The dawn patrol offered slim pickings with tiny waves across most beaches, but within an hour or two a new southerly swell began to filter into exposed Sydney beaches. By noon it was four feet, by mid-afternoon it was six feet and still climbing. 

On Easter Saturday Australia's original slab, Shark Island, put on a show for locals and photogs alike.

"The start of the Maldives season has been quite tame, with one exception. In mid-February I was chasing a swell to a more remote area in the Maldives and was greeted with a day of glassy eight foot plus walls."

Darryl Menzies trains his camera in tight as a small crew spin late over one of Sydney's trickiest rock ledges.

No place for stage fright, the Right put on a show for the few surfers who were willing to take a chance.

For the last month Jack Dekort has been bobbing about on a boat in the Indian Ocean. He's missed a few late season swells on his home turf but been adequately compensated with early season swell in The Maldives. A fair exchange if parity matters.

Just after dark on Friday the forerunners began making landfall at an incredible 20 second period. First light on Saturday and the swell had filled in with incredible 8'-10' waves at deep water waves across the coast.

Yesterday the surfers got down to the money rounds at Bells and the usual suspects began their run to the Finals.

Matt Dunsmore paddles into a bulbous cavern somewhere in Sydney during the huge Easter Saturday swell. 

With the swell's forerunners displaying periods in the 20 second range, there was never any doubt that we'd be looking at some seriously large waves - and many outer reefs came to light this morning, producing some of the biggest surf seen in New South Wales this year.