Few takers for big swell at Ahipara

PRISTINE CHAPEL: A goofy-footer steadies himself before charting a new course to beat the looming section in big, clean conditions at Ahipara last Thursday.

SO there he was, The Offsider, checking out one of the biggest cleanest swells seen in some time as it rocked along the point breaks of Ahipara last week.

A Judicious Amigo from Auckland who had been monitoring the progress of the storm responsible for the swell on the internet predicted she was "gonna hit hard and fast". The centre of the depression reached its intense potential shortly after passing Tasmania earlier in the week and began blasting out lines of swell with Ahipara firmly in the firing line. The forecast size was for 8m pulsing at 16 seconds, undoubtedly leaving the Far North as the only place surfable on New Zealand's west coast. (Okay, there was one other spot down the line which wasn't quite so accessible: apparently guarded by resident Headhunters and the two guys who had tried to surf there had their jet-skis set on fire and were left to make a two-day walk out in their steamers through gorse ... or so he'd heard.)

Leaving at 4am, JAFA arrived shortly after low tide at 8.30am to see plenty of lines but nothing serious; mostly mush rolling in with no real definition. Little sign of the Shape of Things to Come. He carried his board around to get wet at least, and was pleasantly surprised at the charming custom - shown as often as not - from those passing by in cars who frequently stopped to chat and offer a lift.

Slowly but surely, the swell began to visibly thicken and pick up over the incoming tide and started to line up. Once the tide began to ebb back out, the true nature of what was on hand revealed itself. An easy 5-6' which continued to grow as the tide receded further. The wind was a light onshore WSW, barely affecting the big glassy faces, while the sun emerged after a chilly, blustery and overcast morning.

Faced with taking on the top-to-bottom barrels unloading at Boneyards in order to get out at hefty Peaks, JAFA decided to walk further around and jumped out at Muke 2s. Out in the line-up, he enjoyed middling success in his attempts to catch the massive walls sweeping past, a struggle to be in the right spot to take off without risking being caught in the impact zone and swept away with nothing to show for the effort.

After a couple of unremarkable waves, JAFA used the current to drift/ paddle north to Peaks. What he saw there forever changed his impression of the place; long throaty barrels sucking up and spitting out sand on the inside take off; but waves which seemingly required next level surfing - in terms of confidence and the ability to paddle in, take off and pull in. With a need for comparison, the sight brought to mind Skeleton Bay, the ultra-long sand-bottom left hand point in Namibia.

However, perhaps the biggest surprise was the sheer lack of takers: "There must have been hundreds of surfers in town that day and nobody was on it," JAFA exclaimed in partial dismay as empty waves wailed in relentlessly throughout the afternoon, while the mere handful who accepted the challenge were mostly outsiders.

Two locals who did have a crack were also rightly blown away by what they paddled out into and eventually took off on. One, a talented, well-travelled goofy-footer described it as some of the biggest, cleanest surf he'd seen at his home break. The other, a natural footer who had just returned from a trip to Indonesia, spoke of riding the biggest wave he'd ever caught at Ahipara, after taking off at Inlets and finishing well over a kilometre away, just before the rocky outcrop by the Yates' property. The best waves as always went untouched, the hottest girl in town out of everyone's league. It almost seemed as if a new realm was realised last Thursday, but then the sportsbuster wouldn't want anyone to accuse him of being melodramatic.

The Offsider is Age sportsbuster Francis Malley. Respond atsports@northlandage.co.nz