INTERVIEW BY www.leboogie.com
Ewan Donnachie has explored enough of the Australian coastline to have it etched in his brain. Personal preferences aside, this is one opinion worth listening to. (All Photos: Shadbolt)
10. Lunas
I know guys who would put Lunas as their number one, but as far as I’m concerned, the place is bloody cold and damn scary. No other wave in Oz intimidates me like Lunas, but then again, no other wave throws out such incredibly heavy pits, so it has to feature somewhere in my top ten.
9. The Box
I haven’t surfed the Box nearly as much as I’d have liked, hence why it’s only number nine. However on its day, I reckon it would have to be in the top three bodyboarding waves in Australia.
8. Shark Island
Were it just for the wave itself, Shark Island would feature a lot higher up my list. Unfortunately I seem to struggle a fair bit with the crowd factor out there, to the point I often bypass it altogether, in search of less busy options further down the coast.
7. G-Wedge
A fickle beast that needs a very particular range of conditions to get good, and even then, is temperamental at best. However, when the stars align, I swear G-Wedge is one of the heaviest waves on the South Coast, with ramps to boot.
6. Number 2′s
2′s can wonk out at times and has a nasty tendency to pinch, but on clean, groomed groundswells, she’s a pedal-to-the-metal, super intense ride that you remember for years.
5. Whale Beach
Whaley isn’t particularly death-defying and there’s much less chance of breaking your neck out there than at most other waves on this list. It’s just a good quality, fun as hell, relatively reliable wave just round the corner from my house that doesn’t get too crowded.
4. Aussie Pipe
Widely regarded as one of the most congested waves in Australia, there is truely no denying how incredibly perfect and suited to bodyboarding Aussie Pipe is. Whether it be screaming towards huge airbowls or tube-hunting on either lefts or rights, this wave has it all and is responsible for the longest sessions of my life.
3. Shipsterns
Put simply, this is the biggest barrel that can be functionally paddled into in Oz. It may be cold, it may warp and go all nasty and you may cop some extremely long hold-downs, but Shippies holds a special place in my heart and was probably the platform for my career.
2. Monuments
For lovers of right-hand airbowls, it doesn’t come much better than this! I’ve never consistently gone as fast on waves as out Monnies; it’s a virtual sling-shot. Monnies is also located amongst some of the most breaktaking natural surroundings I’ve ever seen.
1. Nuggan
Lefts, right; ramps, pits; Nuggan is a wonderland for bodyboarders, and has achieved International notoriety accordingly.
Once you get your head around it (which I’m still working on), you should effectively be able to perform any move in the book out there (which I’m also still working on).
