on... The only thing he's missing is a cup of

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-70503029241140663522011-01-19T10:23:00.005Z2011-01-19T11:02:31.487Z

I couldn't really write a local surfing blog and not mention the terrible tragedy that has hit the South Wales surfing community this week.Tom Padden a talented 22 yr old local surfer (and former Welsh Junior Champion in 2009) was killed, along with his girlfriend Louise and dad Steve in a horrific car crash, late on Monday night on the M4. Tom's mum, Suzanne and six month old baby Logan survived

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-35559955444805102962011-01-19T09:59:00.004Z2011-01-19T10:04:37.286Z

Well there we have it, the swell that's brought smiles to a lot of faces this week is finally giving up the ghost. There are still tiny swell lines out there and a good underlying period but it's getting smaller by the hour. I dare say some of the reefs have a wave today but get on it quick as we're in for a flat spell now until the end of the month. Then we're in for a treat as macking low is

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-29402545452878940722011-01-18T15:26:00.004Z2011-01-18T15:40:23.470Z

Another lovely day here today but no water time for Gull today. To be honest I was just too damn tired with a 5am wake up call from Jnr - how can kids be so energised at that time of day is a mystery to me? Wanting to read books when I can hardly open my eyes until I've my first kick of caffeine!Reports are good though. The Scarweather buoy has been hovering between 12-14 seconds all day with a

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-48382588076160383162011-01-17T11:30:00.003Z2011-01-17T12:25:23.680Z

Swell: 1.5mPeriod: 14 secondsTide: Nearly low, small tides thoughWind: Hardly a breath but technically NEAt the beach: 3ft+ hollow peaksWhat a treat we had today after a weekend of big and blustery; yet generally shitty surf.The wind had died over night and I woke to a light NE breeze, barely moving the flags over Rest Bay. I processed Jnr into nursery double time today and drove down for a look

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-70989615336042699412011-01-17T11:17:00.005Z2011-01-17T11:27:55.681Z

Well a quick update on the surf safari - it was dire!Matt, Blods and I loaded up my van and headed West.I then spent the day driving around Pembs checking places which on the swell size - 10ft+ on the buoys should have had something! but the direction just seemed a bit weird and the tiny tides didn't help matters.BHS had a 3ft close out and 7 or so on it, but not doing much:Manorbier was 3-4ft

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-15437732686503929632011-01-12T14:44:00.004Z2011-01-12T14:58:48.172Z

On Friday I'm going on safari so thought it a good time to say hi to all my international friends!Just been checking the stats and it seems as if I have people from as far afield as South Africa, Russia and America reading the blog? So that's nice to know. Keep on reading and leave me a comment or something from time to time so I know I'm not the only one in here! I'm sure I heard an echo the

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-51829250973061532352011-01-12T12:22:00.004Z2011-01-12T14:55:35.668Z

This brand new series kicks off on BBC One at 8pm on 13 Jan and it is truly amazing. I've been lucky enough to see some of it in the edit and sneak previews at work and some of the footage is mind blowing!Here's one of my favourite clips from the website so far. A native free diver, swimming down 20m and walking 'calm as you like' along the sea bed, spearing dinner:I still haven't quite got my

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-15533110621127838112011-01-11T10:48:00.002Z2011-01-11T10:55:18.725Z

The Elusive Welsh Open is now due to take place on Saturday 29th January, with the Tsunami Cup on the following day. Both will take place at Rest Bay, Porthcawl. Check in time both days will be 8am with the first heat under way at 9am. All those previously paid entries will automatically make the draw, we still have around 8 spots available to make the maximum 32. Please email info@

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-55986832347831138562011-01-11T09:29:00.002Z2011-01-11T09:31:10.138Z

Plenty about this week with some 3-4 metre swells pounding our shores but apart from today when the winds stay NW for a time, we're cursed with the south westerlies so options become a little more limited.I might take Friday off and go on an adventure...so will keep you updated on my escapades, should they amount to anything!

