The sublime submerged topography of this perfect reef can hold any sized swell from 2-20 feet and consists of three notorious sections – The Point, Middles and the inside ‘Shish Kebabs’ section. Swells that squeeze up the corridor between Australia and New Zealand jet north until they hit this perfectly shaped reef pass. Over 6 feet and the swells rear up on the outside ledge before rifling all the way down the reef, although some waves sneak through and hit the middle or inside section where the coral is shallower and holds way more consequence for those unfortunate enough to get dry-docked upon it.
With the wind blowing hard and a mixture of swells, including the first forerunners of a new long period, southwest swell, it was hard to pin point the best section for our first session. Being green to the place I had no idea if these conditions were ‘perfect Cloudbreak’ or not, where to be in the boat and what lens to shoot it with. Working in a small boat out to sea in rough conditions certainly wasn’t going to be easy, especially when we spotted a few other vessels loaded with surfboards moored up nearby. Apparently the upcoming ASP event had one heat of the trials to run so we had to hold off windsurfing until that was over and then the guys seemed cool that we could catch some waves.