Sprout Daily Blog

:: Dark & Cold

Murray — Wed, 22 May 2013 01:08:44 +0000

Definitely could have done with some sun this morning. My shutter finger was freezing up and the other hand was deep in my hoodie pocket. Forget about hanging on the sand these days, the water’s the place to be and a good 10 degrees warmer right now. I’m hanging out to get my waterhousing back and join the line up in the warm water.

We didn’t get much of a sunrise this morning, there’s heavy clouds and rain hanging off the coast which is going to cross the coast from midday today. Hope you remembered your umbrella on the way out the door. The waves are much the same as yesterday; 2 ft of clean but straight-ish South Swell.

:: Sunrise Conversations

Murray — Tue, 21 May 2013 00:49:20 +0000

Another flawless sunrise this morning and there’s was plenty to talk about in the water. There’s 2-3ft of South Swell and that crisp Autumn offshore keeping it super clean in the line up. The swell’s a little straight on the mid-tide but it’ll should improve as the morning progresses and the tide drops about.

Today could be the last day of sunshine for the week so soak it up while there’s still some warmth to gain. We’ve got rain and some wind coming later in the week with a solid South Swell for Friday.

Wolfmother frontman Andrew Stockdale is launching his first self-produced album, Keep Moving. Click through to his website or check out the filmclip to single Long Way To Go for some epic dancing and a taste of the album.

:: Step Back

Murray — Mon, 20 May 2013 01:39:52 +0000

A drive up the Beaches early on a Monday morning is like a step back to the past. The carparks are empty, four’s a crowd in the line up, Midget’s sitting casually out the back and 2 out of 4 guys are riding TF shaped Hot Buttered Surfboards. It’s worth a drive but you’ll need time on your hands.

There’s a 2-3ft of South Swell out there this morning and the wind’s straight offshore from the West. The full measure of the swell is going past Manly but as I drove over the hill at Queenscliff just then there looked like some fun waves around. South swell is always a little straight for the North Beaches but there’s a few banks handling it ok. If you’ve got Monday off it’s well worth a paddle.

Congrat’s to Jordy Smith who took out the Billabong Pro Rio and his first World Tour Event outside his home of South Africa! Jordy’s been on fire this year and is sitting at No. 2 in the ranking going into Fiji. Master strategist Jarrad Howse is in Jordy’s corner this year – must be paying off!

:: All’s Calm

Murray — Fri, 17 May 2013 00:17:29 +0000

It’s calm out there on the Tasman this morning. It’s no bigger than yesterday or the day before but there’s swell on the forecast and we should see the South Swell ramping up by this afternoon. Could be 4-6ft by tomorrow – wait and see.

There’s no waves in Rio, Brazil at the moment either. Stop 3 on the ASP World Tour, The Billabong Pro Rio is running out of time to get through the heats. There’s two days left in the waiting period and an increase in swell forecast tomorrow so expect to see some surfing via your webcast tomorrow.

Cool and Sunny weekend ahead, find some sun and keep yourself warm. See you Monday
∆ Murray

:: Slow Start

Murray — Thu, 16 May 2013 01:03:58 +0000

Little bit of a slow start to the day today. There’s not much happening surfing wise except for the occasional 1 footer slipping in to the two or three banks along the beach that are trying to keep this swell alive and ridable. You’ll need to be a lightweight grommet, sub 50kg’s or on some serious foam to get a decent runner this morning. If you want to see what the surfing heavyweights have been doing in serious waves of consequence check out this clip from Tahiti.

The forecast for the weekend is looking promising at this stage. A fresh South swell building on Saturday and cool offshore winds. Not ideal for Manly but you’ve still got time to plan an Autumn camping trip away for the weekend.

:: Warmer In

Murray — Tue, 14 May 2013 23:33:14 +0000

Winter was real this morning – single figure temperatures recorded up the hill at Terrey Hills!! The freezing sand was no place for bare feet used to walking around the coral sands of Fiji – the only place to stand barefoot was in the water where it’s still a balmy 22 degrees. That’s 10 degrees warmer than the air temp at first light. Better in than out!

