I’m not too hot on interpreting charts and rather inclined to leave it to the experts. Plus I do like to check the air and wind lines to pick up those subtle smells which promise swell. So when Spout showed waist high waves all week and the surf forecasts nothing which screamed at me, I suspected the southerlies would be pushing in mush at the top end of the Mouth.
Imagine my surprise when Katie, I and Ocean arrived at ‘Shops’ Friday about 2 hours past the high tide to find the surf clean and shoulder high. The light southerly wind was dead onshore and the waves were going off. Ok not big time, but it made me wonder what had been going on when the drop started. First thing was to get suited up and have some fun, which was duly achieved. This was a rare event indeed to find ground swell of size and power being groomed by a light southerly, which is the direct line at this point of the Mouth.
On Saturday I got out back to attempt a big one as the black troughs appeared way outside the lineup. Super clean with hardly any wind at 11.15 when the tide turned, I thought it was now or never to get out through the shore break before it started going nuts. I was too late for the real biggies but scored myself one wave which was worth ten mediocre ones and came in stoked. We retired back to Shops aka Donny’s and this time Katie had a real good session on the waist high waves of the sand reef; solo of course. I don’t know what gave me the greatest stoke, catching that one solid wave or seeing Katie back in action after too long a break. I guess it’s gotta be the latter.
Pictures from the “Middle” Saturday 1st October 11.30 am.
Donny Wright riding a high line on an unbroken wall. Board a 10ft 1″ Chris Griffiths aka Guts custom longboard.
Donny backhand
Digging the rail
Carving the wall
Cross stepping towards the nose
About to cheetah 5 tail buried in
Drop before the section
Critical end of a green ride
Staying glued with 6 foot of white water charging
Pulling into the forehand for the white water glide
So what was going on this week when even Penllech on the north coast was shoulder high and superb on the offshores? Paul put me right yesterday when he explained the big swells in the Atlantic off Morroco had pumped all the way through to give mega waves at the corner on Thursday, when the swell jumped from knee high before high tide to overhead on the drop. This lasted through to Saturday when it dropped away towards low water. Paul knew it was happening when the surf was roaring on Pwllheli beach! Hells Mouth has an extraordinary window to the southwest deep into the Atlantic and as those rare long distance swells push up and get squeezed between Wales and Ireland so they seem to increase in power, meeting the huge bay at Porth Neigwl with a thump.
