‘Bombie’ impulse makes David’s day
From the Manly Daily Newspaper
24 Apr 09 @ 02:29pm by JASON AVEDISSIAN
David Day bodysurfed the Queenscliff Bombie last weekend. Picture: SIMON DEAN
AN outrageous desire to bodysurf Queenscliff’s famous Bombora has been pulled off by a Mosman 60-year-old.
David Day was celebrating his birthday last weekend with family and friends when a spur of the moment decision to surf the famous break finally came to fruition.
With his brother Mark and nephew Ed, the trio swam about 700m to the deep-ocean spot in heavy surf last Sunday.
Do you have any crazy surf stories of your own? Let us know below.
Regular surfers need the break to reach at least 3m before they can take it on, and many of those generally reach the hidden beast after being towed-in.
“Bombie” was peaking that afternoon, reaching at least 4m by the time Day and his brave group nailed it.
“The heart was pumping like hell,” he recalled this week.
“When we got out there, it was like ... wow ... how good is this?
“We were miles away from anything. But once we got on a couple, your confidence just soars.”
Unfortunately, the group did not capture their moment with any video or camera footage.
Many within the northern beaches surfing community believe “Bombie” has rarely, if ever, been body-surfed.
But witnesses on shore are convinced the bodysurfers swam to the break before taking it on.
“They were surfing the Bommie,” North Steyne Surf Life Saving Club deputy president Geoff Cooper confirmed.
“I saw one or two of them catching a wave and thought; ‘that’s terrific’.
In fact, it was incredible.
Day, director of development at Redlands in Cremorne, had spoken to two-time world surfing champion Tom Carroll about taming the highly dangerous break.
Carroll had his doubts.
“Tom’s view was that there was no way and it was difficult enough just to be towed in on a board,” David’s Adelaide-based brother, Mark, said.
Carroll yesterday said he was stunned they pulled it off.
“It’s pretty crazy,” he said.
“If they got a wave, that’s great. It’s pretty risky stuff ... it’s a high sea. The ocean is such a wild and unpredictable place.”
To help you appreicate the madness of what they did, this is the queenscliff bombie on another day...
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