Big swells hitting Cornish North Coast. Gwithian and Waterate turn on…

Last Sunday, Smiler and myself rode what I’m pretty certain was the biggest stuff we’d been out in at Watergate, yet. Double overhead plus and peeling – nay, reeling! God knows how people would have managed this with the kites of old, because the wind was gusting from 15knots to about 30knots. 7m SLE was the order of the day for me! Since then, the Ocean has just gone bonkers; yesterday I went for a run around the Pentire Headland and saw the following things: third reef Cribbar, breaking. Second reef Cribbar CLOSING OUT. Yes, the second reef wave was shutting down; when does that ever, ever happen? The third reef (some two miles out to sea) must have been house sized. But then – Zorba’s reef, out from Crantock Beach, breaking into deep, blue water…probably a safer bet on the kite than second reef Cribbar for that reason. Then, the left at South Fistral, taking shape and pushing in from the Lewinnick Cove! This is just nuts – the whole sea scape was just a seething mass of shifting swell lines setting off all sorts of un-known waves.

 Today I was at Godrevy with Mikey and Pasty. The guys were on it when I arrived and I snapped this shot of Pasty on a good ‘un. However, once I got in and shared a few more of these with the guys, we headed down to the more north end of the beach where the wave was wrapping more into the beach and the wind was blowing thus more offshore. The sets here were even bigger, giving 200m plus wall of death rides.

This is what I love about kitesurfing. Usually, a surfer would look at those waves and go, ‘hard paddle, and it’s closing out / full of sections.’ These sections however, are like Manna from Heaven for us kitesurfers and you just cannot beat the rush of taking the high line, hanging on, then gunning round or even backdooring a pitching lip. The whole while you’re praying you don’t catch up with the kite and ditch it. It’s insane to go so fast when two thirds of what you can see is this slate grey Cornish Atlantic slab just pitching over you the whole time.

 People say kitesurfing is all about having a big smile on your face – bollocks. Well, maybe it is to some people but I reckon it’s much more serious than that – it’s about pushing yourself harder and harder each time and being able to say, ‘last weekend, I wouldn’t have dreamed I’d have done this, today.’