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By Kalk Bay resident and Wavescape team rider Chris Mason
On the first day of spring, Monday 1 September 2008, Kalk Bay Reef bared its reef-filled fangs. By noon, the parking lot was filled with spectators and surfers, whooping as 10-12' barrels savaged the shallow reef - a big watery maw with a serious over-bite. People were arriving and chattering excitedly to each other, waiting, and hoping that when the tide came in, it would be more ridable.
The ominous grey sky was the perfect backdrop for some of the biggest, hairiest beasts seen in the bay since 2005, and for most of the day no-one wanted any part of them.
The first brave hopeful was an unidentified bodyboarder in an orange wetsuit. I admit I was skeptical. After half an hour of bobbing around and dodging sets, he finally got a smaller one, and survived. This was proof enough for a couple more prone warriors, who paddled out to entertain the growing crowd.
Set after set detonated on the reef, foaming and frothing in rabid fashion. Occasionally someone dropped in and got swallowed, and as the tide got fuller, they started coming out the tube once in a while. Around midday, two surfers paddled out gamely. After an hour of indecision, smaller rides and pull-backs, one of the surfers, Josh, took off on a big one, bottom turned, drew a high line and PHHooof, made it through the barrel. The crowd went wild, and his friend, also named Josh, and the other surfer to paddle out, raised a pint of lager in the car park. It’s normally a sign that the surf is challenging (or university holidays) when you see surfers in wetsuits toasting with full glasses of beer.
Unfortunately, not everybody was toasting the swell. Various establishments in Kalk bay, including the Brass Bell, Live Bait and Polana were badly damaged as large waves pounded their seaward walls on the spring high tide on Monday afternoon. Apparently, Live Bait was completely gutted (excuse the pun), which is a pity, they have such good green mayo.
The downstairs bar at the Brass Bell took a pounding, with 4x overhead freight-train closeouts, buckled and warped, detonating the ledge just off the pool, huge spumes of white water blasting high in the air, and six foot walls of white water roaring over the pool like it didn't exist, slamming into Bell. Foam-bursts would surge into the lower bar every now and then.
Hectic.
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