It’s days like yesterday that make my surfing world go ’round. A new round of solid 6-8 foot groundswell graced the east coast of Australia over the last couple of days and pretty much everywhere was going bananas. With offshore winds in place all day, yesterday saw the best of the swell event and I was sure to pull a sunrise to sunset surf marathon. While a lot of my surfing in this area has been done around the town of Narrabeen, I have been been pushing my comfort zone more and more after meeting up with a local photographer over here who has been willing to help show me around and take me to other spots that are notoriously guarded by brash locals.

One of these notorious spots is Dee Why Point. Home to many A-list pros, including WCT veteran Toby Martin, this is a place where you want to bring the best of your abilities to the table. There’s nothing more embarrassing than paddling out on a stickered up board, fighting your way into position, and eating shit dropping in on a bomb – well, unless your trunks were to fall off in the process…that would be more embarrassing. So, right off the bat before you even step foot in the water Dee Why already presents itself as an intimidating place. But when properly angled swell ledges and heaves over this unforgiving reef the rewards that await make you forget all about any possible hesitation one might have. 

So here I will present you the following steps toward getting yourself a successful session at Dee Why Point.

Step 1: Get on it early. Show up at the car park (fancy Aussie slang for parking lot) before sunrise suited up and ready to go. Despite it being a weekday, it will continue to get more and more crowded throughout the day, defying all typical logic that people will be working in the middle of the day. Does anyone know the unemployment rate over here? I’m gonna go out on a limb and say 100%.

Step 2: Run down the stairs, across the rocks, passed the die hard old folk swimming laps in the rock pool, time the sets, and jump in. If you unsuccessfully time the sets go to the hospital – your are bleeding. Come back another day and repeat step 1.

Step 3: Try not to make eye contact and make your way out to “suck rock”. This is the main take off point for those confident in their capabilities. Here you will see mutant waves suck off a reef ledge the way water sucks off of rocks in a whitewater rapid. These mutants, however, quickly grow and turn into walls of ocean throwing over you. Be prepared to drop off of many stairs on the way down or to air drop the entire way down. Oh, and be damn sure not to fall. You are literally dropping in about 10 feet from some curiously jagged rocks. If you didn’t make it passed step 3 it’s either because you got punched in the face by a local, or got caught inside by a bomb set. Either way, go to the hospital – you are bleeding. Repeat from step 1.

Step 4: Pick out the wave you want, swing around and go. Paddle you ass off underneath the lip and just go. Take a moment to note the view below as you are paddling. You will see two things: brown to the left and blue to the right. The brown is the reef that lies a whole six inches under the water waiting to smash you and your board just because you looked at it funny. The blue is the deeper water just to the right of the reef that is the “face” of the wave. Do yourself a favor and stay towards the blue. Now, as I was saying paddle, stick the air drop, and pull in. This isn’t a recommendation, it’s your only course of action. I had the unfortunate pleasure of watching two guys in ten minutes screw this up. Their leashes broke and boards smashed into the rocks as they fought to make sure their faces didn’t carry out the same fate as their boards. Again, make the drop or do not pass GO and collect your two hundred dollars – go straight to the hospital as you are once again bleeding. Probably pretty profusely too. (Noticing the trend here?)

Step 5: To quote Tim Robbins’ character Andy Dufrane in Shawshank, “If you’ve come this far, maybe your willing to come a little further.” You’ve successfully made the drop, now just set your line and sit back – I mean stand tall – and proceed to get shacked off your ass. Enjoy the view of the sun rising over the headland in the distance, or chuckle to yourself as jealous people stare in at you from the shoulder wishing to be where you worked so hard to get to. Make sure to adjust for warbles in the wave as it will be tricky navigating the different sections of the tube. If you fudge this up, once again head to a hospital because you’re about to shoot yourself for F-ing it up. 

Step 6: Get spit out!

Step 7: Repeat. Be sure not to get cocky though as the wave loves to take people down a peg or twelve.

So yeah, the waves were epic. Barrels everywhere. Dee Why can be tough but it can also be worth it. That being said as the crowd got to max capacity I opted for surfing some other less crowded options.  The day flew by unfortunately, but not without branding my brain with a couple solid memories to pack away for the flat days that are sure to come as summer approaches.

Remember kids, don’t eat shit and you won’t die

Someone getting ready for step 4.

Don't those rocks look friendly? The view from the water is much worse.

Photos courtesy of Ja Mike Pjura, aka Jomo, aka my roommate.