I love Melbourne. My job is everything that I had hoped for, with free yoga classes, great coworkers and all the food available. Despite the lack of surfing, I have been making the most out of Melbourne. Unfortunately, the weather took a turn for the worse and the lease for my house is coming to an end in July. So, it means I had to make a decision about what to do next.
I was enjoying life, but it was starting to feel monotonous. And we all know, monotonous is death. I have been working on my fitness level, but the cold and work made it slightly difficult. Plus, I haven’t surfed since my last attempt. There was no adventure or progression in the things that I really loved in life, so maybe it was time to move on and head north. Chase a new adventure.
I took two days off work to go on a little surf trip again. This time, I have gone the other way to Phillip Island. Phillip Island is a major tourist destination for it’s penguin parade and Grand Prix Circuit, but it is also a little surfers paradise. The island offers a variety of surf spots, including point breaks, slabs and beach breaks.
I was enjoying life, but it was starting to feel monotonous. And we all know, monotonous is death. I have been working on my fitness level, but the cold and work made it slightly difficult. Plus, I haven’t surfed since my last attempt.
Since it was my first time to the island, I had no idea where the best surf spots would be. The first thing I did was to stop at a surf shop and have a chat with whoever was working there. I lucked out and there was a cute Aussie surfer girl working at that time, who was open to talk to a traveling surfer. After half an hour or so of talking about waves, in Australia and California, she told me where to check for some good surf.
I started the search for a suitable wave to get back into the groove of surfing. The first beach was just blown out walls. There were a few surfers out, but it didn’t look too great. The second stop was a little waist to chest high wave with a few beginners and two good surfers out. As I was thinking about continuing the search for a third possibility, I saw someone getting ready to go out. I decided to see what was up. He saw me and invited me to come paddle out with him, so I quickly suited up and went with him. He wasn’t the best surfer, but it was fun to be out with someone else. Travelling alone also means surfing alone, which allows you to get some good waves, but it’s always nicer when you can share it with someone else. The waves were not the best, but the vibe in the water, oh, it was great! Everyone was catching fun little waves and it felt so good to be back in the water, even though my feet were numb after about 10 minutes…
I was back sleeping in my car again. Let’s just say I was getting used to it. I needed dinner before finding a place to sleep, so I went to Cowes, the only town on the island. After driving around, I noticed lots of signs about No Camping and No Sleeping in Car. I then got lucky and found a nice spot with No Parking signs on a quiet road. The funniest part was that it was right in front of the police station, but I decided to gamble on the idea that you don’t notice what is right in front of you and I passed out with the blue glow of the Police sign right outside.
It was a quiet and comfortable night of sleep. I woke up before sunrise, grabbed a coffee and went to find some waves. I went to a recommended point break, but it was as flat as a lake. The waves at the next two stops were slowly getting better, but I wanted to continue the search. The last wave on the island was a beach break. I pulled up to a packed carpark full of surfers. Because it was Saturday, there were people everywhere. Many were watching the waves while others were getting in and getting out of the water. I checked the wave and saw beautiful waves up and down the beach.
It was a quiet and comfortable night of sleep. I woke up before sunrise, grabbed a coffee and went to find some waves. I went to a recommended point break, but it was as flat as a lake.
It was a long beach with a variety of lefts, rights, and A-Frames. Even though there were tons of surfers, everyone was spread out enough that it did not seem too crowded. I got into my wet wetsuit and paddled out. Again, I was surprised at how great the vibes were. There were really good surfers and a few ok surfers, but everyone was catching waves and having a good time.
The waves were chest to about 1ft overhead. I started by surfing the rights, but they seemed a little slow and I kept catching my rails. Only surfing a few times in the last 3 months seemed to be showing. I moved over to the lefts and everything seemed to click. I quickly found a groove and I was catching some of the most fun lefts of my life. I would take-off late and stay in the perfect spot on the wave. It felt so good and at the end of every wave that I caught, I couldn’t help but laugh to myself. The waves were perfect for me at the moment.
After surfing and hanging out at the beach for most of the day, I decided it was time to become a beach bum again. The next day at work I gave my 2 weeks notice. I was starting to feel like part of the family at The Beatt and everything was going well, but after surfing and feeling the stoke I can get at the beach, I was reminded the main reason of why I came to Australia. So, now, I have 2 weeks to get ready and plan my journey north along the east coast.