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-29235630979318439232011-01-11T09:20:00.002Z2011-01-11T09:29:19.740Z

Winds: Light NWTides: 1 hour before high with HT nudging 9.5m @ 9.30amSwell: 1.6mWaves at the beach: 3-4ft+Had a nice early surf on Sunday whilst everyone else was either sleeping or had written off clean waves due to Saturday's wind.Sunday was a pleasant surprise though. I peeped out the front of the house to find hardly any wind so raised Pete from his bed, picked him up and hit a local left

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-87972737939335752402011-01-06T11:45:00.001Z2011-01-06T11:46:38.941Z

Surf report over on my BBC Wales Nature & Outdoors website

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-31278524853908356682011-01-04T09:12:00.003Z2011-01-04T09:43:39.534Z

Well that's Xmas over for another year...The Xmas Day swim at Coney Beach was great fun if a little cold underfoot - I actually had frost burn on some of my little pinkies for a few days afterwards but the water itself wasn't too bad and warmer than expected.After that the swell came in and we were blessed with clean waves for around a week! Boxing Day was small but perfectly formed and from then

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-19303862811470102262010-12-16T09:16:00.004Z2010-12-16T12:27:23.487Z

It's nearly a month since my last confession Huey. I can't believe I've been dry for this long but at least we're approaching the shortest day soon :)Not that the water is going to warm up any time soon. Sea temps are now hovering around 9 degrees C.The weather although cold has at least been dry and sunny but apart from one day of waist to shoulder high surf which managed to steer around

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-37043501982706615422010-12-03T09:01:00.003Z2010-12-03T09:27:15.018Z

The Tsunami Cup and Elusive Open surf comps have both been postponed this weekend due to a lack of swell. Makes sense I guess and it's also a little bit parky out there too with temps of minus 9 being recorded.The surf forecast looks okay according to Windguru so we'll have to wait n see but there's a low down in Biscay generating some swell so I think Sunday might be okay. It looks like we

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-8160567063625168662010-11-30T10:05:00.002Z2010-11-30T10:19:12.650Z

Not much to report on the surfing front as we've had a 10 day flat spell now. The only mild excitement has come in the form of snow, a few inches here and there which caused widespread panic for no apparent reason.It doesn't seem to snow very often in Porthcawl but there was a light shower as I left for work today which confused the hell out of my son, who wasn't quite sure what he was seeing -

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-14631488944339293442010-11-22T10:34:00.004Z2010-11-22T11:02:53.330Z

I took Friday afternoon off and scored some nice clean surf at my local spot with the Porthcawl duo known as blods & evil and Jon Stoneman joined us later on.The surf was around 1.7m on the wave buoy and 9 seconds with a light SE wind.Fun, clean lines rolled in - a bit smaller than we would have liked but I was having fun and getting plenty of speed out of the quad. The peaks were nicely groomed

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-35639610245620388642010-11-16T14:41:00.004Z2010-11-16T15:00:54.714Z

It's been a good couple of days here in South Wales. Yesterday saw nice fast punchy clean waves hurtling into Rest Bay at a good 3ft with light offshore winds and apparently there was more of the same today but slightly smaller.Gull and Fin's surf safari yesterday morning:And now onto other matters: The mammalian diving reflex present in all of us:As the reflex kicks in, three changes happen to

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-85240700180287412512010-11-15T09:15:00.006Z2010-11-15T10:56:01.302Z

Not bad a weekend all things considered!The wind was howling on Saturday morning so I took a rare dip at Coney and was pleasantly surprised. I've slagged this spot off over the years (as has just about everyone) but like a faithful old dog - she sometimes delivers!It was wasn't epic but it was fun and for once, the odd wave held up allowing for a few moves. The waves were in the 3-4ft region with

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-45427024792358651452010-11-12T15:00:00.001Z2010-11-12T15:00:27.643Z

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-1878491407682322232010-11-11T09:18:00.003Z2010-11-11T09:30:34.271Z

8am....Not much to report in South Wales today apart from gale force westerly winds and an angry sea - angry at being flattened by the wind!And the reason for all this? A nice little 951 perched off the coast:Coney is rideable if you're really desperate but only just as a mushy 3-4ft wave spills in but once that tide drops - forget about it.It's 2.9m on our wave buoy as I type this with a 7 sec

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-21778546013433740242010-11-09T13:43:00.002Z2010-11-09T13:47:07.665Z

Just when you though it couldn't get any bigger those big wave chargers off Ireland's West coast have been at it again!Ladies and gentlemen...allow me to present - 'Prowlers'Thanks to longboarding sensation - John Fitz for the heads up on this story.

