Hi
I just found this forum. I hope that you can help me.
Im going til West australia in november until january but i just heard som bad news about west australia from a guy from the internet.
He says that the water around Perth is pollutet so many people get sick when windsurfing around Perth?
He also says that somtimes lancelin, corrnation and gnarloo is closed because of construction and you can't windsurf en margaret river anymore only surf?
He also says that they offen close the beaches around WA because of white sharks?
I was very sad to hear about this becaue i already ordred my travel
I hope that maybe you could help?
Is all this true?
How is the wind from november to january? (what sail size is the best) I want to go to cornation first and then gnarloo and maybe end my travel in the south (margaret river)
Hope To hear from you
Lasse Kristensen
Denmark
Typical Ausie humor Lazze, all what he said, reverse it, then you will be on the money
No wind in the mornings, wind always after midday *(google "Fremantle doctor) You will get the idea.
You wont want to go home.
You will be looking for a dud wind day just to let your body recuperate
after about two weeks of the season.
And if the smart arse who told you all that is a local, tell him he is buying you the first beer when you get here
Thanks :-)
Im very glad to hear that and glad to have found this forum
Im really looking forward to visting WA and hopefully i will get some nice windsurf sessions...
Actually it is a guy from Denmark.
But i am glad to hear you say that becuase you are local..
well most of that is bull****..
but if i was you i would avoid margaret river, they do have quite a few great white shark's but they don't close the beaches. the waves are super gnarly the kind that break your back and stick your rig up your bum.
the locals are hardcore, and will bash your brains in if you drop in on them.
and crime is a big problem. i had to buy a dog to put in the back of my ute just to stop people stealing stuff.
if i could i would move and never come back
Okay, maybe i should awoid sailing in margaret river then :-)
But i would like to go there for the Red wine :-)
Then plan is also to spend most time en cornation and then a trip to gnarloo or do you have other spots to recommend?
You live in margaret river?
Hi Lazze
Don't worry about the pollution in Perth - we have finished dredging the harbour.
Re Mr Chompy - if you want to put your mind at rest, check out esportsdesk.com/leagues/pick_league.cfm?clientID=6231&leagueID=0 - it shows all recent attacks in Australia, including that there were two in WA in 2009. I'm not sure of the probabilities, but I'd guess its the same chance of mortality as flying here from Denmark?
However, you want to watch out for deadly snakes and spiders - particularly at places like Lancelin and Coronation. The snakes can be a real problem near the beach, and often the toilets are infested with redback spiders.
One thing you can bet your Skagen watch on though - there will be wind and waves aplenty.
All in all, I'd screw your courage to the sticking place, and just get out here. You won't be disappointed.
Cheers
Marv
I don't know if the guys above are helping or not! Snakes? Redbacks?
November to January is the ideal windsurfing season. You can expect good wind 5 days out of 7.
Water pollution is not a problem.
Shark attacks do happen but are extremely rare.
They do close a beach if a shark is spotted, and that is to protect you.
You may see snakes but they are trying their best to get away from you.
Redback spiders? They are common but I don't know anyone who has been bitten by one.
Gnaraloo and Margarets are for expert level sailors. You can still windsurf at Margarets, they had the wave nationals there earlier this year.
The guy who you spoke to was probably trying to put you off so he could buy your ticket cheaply!
Relax and enjoy your holiday!
As mentioned, you've picked the best time, sail size for gero and gnarloo, 4.0m to 5.0m depending on you're weight, further South around Perth 5.0m to 6.0.
Gnarloo can be very hardcore, big fast breaking hard on a shallow reef, but if the swell is small and the tide is high, it's much more mellow.
Margarets, doesn't break very well when it's small, it needs to be about halfmast for a decent wave. But there are other breaks in the area.
Think there's been a couple of visiting windsurfers taken by sharks over the last 20 years or so, probably as many killed on the road, because they forgot what side to drive on.
Some of the spots are isolated and you can pull onto a main road and not see another car for several kilometres,
until you go over a hill, and there's one coming right at you.
Hi all...
Thanks for alle the reply.. I really appreciate that...
I am buying a car when we get there.. I guess the best way to do that is through gumtree.com.au
am i right?
What car do you recommend if going to Gnarloo?
Do you have some good experience what a brand or special type of car?
I will bring my Jp twinser 76L and Firefly 3.6 4.2 4.8 5.1 and 5.4
Im going to sell the equipment before going home.
Depends how much you have to spend.
I got a 1990 toyota Lexen station waggon, (it's the same car as the holden commodore) for $800, spent another $200 on it, and it's fine for local windsurfing, everything fits in the back, but I wouldn't want to take it to gnaraloo, the diff makes too much noise.
gnaraloo is in the middle of nowhere, you're taking a risk in anything unreliable.
Hmm Okay.
I need to have a car we can sleep in...
Hope that i will find something good and reliable
I think that i will be to expensive to rent a car from 1. nov to 17 january but for sure would be the safest way to get to gnaraloo :-)
I have been to WA twice. Its a strange place. People wave to you when you drive your car on the highway. Most Australians don't do that.
You sure we were waving, not shaking our fists?
Actually Ive found in my travels that people are generally friendly throughout aus.
Another thing you might see from cars going the other way, is a hand going on to the windscreen. (especially if it's a narrow road), this goes back to the days when the roads were gravel, and the verges were all littered with broken windscreens.
