Karne Gabbott Archives - New Zealand Surf Journal

A Fickle Beast Awakens

Derek MorrisonMay 16, 2022May 17, 20220

This was the scenario: There’s a 50-50 chance a marginal swell forecast might be enough to lure a fickle reef break to life. It’s a hell man slab that few can really do justice to. Do you roll the dice? We did (but one of us paid the price). I...

The Reef: Shadows of Doubt

Derek MorrisonAug 18, 2021August 26, 20210

It was a 50-50 call. The swell could be too small, the long period, at 15 seconds, not enough to compensate. But in the heads of the 10 people assembling in the early morning darkness at the launch point, that was a gamble worth taking. And so another day in...