More crowded than the take-off at times. Nick Sheffield is one photographer that can't complain about obstructed views, he regularly swims into the pit to get the front row seat as the surfers set their line.

Ox can also add cancer survivor to that list, 'cause this time last year he was laid out with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and things were looking decidedly grim. He's healthy now, the odds are improving and he's using sympathy votes to claim set waves at the Island and other Cronulla reefs.

Two things are certain when you're surfing Shark Island