crescent head

note on the local: crescent head is a small town 18km se of kempsey and the surf longboarding capital of australia. it was in crescent head that the malibu surfboard gained recognition in austalia in the 1960's. our surfing base camp was located in the 6500-hectre hat head national park. the presence of nsw's largest sand dunes means good surf, and the park meant we had it to ourselves.

this entry could almost be its own separate work entitled the grommet diary. we arrived with our surf safari group in crescent head on the 26th. at that point none of us had ever surfed before. this must be understood, like dickens said, before anything else. our group was a diverse one with canadians, aussies, americans, swiss, swedes, fins, norwegians, irish, scots, spaniards, limeys and an african. we arrived after a 6 hour drive from sydney to get matched up with the proper equipment and catch our first lesson on the beach. the beach we went out to was big hill, a nearby beach, and one that conditions would make us surf often during the week. i got up on the first wave i tried. an amazing feeling.

everyday we would have the same routine. up before 7am for brekkie, sun screen, duck tape and the morning tide. by 11am we would trickle back to base camp for a quick shower and change of clothing and lunch. then it was siesta time and the entire camp napped until around 3pm when we would go back out for the evening tide. we would return to camp sometime around 6pm stoked, banged up, and ready for a shower and dinner. after dinner we would play games to see who would do the dishes - luckily my team never lost (including the sex position challenge which we won outright!). then everyone would retire to the humpy (which is aboriginal for shack) down near the beach for drinking games until early in the morning. then it would be up before 7am the next morning again.

the friendships started the first night. by the second i had graduated to a hard board and was shifting back on the waves. it was also on the second day that i saw my first, and only shark. it was a little reef shark about 2 feet long. however, i still went swimming and was immensely proud of myself for not going back to the beach. it was also on the 2nd night that we had a sing off between the countries around the fire with the only rule being no national anthems. the canadians did not win, but we didn't come last either and stompin' tom would be proud we chose his hockey song. we didn't know the lyrics to any celine dion or bryan adams songs. lydia had a great birthday on the third night. it was the camp's pub night and we all took a bus into town. we shut the bar down with mexican waves, photos, dancing irish dances and singing irish songs. after this night the foot dance also became a tradition for good luck before entering the surf. lydia got a cake, and everyone sang happy birthday to her and bought her rounds. on the fourth day we surfed nobby beach with its crazy currents and massive waves. the instructers called the waves sand monsters. 2 people had to be rescued that day. big dave, the scotsman, was pulled out by the rip while taking pictures and almost drowned. another girl dislocated her knee and i had to pull off my best david hasslehoff impression and rescue her (i think the mcalpine lifeguards would be proud). the waves were so intense you didn't have to paddle, and the sets chose you instead of the other way around if you went out in them. most of the group wouldn't go in, but before the instructors pulled us out i had gone through the washing machine several times, and had also caught some enormous waves in the powerful surf. as dan would say we were, "not there to fu*k spiders." by the final day it was time for a morning surf before heading to byron bay. our departure was made easier by the fact that we all booked into the same hostel to keep the party going.

it was a fantastic group. dan the aussie steven segal. he is one of the coolest guys i have ever known, my best mate in camp, and we will definitely meet up again. big dave from scotland with his helpless surfing is funny even to listen to. during the drinking contest some beers spilled on his chin. as such he says he cannot return to scotland. the irish crew were great - trish, john and kevin who works for irish radio and tv as a soccer journalist. the campfire songs, talk and games of kings were as memorable as the surfing.

we are all cut up, bruised and exhausted. i can't remember what it is like to sleep or not be hung over. but i'm addicted to the goon, the waves, and my new friends.