Comp: 2008 Banana Classic

Club: DV8 Malibu Riders

Place: 3 to 4ft Shallows, Shellhabour NSW Aust.

Date: Saturday 9th February, 2008

The big banana was on again. 6 am on Sat. 9th Feb saw us huddling around a wet and cold Shellharbour carpark waiting for the call as to were to surf. The beachies were looking ok, 3ft or so but the DV8 boys have been itching to get back to Shallows (a local reef break) for years so with a bit of NE swell they said saddle up and lets go.

The convoy headed through Shellharbour to the southern finger of land that protects it from big southerly swells.

It was however looking a little small for this famed reef break (mainly a bowling right hander and a short left that can handle some size) but as the boys suited up the odd 4ft wave came through and it was all systems go.

Although the action in the water was hot, on land it was just cold and wet. It's a great place to see the surf, the carpark over looks the break and you are probably as close to the water as first point Noosa but the with constant rain squalls coming in, you just sat in the back of the car with muddy feet and wished you'd brought your gum boots (of course the sun came out the moment the comp finished). This turned out to be a fairly grass roots affair, and especially if you forgot to bring the toilet paper because thats what you would be using as there wasn't a out house in sight.

The competitors had the best fun as there wasn't anywhere close to nip off for a free surf in the rain but not all of them came away unscathed. This reef break has a rocky shore line and for the first timers can be awake up call. A couple of guys miss timed the jump off (people with muddy feet in cars had a laugh) and coming in also presented it's own problems with sea urchins lining the shore. Of course the competitive spirit is stronger in some than others so a few surfers had to surf the wave to the very end, which just happened to be a rock (big thing sticking out of the water in front of beach) but no pain, no gain, I guess. And with this being a fickle break a few locals vented steam (and abuse)

at some of the surfers but were quickly dealt with.

The open surfers made a meal of this wave, Dan Rowlands impressed but peaked to early, Kevin Holt belted everything as he should (it's his local spot) but had a inconsistent final. Which is easy to explain with Ray Lawrence and Lawrence Harkness in it. Lawrence looked fluid and in tune with a wave he has probably never surfed but his style couldn't match Ray Lawrence's attack on these poor waves. Ray rode hard and fast to slash his way to victory.

Troy Keene got a few good one's in a wave starved final to win the 35's and big Scott Downing blazed his way to take the 40's. The girls were impressive and had lots of waves in their final, Lara Muphy stood out from the rest.

Ray Lawrence also took out the best nose ride, while Dan Rowlands got the Rob Holt Memorial Tube Ride Award.

All in all a soggy but great day.

Click here for the photo gallery ..