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-24020221551148423792010-11-08T19:27:00.006Z2010-11-11T09:51:56.334Z

Swell: 11-12ftWind: Light WNWTides: Large tides, HT was around 1pm so we surfed the dropping tideReefs: 6-8ftA solid swell with light NW winds = a solid 6ft+ with the odd eight foot rogue thrown in for good measure. Luckily my recent Ireland trip had served up bigger so I was feeling fairly relaxed on the inside and feeling quite comfortable to begin with.It started off nice enough and the sun

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-77586827920424547362010-11-04T12:26:00.002Z2010-11-04T12:30:00.619Z

Gales, gales and more gales followed by a bit more rain for good measure. Welcome to winter in Wales! it's not all bad though - last winter was actually very good - combining solid swells with more than a few offshore days which left us all dumbfounded?!I'm off back to my spiritual heartland of Pembrokeshire with the family this weekend and the forecast is looking mixed. There's plenty of swell

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-68807998900210967712010-11-01T14:15:00.004Z2010-11-01T14:36:01.826Z

"Cramps are often caused by a lack of potassium, resulting in an electrolytic imbalance. Strenuous exercise with sweating and diarrhea or other bowel disease may cause loss of potassium and other important minerals. It is very important to replace them with supplements. Some people get leg cramps at night for no apparent reason. This is called restless legs syndrome." Health 911I've never

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-69683683273565494042010-11-01T09:59:00.005Z2010-11-01T14:45:58.750Z

Plenty of groundswell at the moment. The WCSC Surfers Ball went off on Sat night with the 'Screamin' Halloween' event and judging from the photos - a good time was had by all! The costumes get better every year. LOLOne benefit of not being able to go was a clear head on Sunday morning so I hit my usual and had nice 2-3ft clean surf with a moderate E wind.Good fun as a large OTL contingent(old

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-34129952606738403312010-10-25T14:40:00.007+01:002010-10-26T11:41:16.973+01:00

Feeling a little bit bad for Josh, I opted to surf again with him in the afternoon so we descended onto our local spot - Dunfanaghy. Josh redeems himself by sneaking into the belly of a nice right. Image by Mark Patterson:This little spot isn't renound for it's surf but on a solid swell and offshore winds - it was firing!It reminded me a lot of freshwater east - my old local haunt in Pembs. A

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-66416071677492350992010-10-22T14:06:00.007+01:002010-10-25T13:01:31.338+01:00

We all woke with that familiar taste of stale Guinness on our breath but the heads were clear despite the last round of shorts...courtesy of Neil - one of the bar owners @ McGrorys.Jon and Nicola had kindly lent Mark and I the use of their house in Culdaff which was much appreciated. You can't put a price on a hot shower after surfing a cold northerly swell in Ireland!Mark disappeared south for a

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-60266947820268745492010-10-22T13:18:00.008+01:002010-10-22T15:26:19.041+01:00

I've just landed with a thump back into a chilly Cardiff airport; after what feels like a tour of the entire north and west coast of Donegal and Bloody in search of that perfect wave.I arrived on Friday night, chasing a fresh Northerly swell and the first day delivered an unexpected wave at a spot I'd not surfed before.Clean lines @ Homers on Saturday afternoon:'Homers' as I'll call it here, is a

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-91444268969617086402010-10-15T15:36:00.003+01:002010-10-15T15:46:17.854+01:00

Well, it looks like Ireland is THE spot to be next week as a monstrous 6m swell (20ft+) is set to batter the North coast - exactly where I'm heading :)I'll be hooking up with me old mate mark patterson, josh, big wave afficienado - al mennie and local shaper and ripper - Rosey.I'm surfing on a borrowed board - just what you want in big waves...but I'll give it my best shot and see how we get

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-14049679657732050842010-10-13T10:01:00.003+01:002010-10-13T10:12:19.038+01:00

