Today was a beautiful and much welcomed surprise after a brief nor Easter on the weekend. There was a high tide making entry and exit at the ramp just a bit tricky. But the bay was mostly calm , a few bounces coming into Shelly, with clear conditions to the bottom of the sea, and...

Best way to recover from flu or anything is to get into the sea. And it was lovely for healing today with gentle waves    The beautiful art of bodysurfing    So much skill required to navigate the ramp each day A teaching moment? The other elbow technique  

Lazy start for me this morning, the joys of semi retirement. I reflected on Deb’s blog about her morning rituals from the other day and then reflected on mine. They start around 5.30 with the strident feline demands for breakfast followed by a 5 kilo (and that’s being nice) jump onto my bladder. Talk about...

Mornings at Manly are my sanctuary. I usually wake before my alarm, sometimes at 4am, sometimes 5am. Lying there, resting but unable to sit still, I feel that familiar buzz of excitement—because I live for the mornings down at the beach. Often, I wake with a tune in my head. This morning, it was Phil...

Rusty’s Friday pitch report A light NE breeze, coupled with a NE swell, and the southern corner has chaotic chunky slabs. A board collision at 6am rush stops traffic, all reported good later. We lose all structure with the waves. North to the pipe with Jen and Swanbourne Sam, before joining a big crew at...

I live in Dee Why and always look forward to the first sighting of the Queenscliff to Shelly vista. It always lifts the spirits and today was qute exceptional.A gorgeous sunny morning and a calm ocean. Even the ramp was civilised today, with the end pretty much level with the sand. In the water I...

  Jules gets in a photo with some of ‘The Mermaids’ at Shelly beach. This group have made Friday mornings at 8am the best party around with music, Fireball whiskey, champagne and cake post-swim! Two wonderful Doctors share a hug! Jules left her beloved Manly and swim group to study medicine in Perth 13 years...

A lot of the time, the Bold and Beautiful swim is more beautiful. The water is calm, the light soft, and the swim feels like meditation in motion. But every so often, there’s a boldness about it – the kind that makes your heart race before you even hit the water. There’s something about watching...