There a couple of fun little waves around this morning. 1-2ft of logable East swell and it may even improve a touch as the tide pushes in.

Yesterday was one of those historic days at Teahupoo. You’ve probably already seen some of the pictures filtering in on social media but here’s Surfline’s take on day one of the swell. Check out photo #19 for some behind the scenes madness!

:: Minimal

Murray — Mon, 13 May 2013 23:56:10 +0000

Things are very minmal this morning on Manly Beach. The temperature is down under the 15 degree mark, waves are hovering in the 1 foot range and action on the beach is at a minimal. Best option this morning might have been a swim (the water’s still a very tasty 22 degrees) or some other alternative to surfing; coffee, jog, boxercise, etc. Tomorrow’s looking much the same only with some bright sunshine in the mix.

Thank you to everyone that completed our first Sprout Daily Reader Survey. We’re now working through the information and asking ourselves how we can improve and evolve Sprout Daily into the future – looking forward to a new plan for the year ahead. Big congrat’s to Nicky from Quattro Designs, who has won the Framed Print! Can’t wait to get that custom print made up, delivered and on your wall!

:: Early Colour

Murray — Sun, 12 May 2013 23:24:42 +0000

This morning’s sunrise was so full of colour. The sky went from electric blue through to vibrant orange and the ocean was a deep purple as it reflected the clouds above. Not a bad sunrise to wake up to back home in Manly, even if there is a serious chill in the air.

The waves seemed a little lack luster, especially given the forecast for a decent East Swell. If you’ve got the time, it might be worth waiting to see if any more energy turns up later in the morning as the winds are going to be mostly light and offshore all day.

Time to get back into work. Will be announcing the winner of the Framed Print from the Sprout Reader Survey tomorrow so tune in and keep your fingers crossed.
∆ Murray

:: Last Day on the Island

Murray — Fri, 10 May 2013 02:56:35 +0000

Today was supposed to be a wrap up email featuring some highlights from my time here on Namotu, sunrises, sunsets, line up shots, etc. But after an epic day of surfing of surfing yesterday the highlights package will have to wait.

The swell dropped yesterday but it was still a sizable 8-10ft at Cloudbreak with the occasional rouge clean up set. Patagonia Ambassadors Kohl Christensen and Dan Ross mixed in with a crew of Namotu and Tavarua lifeguards and local boatmen to charge some perfect bluewater barrels. It wasn’t all-time Cloudbreak but there were some all-time moments and epic barrels.

I’m back home in Manly on Monday, it’s going to take some getting used to cold water and cooking my own meals. Huge thanks to Scotty and Mandy, all the boatmen and staff for their hospitality on Namotu Island. This place is seriously a surfer’s dream destination and it’s only a short jump from Sydney. Add it to your bucket list and book it sooner rather than later. Shoot me an email if you’ve got any questions or click straight through to Namotu’s website

Looks like a decent swell for Sydney early next week. See you Monday
∆ Murray

:: Solid

Murray — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:38:50 +0000

Fiji was going off yesterday! 15ft+ at outside Cloudbreak, 8ft+ at Restaurants and a whole lot of energy running through the ocean. The swell didn’t quite reach the levels of last June’s mammoth swell during the Volcom Fiji Pro and the direction and winds might have been off slightly for things to really light up. There was still some huge waves breaking outside at Cloudbreak and some were so wide you could drive a truck through them. There was only a handful of guys surfing and a massive hat’s off to all of them.

On the inside, more protected, reef at Tavarua, Restuarants was serving up 6-8ft+ grinders all day. If you’ve ever surfed Restaurants you’ll know that at that size the perfection is skin deep. The reality is that Restaurants is a heaving take off followed by a screaming barrel all the way to the channe and a good mix of lumps and bumps from the hefty currents that run through the channel. Make the drop and set a good line and it’s the barrel of your life; mess up and you’re going to hit the reef. Either way it’s a photographers dream.

Catch you tomorrow.
∆ Murray