I'll be keeping my eye on this nice little low heading over Northern Ireland this weekend and into next week. I was hoping to score waves out west in Lahinch - Mayo country this trip but I'm not sure that's going to happen now looking at the long range weather charts.A few spots up north should be firing though and the beauty of Ireland is that there is always somewhere to surf and a new spot

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-73519989179316136482010-10-12T10:10:00.004+01:002010-10-12T10:27:48.417+01:00

Apologies I've been off recently with work, so haven't been near the coast but I hear it's been pretty good. Friday saw a late swell developing and for those patient enough to wait - 4-5ft and clean waves were delivered on a plate just before sunset.I returned home late on Friday night, shattered but keen for a dip the following day. On paper it looked spectacular with a good swell, big wave

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-41873934471666565182010-10-03T19:15:00.002+01:002010-10-03T19:19:42.965+01:00

Not sure how it happened but my little old suring blog has made the shortlist in the 'sports' category in the Welsh blog awards!Highly chuffed with that but I doubt I'll win. Nice to be nominated all the same. So watch this space and fear not - normal blogging service will continue, whether I win or not! :)Might see some of you down @ Chapter for the awards night next Thursday.

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-81055974332721640832010-10-03T12:01:00.002+01:002010-10-03T12:36:48.482+01:00

Saturday's conditions:Wave height: 1.5mWave Period: 12.7 secsWind: Southerly, decreasing in strengthTide: Small, around 7.5m and pushing in.Saturday delivered as promised. I met up with local sponger Will, Doc fresh back from his travels to China and Jon who'd I not seen for ages.IOur local spot didn't disappoint and as we staggered up the last dune, we found fairly clean 3-4ft waves - maybe a

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-8560668806270755302010-10-02T09:57:00.002+01:002010-10-02T10:07:17.432+01:00

Just a quick mobile phone update. The wind is still blowing pretty strong but veering Southerly. This pic was taken from opposite the Fairways Hotel where it's a little more sheltered and around 2ft. Rest Bay is a bit more wind affected but looks a solid 3-4ft and chunky with plenty of power to it. It's not clean but not a total mess either and there are few rights holding up. Plenty of surfers

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-31510743370361314032010-10-02T08:49:00.004+01:002010-10-02T09:01:35.368+01:00

Well, as usual this summer/autumn - the winds haven't played ball and delivered us neatly groomed, corduroy lines...Light SE were predicted but instead we've got moderate SSW and fairly messy conditions.The swell is nudging 1.7m and a decent wave period so I'll be waxing up the 6'6 single fin this morning for some old skool bottom turns ;)All is not lost though as current forecasts predict

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-70713452083934749702010-09-29T16:24:00.002+01:002010-09-29T16:29:59.707+01:00

Not much to report today, smallish surf and strong onshore winds first thing and torrential rain didn't help matters....So a potential drying day for the wetsuit, if I can get home and get it on the line in time. The next few days look very very interesting...We have some amazing weather fronts coming our way and the weekend forecast looks insane. Next week should produce even more deep lows so

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-7543042646609358382010-09-28T17:16:00.004+01:002010-09-28T17:17:28.354+01:00

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-60996483378326939032010-09-28T09:43:00.004+01:002010-09-28T17:15:58.679+01:00

Swell: 0.8mPeriod: 10.2 secondsWind: light SETide: Surfed the incoming tide. HT is at 9.37am, 9.1mAt the beach: 2ft+ and clean and only 4 surfers in.A lovely day again in Porthcawl and hardly a breath of wind. I was busy getting jnr ready for nursery and decided to take a quick peek at the cam to see if the new swell had started to show yet. Doh! It had - clean lines and no-one in but the tide

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-64590405938963817252010-09-27T09:25:00.004+01:002010-09-27T10:04:27.060+01:00

Waves: 0.7m-1mPeriod: 16+ secondsWinds: Light NTide: Rising and falling. HT was 9.6mWe've had a good run recently and my initial fears of small waves were set to one side as a 16 second wave period pulsed through!I woke early on Saturday and checked the buoys, 0.7m...disappointing but then noticed the period was off the charts. The winds were light N and I had a feeling a certain spot would be

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-27811935021390488782010-09-27T09:22:00.003+01:002010-09-27T09:25:34.354+01:00

Nothing to do with surfing in Wales but too good not to share! Cloudbreak has been going off recently Aussies and Hawaiians getting in on the action. Check out the clip below - laugh uncomfortably at the first trip over the falls :) and then watch in awe at the insanely deep barrel at the end.Cloudbreak September 2010 from Surfing Life on Vimeo.

