Wet 'N' Wild...

Today I met up with Noel & Stuart at Aberthaw with the intention of paddling to Lavernock & back. There was no chance!

It was forecast F5-7, sea state 5 & for once it actually was. Evan more when the squalls hit.

We decided to head to Barry Harbor for a paddle instead, not without teasing Noel first. He pulled up, looked at the sea conditions & I strolled over & asked if he's ready to go (LOL). Naughty Taran ;D

This is more like it. There's fab swells running into the harbor & I think we all caught some fab waves.
I was chatting to Stu at one point when he said look out? there was a huge wave bearing down on me, I didn't have to paddle onto it, it just picked me up & surfed me to shore :D
Noel caught a fab wave too & I wish I'd got a picture but he finished by bongo sliding straight towards me, had to paddle hard to get out of the way.

 We played in the swells heading in & out on the surf.

 Leaping off waves

 Playing around the cardinal marker.

Image By Stuart...

Image By Stuart...

 And trying to surf into each other?

 A moment of calm. The whole morning came in phases of rough & calmness.

Image By Stuart...

Doesn't look like it here but there was some huge waves pushing between the cardinal mark & the headland & was definitely the best spot for surfing.
I caught on wave & surfed left heading toward the headland like a rocket, wasn't sure I'd stop in time? Then the next wave hit turning everything white & foamy, brilliant! Really pissed a fisherman off too, always a bonus :D

Image By Stuart...

 We coax Noel further out for a play, you can just make out his head.

It was just after this I did a couple of rolls, very bad idea! serious ice cream head!

I paddled out further back to the headland where the biggest swells were coming in, seemingly ignorant of the very strong wind, unaware in my excited anticipation that a squall was about to hit. I surfed a couple of big swells & then everything went nuts. I was pointing my head down to keep the hailstones out of my eyes & trying not to get blown over or capsize on the suddenly very choppy water.
I head further in to see how Stuart & Noel are? Noel had legged it, (or armed it? LOL) back to shore against the wind & Stuart was in the middle of the Bay unable to turn around. We sit it out for a bit but it was getting worse & we were being blown towards shore so I suggested we surf in.

 Gotta make it to the breakwater in the distance.

Bloody frozen & very amused we make it to this strip of sand. The beach we should be on is by the buildings in the distance :D
After it calmed down we paddled back over to Noel Where Stuart stayed, I wasn't done yet & wanted some more playtime so I head back out to the cardinal marker.
Caught a few more swells & then down came the hail again, without the high winds this time.

Stuart told me about this afterwards, 60 knot gust during the squall, thats 69MPH, (WOW) no wonder we were getting battered!

A bloody awesome paddle, it may of hurt at times & was very cold but things like that make the memories more special ;D