62mac said..

One of your best clips DJ how good were those runners around the 1 min mark.

Thanks.. It was just getting better and better.. But the wind kept turning and turning to the point you could not catch a runner anymore because holding your direction is the most important thing.. Great day..

DavidJohn said..

Thanks Dave for clearing that up.. My vid from that day shows how beautiful and calm things were when we headed off.. and how quickly things changed.

Also.. There is a big difference between being rescued because you need rescuing and being rescued because it is forced apon you.. even when it's not needed.. They have a duty of care to not leave utill all is 100% fine and that's what they did.. We appreciate that.

Five minutes after we were all together to head back to the start if was beautiful sunshine and calm conditions again.. That's Melbourne for you.. and that what Mother Nature can do.. anywhere.

Hi David (DJ) I totally respect your down winding ability IMO your probably the most experienced DW SUPer in Vicco for the Melbourne runs and your time on the water, I also call you a friend thats why I have to post this, if this post destroys our friendship I would be disappointed but what happened IMO is predictable.

Having planned and run many down winders on Corio Bay, most in extreme conditions 35+ Kn over the last 2 years what you thought was calmer conditions is intact a fact a wind shadow effect off the land that extends between 1 - 2km out from the western shore. This situation is experienced every time you paddle out in high winds from that side of the bay and a wind with west in it, its not a freak phenomenon its predictable. Simondo, Justin, Kristi etc all know it exists and exploit it to position themselves for the run.

Fishermen including myself use this shadow effect to stay out of the wind on days like that (normaly less than 30kn) to allow us to fish for snapper around the Quay out of the wind.

The Channel at the top of the Quay near where you took off from depending on the tide and direction of the wind creates a suction effect and a current as the surrounds are 4.5 - 7m and the channel is dredged to 12.3m this pulls you out directly into the channel again this is predictable and can be a problem.

The short sharp wind chop you encountered at the end of the the run is created by the incoming tide down the channel vs the wind in almost a 180 deg opposing direction travelling across the shallows and it creates nasty in some cases almost standing waves 500 - 1000m from the entrance of the inner harbour to the outer harbour.

A weather map only tells you a small proportion of what is going on, local knowledge, studying the location and understanding the the effects of bottom structure channel etc allow you to enhance the downwinder and aim for the locations that will produce the best runners.

**** the flame suit, I don't want a newbie to head out thinking its calm and then get blasted into the middle of the bay.

Hate away.

Thanks Phil.. All good..

Great post phil. Experience counts for a lot on the water. Knowing the weather and water is the most important thing any water user can understand .

I'm not commenting on this situation, too many conflicting stories but...

It is still a waste of resources, doesn't matter if u needed help. They still had to help which is a waste of time and energy by rescue services, and possibly taking away from someone in real danger...

Down winding is not an extreme sport, flipping a moto over 100ft gap is. Paddling a sup should be safe as with the right precautions and planning, and only requiring assistance in the most extreme situations.

PTWoody said..

Simondo said..

I wasn't there, but I know the area... From memory there are several marker 'posts' across the shallow spit / shoal. Plus the bigger channel markers.

My $2 bet, is that he was holding onto one of those small marker posts, in the shallower spit area... If I'm wrong, the person holding onto the channel marker can collect their $2 from me!

You're spot on Simon, the guy was holding a small marker post over near Port Henry and was sucking in a few breaths before making the final 100 metre dash across the channel. Once on the other side, he would have been in waist deep water for a 400 metre walk to where the rest of the crew was waiting. The Volunteer Coast Guard boat arrived so it was easier just to jump in and get a ride across.

The inconsistencies and errors in various stories can be explained thanks to a call I received from Water Police the following day - they had a big day out on the bay with a number of rescues, (including a fatality involving a capsized fishing boat, sadly enough), so this event was low priority for them and they didn't gather all the details, given they were focussed on more serious matters. In fact, the Water Police didn't even attend. There was a couple of Vic Police cars at the end point, but the water assistance was provided by the volunteer Coast Guard.

So just to clear some things up, 8 people were not rescued, the majority were standing on the beach exactly where they were expected to be. Coast Guard picked up a couple of stragglers within shouting distance of the shore and the end point - they were fine and capable of paddling to safety. Treatment for hypothermia was entirely precautionary, and the ambos confirmed that everyone was 100% fine. No-one had to swim half the length of the bay as was mis-reported, and nor were there any teenagers involved. And the suggestion that this all happened at Point Wilson rather than Point Henry (opposite side of the bay) as one report suggested just goes to show how facts become the first casualty of this type of discussion.

