BACK FROM THE TIME WARP !

Posted in: News

After 26 years it was a weird feeling coming into a surfing village using the name that I had given it all that time ago. Of course there was nothing there then, but there certainly is now. Surf tourism is taken seriously in this country since its surf breaks are a premium asset, and realised as such. It’s funny when you look back in time at all the locations that surfers stumbled upon around the world, Noosa, Byron, Angourie,   Torquay, Bali, Jefferies Bay, Margret River and the list goes on. In many cases these locations have since been flooded with normal tourist that have choked and clogged the lifestyles of the original founders: the surfers. Kuta and Noosa are good case in point.

Well in this case however Lakey’s is still crawling with hard core surfers, but also now, is recognized as a hot spot for hard core Kiters, where Nungas is rated as one of the best kiting waves in the world thanks to that fricken devil wind! Good thing though, is most of them are surfers too, and understand the surfing ethic only too well. It was a mind blower to see all the hotels wrapping around Lakey Bay with a freshly finished concrete board walk bordering these enterprises stretching from Lakey Pipe all the way to Nungas  giving easy access to all the breaks except for Periscopes, but no doubt give them time and they will all be linked.

I knew that the Neep tides had just finished before I arrived but at least I had 5 days of middle of the road tides before the extremes, so only had to hope that the winds would be kind; in the mornings at least. I had a taste and came away pretty happy in view of what I would have had, had I stayed home. I came away with great respect for the local kids who have not shat in their nest like their Balinese cousins, who will more often than not paddle out and rule the break and still expect you to pour rupiah over them.

Since Lakey Bay is a tight little community and all who live here are advantaged by this surf tourism, it’s not rocket science to predict what would happen if they behaved like the Balinese surfers. So it was great surfing with them and sharing their break. Perhaps I made a mistake in taking 2 EPS boards to Lakeys. Having forgotten about the devil wind I missed the chance to surf the onshores (no biggy) simply because my boards were too sensitive in the bumpy stuff.

The Peak in particular seems to still hold good form with an onshore on it and most days there were guys riding it onshore every day. Still I had some good sessions early before the wind and got a feel for the wave that I have longed to return to for many years. Next time I will plan the timing a little better chasing those neep tides and looking for the most windless month. Somehow though, I don’t think I am alone with this plan. Sadly ,they may  be able to predict a swell coming, but no one to date has a handle on that devil wind that comes and goes when it pleases. I think I will be back, but next time with a bunch of PU’s under arm.