The right place, the right time, the right Karma

Do I believe in luck? To a certain extent I do.

Do I believe in Karma? 100% I do!

Good things happen to good people.

I believe my wife and I are good people, we work hard, always look for the good in others and the positivity in all situations. This is why I believe good things happen to us. Whether it’s always getting a prime parking spot at the beach or the shops, or scoring ideal conditions for a great surf or holiday, basically things nearly always go to plan. The opposite to this is not being nice to people, complaining constantly and basically playing the victim card through your life. I have seen this and unfortunately, but not surprisingly to me, nothing good happens for them.

We had planned our 4 day Crescent Head camping trip 12 weeks in advance. From that moment the weather and the waves were left up to the gods, and Karma…

Crescent needs a few things to line up together to deliver its best waves. It’s not a common occurrence. It’s a combination of the swell direction, wind, tide and then there’s the crowd factor, as Crescent can get really busy! Two weeks out I started tracking the weather and surf forecasts. This far out it’s only an indication as lots can change. It’s really 4-5 days out that gives you a real idea and even then things can change. It was soon just a week out and it seemed plenty of swell on offer but also plenty of rain. We tracked each day as it passed by and although it was raining and flat surf the day prior to leaving, the following 4 days still looked promising.

We awoke at 4.00am on the 8th June 2024 full of excitement. It’s such a good feeling waking early, knowing you’re about to head up the North Coast. We left at 5.00am and were already well on our way as the sun rose delivering a beautiful day ahead. No rain in sight, offshore winds and at least some swell, all for the next 4 days straight.

On arrival just before lunch the waves were ‘ok’ but the forecast was looking awesome for the next day. We set up camp and I decided to rest up for what was to come. Our camp site was right on the point with a short hop, step, jump to check out the point. This was the first bit of Karma as the park was full and our original site was much further away, but the staff sorted us out as we asked to be closer, and they moved a few things around to accommodate us. As the sunset drew closer and the temps dropped you could see the first signs of the swell arriving. All signs were pointing to a great next day. Bed early but a combination of excitement and the sounds of the thumping swell becoming louder with each set certainly made it hard to get to sleep.

We woke for first light and took our warm teas across to the point to see what was going on. OMG! What a sight! Waves were lining up the point with a crisp offshore breeze shaping them perfectly. The tide was quite low, but coming in, so things were only about to get better! I wasted no time in getting my wetsuit on and started to walk up the point to the rock off area. As I walked the point I was amazed at the perfection I was seeing. I’ve surfed Crescent many times over the last 30 odd years, but what I was seeing was looking as good as it gets and the best I had ever seen it. Karma!

Like I mentioned earlier, crowds can be a factor but being so early it wasn’t. The point also lines up for 400 meters so plenty of playing field to get waves. I climbed down the cliff at the top of the point, walked along the sharp, slippery rocks, jumped in and sat right at the top of the point. Within a couple of minutes I was into my first wave which was the best wave I have ever surfed at Crescent. A tall overhead green wall which lined up all the way down the point. It had everything! Speed sections, barrel sections, big open faces and I rode it all the way in to the river mouth. So far in fact, I had to in, climb up the rocks and walk all around the point and rock off again. This was pretty much on repeat for over 2 hours. The combination of ‘walk/run arounds’ with a few long paddles back out eventually took its toll depleting me so I came in.

Conditions were absolutely ideal. The swell direction matched with the wind direction made the waves very special. It’s not very often it lines up all the way in, not closing out, and the wind was making the waves really stand up and barrel, which also is fairly rare.

The second session of that day was not as great, but still absolutely pumping and up there with my best. The second day had dropped quite a bit but still great waves on offer. The days were sunny and beautiful, although the nights chilly. The weekend before we left was pouring with rain. The weekend after we got back was pouring with rain. To score perfect weather for the whole 4 days and 2 days of all time pumping surf, when we were only there 4 days, was absolutely good Karma!

Be good to people, be positive about everything, believe life is happening for you, not against you, and more good Karma will come your way. I have no doubt. Massive shout out to my wife Leanne for capturing the magical moments.