Gnarly

The weekend before last a big low pressure system bullied its way over Hokkaido, bringing with it gale force winds, sub-zero temperatures, lots of snow, and most importantly, a big, heavy, winter swell.

The waves were easily the biggest this season so far, the occasional break topping three metres. It meant that Itanki beach, my usual surf spot, was closed out, so I ended up down at Uzu, where there is a left hand point break that only really works on a combination of a big swell and low tide. And we had both the Saturday before last. 10 fools, their surfboards and more enthusiasm than sense. A little too early in the season for my liking - the paddle out and the duck diving were fairly intense - but the reward came with three great rides on some big, big waves.

(In the the photo above, there are three surfers in the picture. Can you see them?)