words by ben stephens
As you make your way down to the white sandy shores of Bondi and utter the question ‘Hey brah, how do I surf that frothing right-hander out there?‘… It’ll go one of three ways.
– You’ll meet a friendly Brazilian national that speaks very good broken English but has no idea what you mean by frothing right.
– You’ll make a new friend who’ll be a yoga teacher and throw you an invite to the next class of the morning, followed by juice at Cali Press.
– You’ll get a weird look, followed by some abuse about you being a kook and a look up and down that will make you second-guess your wetsuit colour.
Bondi’s funny like that – you never know what you’re going to get.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BOLi5F4ggvQ/?taken-by=saltysam84&hl=en
From us to you, here are just a couple of handy hints for surfing the famous rolling break.
So first things first, if you are in fact a beginner or a kook if you will, then stick to the Northern end of the beach… That’s the opposite end from Icebergs Pool. Up here you’ll find so easy white wash to play around on. Also if you want to get some inside tips, hit up Let’s Go Surfing for a couple of lessons.
Bondi is best for small to medium swells on an almost high tide. Anything too big or on a low tide and it’s all just a mess and closes out.
You want the wind coming out of the northeast, this will comb the swell nicely and give you minimal chop on the face of the wave. Until it really starts blowing and then you’re pretty much done for the day.
Bondi is known for its rips. They can be a little strong. Actually, they can be really strong. Keep an eye out for them and study the beach before you head out the back.
Lastly, it’s busy out there, be careful – if any of this fails to sink in, kick back and enjoy our dear friend Ozzie Wright along with Vinnie Steele and Ari Browne tearing up Byron Bay over the recent days. It’s pure magic, a bit of throwback to some classic crafts and shows you how to surf a busy break.
Enjoy.