TR: Apex Predators, Fires, Alcohol, Camping and a bit of Surfing.
So last week I took off early Friday morning with my girlfriend, the camper trailer and the usual assortment of gear that constitutes a summerish weekend away for me. A mate and his chick came with us in their own car but they would share the vast shelter of Chateau NBG. We got to our destination about 8:30 after the obligatory stop on the F3 for maccas breakfast and what they pass off as cafe coffee. After a quick setup of the camp we headed off to find some waves.
We ended up dicking around for a while checking things out and trying to work out where we should go out, we travelled about 20kms and then ended up about 5 mins from where we camped as is so often the case when it comes to surf checks. We drove onto the beach and parked, the girls got comfy and we got into our wetsuits.
The scene shortly before all hell broke loose.
There would have been maybe 4 guys fishing on the rocks when we paddled out and we didn’t think much of it at the time. We got a fair few good waves and there was only us and a girl out while her boyfriend stood on the beach and took photos. After about an hour or so the tide filled in and the outer bank really wasnt breaking that much anymore so I headed into the the inner bank to grab some waves. Shortly afterwards my mate paddled in with a very worried expression on his face and tells me he saw something big in the water and thinks it’s a shark.
At this point I’m still looking out to sea and my eyes land upon a 6-7 foot grey shape speeding through a wave out the back kinda diagonally between where my mate and I and the girl are. To me it looks like it could be a dolphin surfing the waves as they often do but usually in a pod of 2, 3 or 40, solitary dolphins are more rare but not unheard of. The grey shape doesn’t break the surface likes dolphins often do and we have an animated discussion as to what it might have been for about a minute when suddenly in full of both of us the girl out he back gets smashed off her board by something beneath the surface.
To say like it was a scene from a movie would be a drastic understatement of what was going on in my head at that stage. It was like watching a scene from Jaws but in the most realistic nightmarish quality possible, that being reality through your own eyes. As she got knocked off she started thrashing about and screaming like something out of one of the Saw movies. It took me a good second or two to get past the shock and make the decision and I started to paddle out to her as fast as I could.
I was fully expecting to see the water around her go red and for her to totally disappear. My mate later said he thought she was dead, not coming back, regardless he kept me company on what seemed like a long paddle out to her. Amazingly to us she clambered back on her board and paddled towards us. When we got to her she seemed unharmed but literally almost shitting herself with fear. We asked her if she was ok, are you sure, you might be in shock, your 100% ok, you’re sure? Next question, what was it, did you see it, which direction did it go, lets get the fark outta here.
We paddled in on both sides of her really close, I bent my knees and paddled with my feet tucked up over my butt fully expecting that we might get hit again. As we got into the shorebreak her boyfriend with eyes like saucers swam over to us asking if she was alright. We all got onto the beach and inspected her and her board more thoroughly, I really have no idea how with the force of the hit but there was really no damage that corresponded to the violence of it. A couple of minor pressure dings in the bottom of her board, no bite marks or any of those classic shark bite tells.
My mates girlfriend saw the whole thing and joined us at the waters edge as we discussed what took place, my girl meanwhile was asleep on the beach and didn’t even know anything happened till I woke her up. We left the shaken chick and her boyfriend, she was dealing with it really well at the time but I think once the adrenaline wore off she mighta flaked a bit and was best they had their privacy.
We got changed and went back to Seal Rocks and decided to take the SUP’s for a paddle, it was a perfect day and sharks don’t travel anywhere ever so 2kms away would be perfectly safe right?
We were very determined that we wouldn’t be falling off on this paddle
Relaxing the shallows at the end
After that we headed back to camp and had a few beverages, some dinner and a fire. THe day seemed to have taken it out of us and everyone was in bed by 9pm, pretty soft really.
The next day we got up, made some tasty BnE rolls and then went off in search of a wave. We ended up stuffing around a lot more, I think it might have something to do with the girls to be perfectly honest and didn’t get in the water until midday despite leaving camp at 10am.
The surf was really fun even thought there was a few guys out that wasn’t a drama after the events of the day before.
One of the other beaches we checked
We surfed for about 2.5 -3 hours while the girls relaxed in the sun on the beach. As I walked up the beach I spotted a couple of guys with big lenses shooting a couple of rippers out in the surf, sure enough one of em was a good mate of mine so we had a bit of chat for a while, always funny to see ppl you know when you’re away.
After that we headed back to camp and for one reason or another got really stuck in to the booze. By dark I was well and truly lubricated, we had built a fire that while the night before may have passed as respectable, this one was probably capable of producing glass from sand given the temps emanating from within. My mate decided to avail himself of he terms “natures sparklers” otherwise known as dried palm fronds and ran around through the campsite with his burning torches while screaming like a girl.
The well stocked esky
While things were a little tamer
Not sure what time we went to bed but I didn’t stir till after 9am which is quite a long sleep in when camping. I felt so god awful that all I managed was a swim at Seal Rocks prior to bailing back home to the couch. Was a great weekend and all returned home with limbs and the majority of their brain cells still in place.
sweet TR as always
Wow what a story!
Man, I don’t know if I could be going out there again after that.
Pretty jealous though, I have wanted to try a SUP for ages.
. . . the girl out he back gets smashed off her board by something beneath the surface.
To say like it was a scene from a movie would be a drastic understatement of what was going on in my head at that stage. It was like watching a scene from Jaws but in the most realistic nightmarish quality possible, that being reality through your own eyes. As she got knocked off she started thrashing about and screaming like something out of one of the Saw movies. It took me a good second or two to get past the shock and make the decision and I started to paddle out to her as fast as I could.
Respect.
maaad write up, and as chucky said - respect for putting yourself at risk to help a stranger
jealous
Having surfed for as long as I have the whole shark thing is a scenario that has been through my head a few times and I’ve had a good long hard think about what I think should be done. Self preservation being what it is the most logical thing to do is to paddle to the beach like you’re trying to emulate the sky fairies son and walk on water.
The reality of the decision is that you need to live with it for the rest of your life and turning your back on someone in that situation is not something I think I could live with. The situation has occurred now and I’m reasonably sure I reacted in the best way I could, it took literally a second or two to comprehend WTF was happening and then the decision was made and kicked into gear, no regrets. In the end it was the best possible outcome in a very scary situation.
Nice write up mate! Always enjoy hearin bout ur trips.
And as the guys said, respect for getting out and helpin her 
Nice TR NBG.
After seeing your FB update the other day I was hoping we’d see an expanded version of the encounter.
As others have said top work on paddling out to the scene, glad it had a happy ending!
Wow!
Wasn’t expecting that!
I, like DRC, wondered if we would hear more about it but didn’t expect the story to be that exciting!
Well done for going out there - but i think you doubt yourself too much. If we had of discussed it a week ago I would have totally said you would go out to help even if you were on the shore!
Your that type of guy!
Do you reckon that it may have snagged her leg rope as it swam past?
Do you reckon that it may have snagged her leg rope as it swam past?
No mate, she got smashed out of the water, from a sitting position on her board to her arse clearing the water so it wasn’t a dragging sort of a scenario.
HOLY SHIT MATE!!! I would of soiled my wettie for sure 
This is what you want 
Azz 99 times out of 100 up there thats what it would be, this was that one time…...
All good for the next 99 surf trips then
Lets hope, I have mates that want me to go back with them tomorrow!