Noa Deane and the magnificent grey, Coffs Harbour

It is with ominous storm clouds above and a furious wind puffing from the south that we find Mr Noa Deane, of Coolangatta, under the lip of a wave in Coffs Harbour. And, literally in the harbour. As a low pressure system began to batter the northern coast of NSW, Noa was headed back home from Newcastle, where he’d been knocked out of Surfest. It’s a long drive, nineish hours depending on your fear of the law, and worthy of at least one stop on the way to check a spot you believe might be on.

Duncan Macfarlane, a talented photographer who lives in Coffs, describes the wave that sometimes lights up the harbour: “It’s pretty rare that it breaks, sometimes you get it twice in a year, sometimes not for two years. That’s because of the combination of conditions it needs. You need a big north swell with a south wind.” Those who live on that stretch of coast will know that this is a rarity. But yesterday, it kinda came together. “It is a novelty wave,” continues Dunc. “It wasn’t that great yesterday but Noa did well out there.”

Now, shall we let Mr Deane run us through his observations? “Well, there’s this one rock wall and a little boat ramp, and the wave runs right along the rock wall,” Noa says. “Then there’s another break that’s about 20 meters further out, which is so sketchy. That’s the spot in this picture. I went up on the rocks so many times. It was really hit and miss. Some would bowl up really nice on the inside, and you’d be racing, and others would be barrelling perfectly behind you and you’d be trying to slow right down. It was actually very fun. Very crowded with bodyboarders, but real fun.”

Hey, and what about that wetsuit? That much rubber in summer on the North Coast? “The water was brown and it felt so sharky, it just had that vibe,” justifies Noa. “It seemed like you’d get eaten in a second.” While admitting that a wetsuit is futile against teeth, Noa was ultimately glad he wore it due to the weather: “It was definitely not cold, and I kinda blew it, but then these squalls would come through that were so cold, like a million knot wind with rain.”

Ain’t nothing wrong with a novelty session. But did good fortune follow Noa back up to the Gold Coast? “It’s absolutely hammering rain right now,” he says. “I’ve got the teams challenge today. Which means paddle out at Snapper and end up at Kirra…” – Elliot Struck