It's five years to the day that Western Australia received one of its all time greatest swells - but from an unusual north-west direction, thanks to Severe Tropical Cyclone Bianca. Let's take a look back at how incredible the Margaret River coastline is - especially for natural footers - when the swell direction is reversed.
A sailing and surf exploration of Tasmania.
The Lifeline Surf Classic is back for its eighth year.
Sid gets inducted into Surfing Australia's Hall Of Fame.
A new column where a surfboard sage, otherwise known as Murray Bourton, answers everything you want to know.
Surfers are on alert as an eight-metre humpback washes onto rocks near Scarborough.
Is surfing just another sport? Have we been deluding ourselves?
Rare showing of 2018 film, plus live music and conversation.
The turnout exceeded all expectations for Merc's paddle out.
Comments
oh my god
We ran a nice gallery at the time too, here: https://www.swellnet.com/photos/swellnet-sessions/it-came-northwest
And amazingly, TC Iggy formed in roughly the same area the following year, almost to the day - and delivered another round of major swell from the NW.
Check these archive surfcam stills from our Yallingup surfcam - the first three are from TC Iggy, the last one is a normal surfcam image just to show the relative size. Looks like massive D'bah!
Here's a comparison image (surfcam is in the same spot, same zoom etc) under a standard SW swell event.
Great archives there ben . The yalls left is usually a fat wave really lit up on the nw swell angle
And we've got the strongest La Nina on record forecast for the next couple of years. 2011-13 was the strongest since '78, who remembers Alby.....
Yes I remember alby . Huge seas & how it destroyed the busselton jetty if that was "78 then I was very young only about 6 . The bom site has archives on cyclone tracks during those times & there must have been a few times when there was waves in wa from them from what could estimate
Strongest La Niña forecast fr next couple of years ?
16/17 is going to be strongest La Niña ?
Yeah 16/17 which means next summer not this one, should flow into the following cyclone season too with a bit of luck.
The PDO needs to switch and soon if you were to see that .
But I'll agree that all the fuel /elements are there . Just needs to start swinging soon .
This current complex low in the SE is a good sign .
Those sets at Yalls are farking huge, those guys are going to get absolutely smoked, especially the dude right under that heaving wedge in shot 3.
It wasn't really as big as it looks here for Iggy, just super wedgey. Shallows was good, really good. Long, hollow and clean.
No swell of late on the west coast ,that footage is a slight reprieve from what has been an unusual summer albeit hot and sticky ... thanks ben! Sam's island would've had some little grinders if you live up that way?
Yes agreed ugmate one of the longer average spells for summer on the south of the island that I can remember . the patterns during the last few months from tas-wa hasn't been much good swell
Dino destroying...think i saw a better film version of that..probs wrong..
Remember that swell ben, and the footage, worth re-visiting.
You would want to be a good surfer to be able to take on beach break like that, even those guys were eating it at times.
Wish I was that good!
I surfed Yals and got walloped a few times. The left was freight training. I wasn't good enough.
Surfed bunbury pumping that day