Photographing from the beach or swimming out with the camera, either way I was getting wet this morning. The persistent rain that has plagued us for most of the week has not let up, at least it looks to be easing, if not clearing, for the weekend. The good news is the surf has cleaned up and there are some reasonable waves on offer thanks to a gentle offshore breeze.
Patagonia Manly along with Gerry Lopez are holding an event on Wednesday the 8th Feb to introduce Gerry Lopez new book. Tickets are free, but limited and only available from the Patagonia Manly store – 24 Darley Rd. Manly.

The Saltmotion Gallery will be open all weekend from 10-6 – Market Place, Manly (map)

Enjoy your day,
Joel Coleman…

We are crossing a few oceans, chartering a couple of boats and going on a holiday this morning. A two minute holiday, short yes, but better than me bringing you half a dozen rain soaked frames from Manly!.. Today’s photos are a dip into the archives, covering destinations like the Solomon Islands, Maldives, Indonesia and PNG. Enjoy the mind surf and let’s hope that the howling onshore winds in Sydney let up sometime soon!
For those whose eyes light up at the thought of empty barrels in tropical water then click through (here) to see the trips we have going this year. There are still some spots available…

Enjoy your day,
Joel Coleman…

The pines along the beachfront are looking healthy and well watered. That’s about as positive as I can get about the weather and conditions this morning. With a howling onshore wind combined with heavy showers it was not exactly a postcard scene around Manly. Still there were a few people scratching into a couple of waves down the south end before the flags went up. Here is to hoping that February will deliver us some consistent sunshine!

Enjoy your day,
Joel Coleman…

Standing on the cliff at dawn this morning there was a little colour on the horizon with the promise of blue skies overhead. We also had the first early morning offshore in a while and some clear lines of swell heading in the right direction. With the air and sea temperature both up I figured it would be a good morning for a swim with the camera. Sure the banks were producing a high number of closeouts and the sun disappeared behind the clouds, but swimming around in your boardshorts is still an awesome way to kick off a Tuesday…

Enjoy your day,
Joel Coleman…

Sometimes you are better off not looking at the surf when it’s like this. Rather, get ready, paddle out and make the most of what’s on offer. Sure the wind might be howling onshore and the swell a lumpy mess but the handful of people that did head out for a wave this morning found a few faces form up under their boards and plucked a couple of turns from the onshore beast… Having said that I can’t see myself paddling out any time soon!
Film night!… We will be screening the awesome documentary 180 Degrees South on Monday the 13th Feb to help raise money for the shipping of surfboards being collected for the Solomon Islands. Cool film, great raffle prizes and a good cause. (Info here).

Enjoy your day,
Joel Coleman…

I have a sneaking suspicion that a lot of people are not going to be at work today. With the Australia Day public holiday falling yesterday the temptation to take a day off and enjoy a four day weekend would have been pretty hard to resist!..
If you were planning on surfing though it might have been a better idea to go to work and clock up some points with the boss. The wind is howling onshore, the swell, dribbly and the sun keeps disappearing behind the clouds… Hey at least is warm though!

Enjoy your day (off)
Joel Coleman…

I have a habit of checking the wind and swell forecasts every evening, looking for an insight into what might be happening the following day. Last night I got a little excited when I saw a prediction of a gentle offshore breeze this morning. Unfortunately, I think the work-experience kid must have been let loose on the system as it was far from accurate! Still, conditions for a wave were reasonable for the early session; a thick band of grey cloud made things a little difficult to photograph but at least there is some swell…
Australia Day tomorrow, take it easy and enjoy the day off. The Saltmotion gallery will be open from 10:00 to 6:00, Market Place – Manly (map).

Enjoy your day,
Joel Coleman…

It was certainly worth getting up early this morning, both surf and weather wise.  The sunrise started out a vibrant shade of pink then changed through to orange. Surf wise, the predicted onshore blast was a little gentler than yesterday allowing for a few waves to be ridden, sure it was mushy but it’s better than nothing. Fingers crossed for some decent conditions soon!

Fiji is the first trip of 2012 at Saltmotion and this one is for the ladies only. There are still a few places left so contact us if you are interested in un-crowded, tropical waves. All levels of surfers are welcome.

Enjoy your day,
Joel Coleman…

if you are keen to get wet today then I would suggest bodysurfing a few foamballs whilst making the most of the blue skies, sunshine and warm water. The wind is up from the east, in fact it’s howling and has been all night. I did spot a few people right down the south corner of the beach scratching into a few foamy waves, but the reality of today is the ocean is a windblown mess…
Fiji, Maldives, Banyaks, Caroline’s – If these names get you excited and dreaming of tropical water and perfect waves then you want to check out the Saltmotion Travel schedule for 2012…

Enjoy your day,
Joel Coleman…

The first photo today was taken in 2008 when a group of friends organised to collect surfboards to donate to the people of PNG. The collection was a huge success, so we are running it again. The next collection will be for the people of the Solomon Islands. We will be collecting boards from the 10th to the 18th of February with drop off points at the Saltmotion Gallery and Patagonia Manly. (Please don’t bring boards until then, thanks.) On Monday the 13th February we will also be hosting a film screening of the awesome documentary 180 Degrees South to raise money for the cost of shipping. The film night will be held at St. Matts on the Corso, that’s right they are letting us use St. Matts as a venue to screen a surf film. Full details (here).
The surf this morning was fun and clean, the early high tide meant the longboarders were getting the most out of the swell, however as the tide drops things should improve for the shortboards too…
Lots going on at the moment, we still have a few spots on the All Girls Trip to Fiji in Feb (info), a photography course running in March and of course the Saltmotion Gallery is open all weekend, 10:00 – 6:00, Market Place, Manly (map)

Enjoy your day,
Joel Coleman…