Break 35 - Forrest Caves

Saturday 21st May and off the back of surfing Woolamai and with it being mid tide I decide to check out a few of the breaks on the Island.  My venturing round to Flynns reef and surfies point proves fruitless however as there is not enough swell.  In the end I head to Forrest Caves which is about 2 or 3 kms down from Woolamai, righ off the main Phillip Island Rd.  Forrest Caves must have one of the ugliest approaches you will ever find to a beach - it sits on a desolate stretch of the main road and you enter down a dirt road into a car park behind grassy dunes with no view of the beach.  It's very uninviting.  Today however, climbing up the steep step to the platfrom lookout to the beach, the actual beach looks fantastic - skies are blue and you can see down both ways from the beach across the numerous breaks the Isalnd has.  The swell is slightly more consistent, on the fuller tide but the off-shore breeze has picked up and so the sets are holding up a bit.  There are about 10-15 blokes out but stretched across three group spots in the water. 

I head out straight from the bottom of the stairs to the beach and get out the back smoothly - I really notice the water temp on my hands paddling out (it's down to 15 at the moment in Melbourne) but I am quickly warmed up.  Again I just enjoy feeling the sun and looking at the magnificent day.  I struggle to catch a wave as they either hold up on me or I give way to blokes on the inside.  Eventually I get two in pretty quick succession and the waves are breaking right with some good rides if you nail the take off in right position - one of my rides does this and I go down the line right, keeping low to get some speed up and take it right down the line before it breaks and crashes.  I have more long periods of near misses and just flat spots before the highlight of my day is watching a bloke in his early forties I reckon nail a 1 metre wave and go hard and low right and just about tube it - it's a great ride and both myself and another bloke out talk to him about it.  He doesn't think he tubed it but in his own words "it was a beauty, mate".   I get a small ride and after 50 or so minutes out decide to call it quits and come in. 

A good day all round and with 15 more breaks to go I think doubling up is the only way I'm going to make it.