I was stoked to be officially welcomed into the Surfpaints team with a strike mission to Melbourne’s Urban Surf. This gave us the perfect opportunity to brainstorm ideas, team bond, and score some perfect waves.
We booked an early morning flight, followed by a short Uber ride, and then, before we knew it, we had our wetsuits on and ready to soak up some of the finest waves that Melbourne’s industrial area has to offer.
I decided to start with a Right Intermediate session to get a feel for it, and I was so glad that I did.
If you haven't been to the Wave Pool, the takeoff can be a little tricky compared to regular surfing because there is a huge concrete wall staring at you as you go to get to your feet. Mix that with chlorine water and some weird rips caused by the machine being turned on and off, and it can be a hard wave to surf for the first time. I found sitting a couple of extra feet off the wall gave me more time to prepare myself
Once you have figured out your takeoff and get to your feet, the wave is worth every dollar. It’s the perfect wave to try those manoeuvres you have been working on because it is almost identical each time. You just have to approach your first couple of turns softly as the wave takes a bit to shape up and generate its power.
Danny the CEO of SurfPaints, being Goofy, plus having some wave pool experience under his belt, went straight into the advanced left mode and loved every bit of it. Even tucking for some of those sneaky barrels that come through near the end of the session.
Once we both had it dialled in, we shared Advanced Lefts and Rights for the rest of our time there. It was so rewarding to cheer on your mate as they tried to get deep inside the tubes or even get sprayed by the surfer in front of you in the lineup while they smashed a huge turn.
We stayed right across the road at the Cilom’s airport lodge, which I would highly recommend as we had a view of the lefts coming through from our bedroom window.
The next day we were up early and straight back into it.
Six surf sessions over two days, and we were both surfed out and hurting. Nothing a couple of beers and a burger at the Three Blue Ducks couldn’t fix before a quiet flight home.
Here are some helpful pointers we took away from our experience.
- Stay at Ciloms lodge if you just want to surf the pool and not go into the city. Plus you can run across to the pool in your wetsuit because we all know how cold Melbourne can get.
- Bring 2 x wetsuits as it can be extremely cold waiting for your turns in between sessions
- The Three Ducks has amazing food and coffee on site but is quite expensive. If you are on a budget, eat at Ciloms across the road or BYO food and drink.
Since returning home and surfing the local break again, I already feel the difference in my surfing. I have improved so much in such a small amount of time which I am stoked about. I am already looking at cheap flights to Melbourne to get back ASAP.
If you have any questions, reach out via email southcoastkook@gmail.com or via social media. I am always keen to chat about everything surfing!
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