| Tasmania: June 27-28, 2007
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| | Mike Brennan spread eagle and about to go below sea level | Photo: Andy Chisholm |
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We have been sitting on this Meltdown update unintentionally for a few weeks. The constant swell action was so hectic for a few weeks; we almost lost this crazy discovery in the email trail. Anyway here it is belatedly. Enjoy the photos. The words and the pictures are by our man on the spot in Tassie - Andrew Chisholm. For some more pics check out this month’s edition of Australian Surfing Life magazine.
| | Andrew Mooney deep inside a pit that you really could fit a truck in | Photo: Andy Chisholm |
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Local Tasmanians Marty Paradisis, Benn Richardson, Andy Hoult and Mike Brennan all put on an outstanding performance at this yet to be named reef somewhere in Tasmania. Visiting mainlander Andrew Mooney, who has teamed up with Marty in the past to surf giant waves at Shipstern Bluff, said, “This new discovery has to rank as one of the most dangerous and deadly waves in the world.” Everyone agreed that this was one of the heaviest sessions of their lives. The swell comes in from water depths of about 60-70 metres and breaks onto a 1 metre deep reef that becomes exposed on the inside.
| | AM again in the depths of a Tasmanian tube | Photo: Andy Chisholm |
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Andrew Mooney had the first go behind the rope with Marty Paradisis towing him in. They were also joined by Andy Hoult who was being towed by big Benn Richardson. During the first hour of the session, the swell was a consistent 6 foot. The sky overhead was grey and winds were stiff offshore. The boys were pretty happy. Both Andy’s got some good sized tubes early.
| | Marty Paradisis on his normal 6'1" shortboard. Not a bad bottom turn | Photo: Andy Chisholm |
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As the sun peaked over the clouds on the horizon something seemed to happen to the elements. The wind backed off, the sunlight made everything nice and blue, and the swell jumped from 6 to 15 foot in a matter of what seemed like only 20 minutes. The swell continued to pound in on the reef for another 2-3 hours and before we knew it, it was all over. The big sets stopped and the wind blew into the tube making it ugly and unrideable.
| | Andy Hoult up close and personal | Photo: Andy Chisholm |
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The biggest wave was Mooney’s, but the gnarliest wave was Marty Para’s fade to vertical freefall attempt in the tube. Marty got slaughtered by the death lip, but it was a massive effort. Mooney’s biggest one was pretty perfect. It came to him late on in the session. He held his hands up in the air for a split second claim whilst standing in a beautiful, green spinning vortex 4-5 times over head. Worst wipeout went to local guy Benn Richardson, who for some reason decided to take off on a frothing, white mess and caught an inside rail and went over on what seemed to be dry reef. Somehow he popped up in a relative safe zone only to have 10 foot of white water clean him up. He eventually popped up further down the line stoked as a freshly Shawn sheep. Mike Brennan as per usual lucked into a couple Mack daddies, almost losing it on his best wave only to get spat out of a great tube. Andy Hoult was cool, calm and collected considering he has been in rehab for the last 8 months after snapping his lower leg. He stunned everyone when he managed to look back, and pick his nose mid tube, just so he could get a good view at the spinning vortex behind him and entertain us.
| | Andy H again a few moments later checking out the pit and getting those fingers ready | Photo: Andy Chisholm |
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| | Andy Hoult loving life on one of the thickest waves you’ll see in some time | Photo: Andy Chisholm |
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| | Benn Richardson later discribed his surf as "the best ever!!"...wonder why? | Photo: Andy Chisholm |
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| | Benn Richardson going flat stick as a considerably thick lip chases him down | Photo: Andy Chisholm |
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| | Mike Brennan setting up a rather large pit | Photo: Andy Chisholm |
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| | Clean but more dangerous insider about to make some noise on the shallow reef | Photo: Andy Chisholm |
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| | A small insider and there’s the exposed reef just waiting to munch up surfers | Photo: Andy Chisholm |
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| | Marty Para pretty happy with the days work | Photo: Andy Chisholm |
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