Grove on tour- last man standing

Went for a surf today at Balina, about a 45minute drive south of Byron. We were a little late leaving though and one of the guys had to be back for work so instead of the full 45minute drive we opted for a 25minute drive and 500m paddle across a rivermouth.


Myself and Thibault (a French guy I’m living with here) were being taken out by a friend of ours, Matt, whos been a surfing instructor here for 20years. Just before we started the paddle he decided to inform us that the river mouth we were about to paddle was renowned for being a sharknest. There is a fishing port just inside the mouth and all the fish offal is dropped overboard by returning boats. This, he said, creates a kind of Disneyland for sharks! He assured us that all was safe as the water was crystal clear so there would be no “white pointers” (the native shark here).

We completed the paddle (I was more worried that the strong current would pull me out to sea before my measly guns could propel me to the other bank) and enjoyed a couple of hours surfing some awesome waves. When it came to the return paddle, the water had turned a murky brown (not unlike the Thames) and Matt chose to state that if the water had been this colour earlier he would not have made the paddle. Nice! It also transpired that White Pointers are what the locals call Great Whites here. REALLY Nice!! I then looked down at my shins and saw a big cut that I must have sustained earlier dribbling blood down my leg. Really REALLY Nice!!!

Suffice to say all was well, as I am writing this with all limbs fully intact! Since then we have always opted for the drive but “White Pointers have been spotted there on two occasions since!!!