indosnm 0 Posted May 30, 2006 Share Posted May 30, 2006 CB, a friend's leg was taken in the middle of the day, so there goes that theory. Dusk and Dawn, bad for Kangaroos and cars! Link to post Share on other sites
bushpig 0 Posted May 30, 2006 Share Posted May 30, 2006 Yeah sharks are pretty much always around, but I think a larger proportion of attacks occur closer to feeding time. Dusk and dawn is certainly when many fish are more actively feeding. Of the numerous run ins with sharks I have had, there were certainly a few in the middle of the day, but more were closer to dark. Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted May 30, 2006 Author Share Posted May 30, 2006 Portugal has a lot going for it for such a small place (I drove 500km almost top to bottom in one night!). France beats it for the surf/snow combo. But for surf, Portugal is a year round winner. It is also very cheap (except for petrol). Lisbon is great, people re friendly. Good place. Toque - ski/snowboard crash injuries are way worse and more frequent than rom small wave surfing. I have split my scalp open before and although it hurt, could just paddle in to the shore (blood going everywhere, attracting sharks). Most waves break within 50m of the shore so it is pretty safe. But back country riding is remote. I wont go mountaineering and riding on my own: too many things could go wrong and although I carry the emergency gear to survive a night or two out in the open mountains, if something does go wrong then the elements are totally against you. And if you get in a slide and are 100% buried then you are probably going to die. Tens of 1000s of people surf every day in Australia and almost no one dies. Small wave surfing is way safer than snow sports, and much safer on your own than back country travel. But to your question "don't have confidence to ride in the mountains on your own".... you are pretty much correct. I just have this rule imprinted on my brain that you should never venture into avalanche terrain alone, and never risky glaciated terrain. I suppose it is like never scuba diving alone? I am going hiking and riding for 4 days on Thursday and if it looks like seriously easy conditions with short hikes from the car then I will consider going back there alone over the next few weeks. What snow is left has had 2 months of freeze-thaw and should be firmly in place by now. The surf in British Columbia is awesome, as good as it gets. Problem is remoteness, super cold water, orcas, bears and difficult tides. There have been a few Canada features recently in surf magazines. BC goes off. ps - there are winter back country itineraries in Chamonix that are so popular that you would hardly be alone and I would do them by myself. My problem is that all this week-day free time has come in late spring when lifts are shut, all is empty and crevasse bridges are getting weak. Link to post Share on other sites
mattlucas 0 Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 I see your point I guess it's just what we are comfortable with I'm a strong swimmer but I'm not comfortable in water Link to post Share on other sites
spook 0 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 just want to chime in with my 2 cents - portugal is a pretty sweet destination surf wise. lots and lots of empty waves to be had, and lots and lots of crowded spots to battle it out too! after a few months surfing and traipsing around europe, i've gotta say that many european (especially portuguese) surfers love a bit of aggro in the lineup. it really makes for an unpleasant atmosphere at many spots. of course, there are also many nice people sharing waves too, but i just thought the aggressive nature of many surfers was a bit much. sagres in the south was a favourite area of mine, miles of empty heaving beachies, and undeveloped coast, which is quite rare in many parts of europe. excellent food too. peniche is also excellent. and shark wise - there ain't no sharks in europe - at least thats what everyone thinks, and i'm happy to go along with this misconception. it certainly makes for paranoid free surfs. the coastline in portugal may mirror oz in many ways, but in sharks it does not, especially compared to SA or WA. spud - glad o hear you had a good trip mate. anyone else heading that way (or south to morocco), i'd be happy to let you know of some good spots... i'd post some drool worthy pics, but i'm still on the road at the moment. lucky me! Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted June 1, 2006 Author Share Posted June 1, 2006 Quote: Originally posted by spook: sagres in the south was a favourite area of mine, miles of empty heaving beachies, and undeveloped coast, which is quite rare in many parts of europe. excellent food too. .... i'm still on the road at the moment. lucky me! Yep, Sagres. The entire 100km coastline down to there is totally undeveloped coastal national park. Very rare in this bit of the world. It is a great spot. On the road: mate, you are the free-est dude I know. Thanks for the inspiration and info on Portugal. Link to post Share on other sites
bushpig 0 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 spook, I look forward to those drool pics when you eventually get a chance Link to post Share on other sites
spook 0 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 some photos to gawp at then... this first one is of lagide in portugal. the pic makes the wave look a bit better than it really is, but its a fun wave nonetheless, even if it was a bit busy in the water at times: these next 2 are of a spot in morocco. we spent a month camping there. it pumped like this for about 20 days out of 30. head and a half high, playful and very very long: anyone keen to go for a wave?? i'm cruising through mainland SE Asia at the moment, so no surf in my near future, but looking at these pics has me itching to get into the water hopefully those pics show up in my post (it's my first attempt at posting pics), if not you can search for photos under my name: http://www.snowjapan.com/e/insider/photo.php?userid=spook Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 how big is that spook? bout 6+ feet? Link to post Share on other sites
bushpig 0 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 again :droolgraemlin: Link to post Share on other sites
spook 0 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 CB, i'd call it 4-6ft, but i guess it depends on how macho you want to be. hawaiins would probably call it flat, if you wanted to measure the actual face height i guess it would be 6-8ft. pretty mellow waves though, just very fun stuff. surfed some other big name spots in maroc at triple head++ but it was quite manageable. give me those size waves but with raw ocean power (like in WA or Hawaii) and i'd probably run a mile! Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 mate, I havent had the opportunity to be a hardcore surfer for a while though do love to surf when I can. Probably a hawaiian 3-4 footer then Id love to be out in the water right now... soo jealous mate! ya hit it right, just very fun surf. Nice way to put it. Link to post Share on other sites
nzlegend 1 Posted June 3, 2006 Share Posted June 3, 2006 Quote: Originally posted by Bushpig: again :droolgraemlin: as you wish Link to post Share on other sites
zebedee 1 Posted June 8, 2006 Share Posted June 8, 2006 le spud,where are you actually right now? One minute the coast then the snow. Is it UK, Italy or Germany? SOunds like a lot of fun whatever. Link to post Share on other sites
damian 0 Posted June 8, 2006 Author Share Posted June 8, 2006 zebedee, my bas has been at my girlfriend's place in Milan for the last 2 months. And yep, it it is fun. Link to post Share on other sites
scouser 4 Posted June 12, 2006 Share Posted June 12, 2006 I have heard favourable things about Milan. I hope you have the correct designer sunglasses and the like... Link to post Share on other sites
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