Wati (bukan Wati pelajar teladan)

Setelah beberapa postings beraroma politik sebelumnya di bawah ini, euh ... saatnya ganti haluan, banting setir, bung Navigator arahkan perahu pesiar ini ke pulau tropis.

Kelas surfing tinggal dua minggu lagi. Air laut pun mulai mendinginkan dirinya, musim gugur mengendap-ngendap di belakang punggung kami. Dan minggu lalu kami sekelas terombang-ambing karena gelora riak laut ganas, gelombang bisa setinggi dua meter, dan di penghujung session kami saling mengeluh (atau bitching?), Ooh I'm sick of getting smashed constantly. Can't even get out the back!

Dan bayangkan, Sabtu pagi ini kondisi akan semakin rough. Euh ... see what happens eh.

Cyclone Wati kini tengah berpusing di off water far North Queensland. Dan efek kedahsyatannya terasa di sini, 1000 km jauhnya.

---

Surfers take advantage of rough seas whipped up by Cyclone Wati.


Furious display … a brave boarder tackles a wave at Tamarama yesterday as the huge swell at several of the city's beaches kept swimmers - and most surfers - out of the water.

SMH - 29/03/06

ONLY the most intrepid surfers were in the water yesterday as huge waves pounded beaches around Sydney.

Waves reached heights of up to eight metres, according to weather experts - or a mere four metres, according to the less-macho reckoning of surfers.

Several beaches were closed, including Bronte, Maroubra, Newport and Palm Beach, while Bondi lifeguards stopped swimmers from going beyond shallow water. Water police and rescue helicopters were called to Manly about 6.30pm after two men on surf skis were hit by a giant wave.

One of the men washed onto Shelly Beach, south of Manly.

Water police found the other surfer about an hour later a kilometre off Queenscliff to the north.

Former pro-surfer Matt Grainger, who owns Manly Surf School, spent the day surfing off Long Reef and Queenscliff, but warned that only advanced surfers should brave the treacherous conditions. At Bronte, even the baths were closed as huge waves lashed the southern end of the beach.

High winds from the weather system formerly known as Tropical Cyclone Wati started the huge swell 1000 kilometres offshore in the Tasman Sea.