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-61976945182585315502010-09-24T09:51:00.005+01:002010-09-24T10:02:23.759+01:00

The age old battle continues to rage. We seem to either have howling onshore winds here in Wales or nothing...After Wednesdays classic surf, Thursday was rudely written off by SW onshore winds. This morning, hardly a breath of N wind but the surf had all but vanished - just some faint 1ft lines and poor wave period (dribbling in at around 4 seconds).Saturday's forecast chart shows HP moving in:

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-44592144273927707702010-09-22T11:24:00.002+01:002010-09-22T11:42:16.180+01:00

Wave height: 1.2m - at the beach, 3-4ft+ and cleanWave period: 14 secondsWind: Very light SE HT: 6.40am, 9m+ surfed on the dropping tide.It's high time I had something good to report! This morning was picture perfect. Not a breath of wind and lovely pink skies as the sun came up.I walked down through the dunes alone and tried to work out how many surfers lay ahead as the car park was looking

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-17637792888657901282010-09-17T09:37:00.004+01:002010-09-17T09:42:09.877+01:00

Not much to report this week. It's been pretty hectic @ work and home but there's been no surf time for old gull. The swell has been in the 2m+ realm for much of the week but gale force onshore sw winds have ruined any chance of surfing really; other than at sheltered spots and life has conspired to keep me dry this week. Yesterday, the wind dropped right off so it was probably quite nice

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-26791920597232393262010-09-13T09:26:00.001+01:002010-09-13T09:26:49.542+01:00

Quick surf check with fin revealed a n wind and half decent swell. The tide was well up but there were cleanish three footers steaming into the bay. Dad duties meant I was a spectator so I hope you scored some!

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-24772882493278330782010-09-10T15:52:00.002+01:002010-09-10T16:02:45.312+01:00

I've recently launched a new surfing section in my BBC Wales Nature & Outdoors website. I've named a few breaks that weren't featured in the previous batch of guides I wrote about 6 or 7 years ago but felt that with all the information about them being readily available on the web - wannasurf etc - it wouldn't do any harmAnd let's face it - if a spot has 50+ guys surfing it on a good day then

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-76112671799757080142010-09-10T14:45:00.002+01:002010-09-10T14:46:59.876+01:00

Old news now but I'd not seen the footage before. Scary stuff!Amateur video shows waves which reached eight metres - hitting a Cypriot-owned cruise ship in the Mediterranean.Two people were killed as the waves hit the Louis Majesty during its 12 day trip in the Mediterranean.

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-26083410537121257262010-09-08T15:11:00.004+01:002010-09-08T15:34:37.860+01:00

Swell: 0.9mPeriod: 9.9 secondsWind: light SETide: On the dropping tide, HT @ 6.50am, 10.2mThe winds eased over night and a small clean swell was pushing through this morning. Large tides had reduced Rest Bay to lines but the occasional set broke inside hinting at what could be.The scarweather wave buoy was only ready 0.9m and around 10 seconds with light SE winds so I met up with local booger

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-50978124077868055742010-09-06T14:48:00.001+01:002010-09-06T14:52:37.361+01:00

The government will sound the death knell for the world's largest tidal energy project this month. The tidal energy barrage was to be built across the Severn estuary between Somerset and south Wales but will be scrapped when the government rules out public funding for the controversial £20bn plan.www.guardian.co.uk/environment

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-60917094720800951762010-09-06T13:53:00.000+01:002010-09-06T13:54:50.554+01:00

Gower surfers rescue some clown who'd made a home made raft and was stuck in a rip off Gennith on Friday...heading out to sea.These people should be named and shamed IMO!

