ron-t kayaking blog

16 April 2018 .............. A good wave in the Swellies

A big tidal range this evening - quite surprising really because it is nearly a month after the spring equinox - and a good wave - in fact it was probably the best wave we have had for quite a while - a classic Swellies wave.

I wonder if the winter storms have changed the sea bed a wee bit, there appeared to be a sort of lagoon in the shingle bank below the Cardinal Marker, and I don`t think it was there before - maybe there has been a change in the sea bed where the wave forms, or sea weed has been washed away, but whatever the reason it was a good wave.

I was a bit late in arriving, so it was well underway by the time I got to it, and it was quite a challenge to get on to it.

Unusually, it turned out that the best way on was from the side - if I dropped down from above there was just too much current to catch the wave.

Quite hard work to stay on it, but I got some quite good surfing on it, in between the power boats that were rushing up and down.

Being a bit of a geriatric wimp, it eventually got to the point that it was all getting a bit scary, it was now a playboat wave, so it was time to retreat - it was an hour after low water at Holyhead.

the Swellies wave looking good

I thought I would go for a paddle up through the Swellies for a while, but there was no chance, there was too much current - time to take some photographs instead.

It was a rather grey evening - but a good view looking up towards Britannia Bridge -

looking up to the Britannia Bridge

Heading back down now, and a good view of Menai Bridge as well -

looking down to the Menai Bridge

And just to complete the trio of structures - looking away down the Menai Straits to Bangor Pier - or more correctly, Garth Pier in Bangor - the second longest pier in Wales, Llandudno being the longest -

looking away down to Bangor Pier

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