We’re so blessed here on Australia’s east coast, where those of us who love the beat of the ocean get to play in good surf most weeks. I love taking the ski out in surf and no break seems more fun to me than the Bower at Sydney’s Manly Beach.

It’s a cool wave that breaks hard near the rocks but builds a secondary wave off to the right of the first wave. If you manage to catch the first wave deep enough, you can get enough momentum to fire you hard into the second break with enough speed to ride the near vertical wave and maybe, just maybe, get yourself barrelled on the way through. Of course if you miss the timing, well, then you’re going to be introduced hard to the submerged rocks of the break.

It’s near impossible to pull off… I think I’ve managed to get in that barrel twice at most. It’s certainly fun to try and get the surfski in there anyway, even when you know the inevitable thrashing is not far away. Cheers, FP

The Fat Paddler ebook – available now on iTunes, Amazon & Kobo.