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-46635531365741011922010-09-06T09:29:00.003+01:002010-09-06T10:54:59.599+01:00

The promised swell never really materialised in the end. I think Friday was the day TBH with reports of four foot perfection later in the afternoon.The swell was meant to build and winds remain light but typically - the winds increased a lot - the strongest winds all week long arrived, but at least they were SE and offshore.Rattz couldn't make it so I arranged to meet up with Doc at the same spot

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-45299462091665612392010-09-03T17:09:00.003+01:002010-09-03T17:22:28.066+01:00

We've had some weird wave periods this week - 17 seconds + but a low underlying period deivering 2-3ft and clean most days5am start today. I actually fell asleep with the alarm clock in my hand so I could switch it off quickly and not wake the missus! It kind of worked...Switched on my mobile to find the usual barrage of texts from Rattz saying he's coming, he's not coming, it's too small, he's

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-10840580389994239572010-08-31T13:58:00.002+01:002010-08-31T14:28:29.366+01:00

The weekend forecast wasn't looking that great on paper but we loaded up the van and headed west to see the outlaws anyway.Friday came and went with nothing much to report other than sunny skies. Saturday however delivered some small but chilly surf.I met up with 'The Bry' around 8am and we hit Freshwater West. The buoy was only measuring 2.5 feet @ 6 seconds but there was something rideable. Two

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-53889662107145922732010-08-23T11:13:00.006+01:002010-08-23T11:35:32.802+01:00

We have something in the Atlantic that is getting me excited!After a disappointing surf on Friday evening in what can only be described as "howling onshore hell" I tried again early on Saturday and was rewarded with empty three foot peaks and just three of us in :) It wasn't particularly punishing but I'm still trying to find some fitness after a virus and 4-5 week long flat spell.Good news on

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-7658027647070373912010-08-20T15:49:00.001+01:002010-08-20T15:49:38.286+01:00

Me my Shark and I from Chuck Patterson on Vimeo.

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-81207199383161232202010-08-16T14:48:00.004+01:002010-08-16T15:05:30.154+01:00

No, I'm not dropping off the planet just yet, but this month long (or what feels like a month long) wave drought looks as if it will finally be over, towards the end of this week!A series of weak lows are pushing our way around Thursday and into the weekend so despite the onshore wind forecast - every man and his dog will be out surfing and making up for lost water time - myself included.At least

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-71511859287518496162010-08-13T14:22:00.002+01:002010-08-13T14:59:11.084+01:00

Rasta destroying one of his many boards in the name of art. Nice if you don't have to pay for boards. If you've ever wondered how you mount a 16mm camera on board, here's how:Board Cam Mount- Surf Sufficient I plumped for the cheaper option and bought a Go-Pro. I've had some nice results so far but found that the front mount and wide angled (almost fish eye) lens made everything look like it was

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-84213007110419102010-08-12T12:24:00.002+01:002010-08-12T12:36:37.806+01:00

I'm sure many of you have been following the recent SAS developments in the news. The organisation claims that at least 35 of our Blue Flag beaches don't meet the necessary requirements to fly the prestigious flags and should be flying Brown Flags instead. Yes shit sticks...It all boils down to that old favourite of ours - the CSO's or shit pipes as we all used to call them. In order for beaches

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-37988900866598241462010-07-28T12:08:00.004+01:002010-07-28T12:19:16.125+01:00

My son and heir turns one tomorrow. It's incredible how fast time flies and I've not even got him on a surfboard yet; so when he becomes world champion in 2020 he can say in his interview - "I learnt to surf when I was one" and put those Hawaiian three year old groms to shame! ;)I think I'll take him down to the beach tomorrow and get him standing on a bodyboard in the shallows and see how we get

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4254532345115356609.post-13274468881943814972010-07-20T12:32:00.005+01:002010-07-20T13:20:37.476+01:00

Swell: 1.5mPeriod: 7 seconds, underlying 5 secondsWind: Very light STide: Mid, on the push with HT around MidnightI've been playing the waiting game recently...Yes, there's been swell but it's come with baggage - howling onshore winds that blow relentlessly all day and all night. Each night I wait for it to drop but it lingers...and is still there at first light.I came close to getting wet on

Gullhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13570061203437155324noreply@blogger.com0