None of this is to underplay the efforts of the Coast Guard or Water Police or Ambos, who do a great job, and everyone involved was most appreciative of these people. And certainly the events have added to a font of knowledge so that proactive measures can be taken to ensure future endeavours are safe and enjoyable for everyone.

Come on guys, you should know that the media never let the truth get in the way of a good story

SP said...
Great post phil. Experience counts for a lot on the water. Knowing the weather and water is the most important thing any water user can understand .

I'm not commenting on this situation, too many conflicting stories but...

It is still a waste of resources, doesn't matter if u needed help. They still had to help which is a waste of time and energy by rescue services, and possibly taking away from someone in real danger...

Down winding is not an extreme sport, flipping a moto over 100ft gap is. Paddling a sup should be safe as with the right precautions and planning, and only requiring assistance in the most extreme situations.

Are you kidding yourself down winding is not an extreme sport?? There are many forms of extreme sports you do realize this? Paddling a sup can be done in calm safe waters doesn't mean that is it's only place. People will always push the limits of what they do it's human nature to explore and test yourself against the ailments. No different to big wave surfing and getting smashed over a reef and needing rescuing.. Or should surfing only ever be done in a controlled wave pool ?

SP said...
Mate, it's still not extreme... FFS it's paddling a big surfboard... Your not sailing around the world.. And getting washed across the reef doesn't make it extreme, getting washed IMO is a bad decision on which wave to take, inexperience or lack of talent usually...


Extreme means dangerous, close to the edge and down winding whilst fun is not an extreme sport. Or maybe it is for those with small balls, big egos and no ****in idea about The ocean ...

If it's that extreme, how many get rescued ior die doing Molokai ???

Go back to your surfing forum you clearly don't like down winding maybe ur "big balls but small ego and amazing knowledge of the ocean" is to much for us here in the sup forum
I'll agree to disagree on your ideas of extreme sports

supallday said...

SP said...
Mate, it's still not extreme... FFS it's paddling a big surfboard... Your not sailing around the world.. And getting washed across the reef doesn't make it extreme, getting washed IMO is a bad decision on which wave to take, inexperience or lack of talent usually...


Extreme means dangerous, close to the edge and down winding whilst fun is not an extreme sport. Or maybe it is for those with small balls, big egos and no ****in idea about The ocean ...

If it's that extreme, how many get rescued ior die doing Molokai ???

Go back to your surfing forum you clearly don't like down winding maybe ur "big balls but small ego and amazing knowledge of the ocean" is to much for us here in the sup forum
I'll agree to disagree on your ideas of extreme sports

Wow hit a nerve...

Na mate, love it, think its great,, just don't think it is extreme.
I'm sure it's scary for some but that doesn't make it extreme...
Hence my ego comment,...
But thanks for the rude reply, it's what this forum needs more of...

Maybe google what an extreme sport is... If u can find sup please post a link..

This actually shows that Corio Bay is 'fairly' safe for Down Winding... You guys got a pretty horrendous "knock" (wind direction change), and in fairness, other locations upwind didn't get that big direction change. (Even though it was 'on-the-cards')

Even with that big direction change, that shallower spit / shoal sort of serves as an artificial rescue zone, and the waters calm down considerably. As PT Woody said, someone was just sucking in some Oxygen, in preparation for a channel crossing, before getting back into the calmer shallower waters.

My 2 cents - when aiming to land at Point Henry, aim lower down the point... A slight wind direction change towards the south is to be expected... Use the first part of the journey... 500m - 750m to get lined up.

In hind sight, Rippleside to the Middle Point Henry Carpark could/would have been a better course. Then you would have had awesome runners the whole way, and land at The Point instead...

Well.... I liked the video

Simondo said..

In hind sight, Rippleside to the Middle Point Henry Carpark could/would have been a better course. Then you would have had awesome runners the whole way, and land at The Point instead...

Yeah that was Plan A. Should have stuck with Plan A. Damn you, 20/20 hindsight.

supallday said..


You don't have to agree but my idea of down winding involves. High winds rough ocean swells long distances often km's from the safety of land. Where your board n paddle are the only thing you have to tackle the task of getting from point A to B . If that's an easy and safe task well then I guess it ant extreme but in my eyes it is.

Mate as long as you enjoy it and it makes you happy good on you.

I never said it was easy and IMO it should be safe or should I say you should make it as safe as possible for yourself. To not prepare or be able to get out of a bad situation isn't extreme or "pushing Boundaries" it is just careless.

Guess I'm like legion with the term, Extreme Sport.
and
@ legion, yeah cant wait for the Ultimate Extreme Waterman tour..

More from after the squalls hit.. [uncut]

Anyone ever carry a PLB on DW runs?

Great vids! Looks like a great day out!