After a 30 minute hike I finally managed to dig into position ready for combat, just in time to catch Jamie Hancock and Hunty both launching from the other side of the bay. It took a while for them to make it out the back into the wind line, but once they were planing, both seemed to make steady progress upwind. Not far behind were Nic Hibdige and Ross Williams; the wind was filling in nicely and plenty of waves were pumping into the bay. My vantage point was in a beautiful location, camouflaged in the undergrowth at the top of the headland right in front of ‘Broad Bench’. To the left of me the rising sun was silhouetting the majestic cliffs beside Clavell Tower, whilst to the right the first rays of light were falling onto the dramatic cliffs of the Jurassic Coast down towards Durdle Door and Lulworth. The view out in front was not too bad either as Hunty dropped down into a logo high frothing pit on his first wave. I could see boils in the water as he was bottom turning, the wave grinding across the shallow ledge. Within twenty minutes all four riders were trading waves and kicking out into the perfect channel at the end of the reef. A quick check on the nearest buoy showed 14 feet of swell pumping up the English Channel, not too bad, although I have been to K-Bay before when it has been 20 feet! Ross had been reluctant to leave the Isle of Wight early, but after his first wave where he punched a huge aerial it didn’t look like he was having too many regrets.
Within an hour we were joined by a second wave of local troops all hungry for a slice of the action. With lots of hikers enjoying the breathtaking coastal walks up towards Lulworth Cove and a dozen or so sailors snagging a session on one of the best waves on the south coast it seems such an awful shame to have this jewel of pristine coastline shut down to the public for 228 days of the year!