MAIN Recreation Beaches Australia

Central Coast life revolves around its beaches, and it's a sad (if unusual) day that you can't find a wave.

As local champions Shane Powell and Ross Clarke-Jones would doubtless agree, there's nothing quite as exhilarating as the steep drop of a nice clean wave. Giving yourself up to a big wave can be quite a scary commitment, but the pay-off is well worth it. Long board, short board, or body board - when you take the drop, you really know you're living.

To some its a religion, to some, meditation. Some even say it's better than sex! But no matter what they say, they get out there!

Central Coast surfers are dedicated. For those unfortunate enough to have a job, dawn patrol is a daily ritual. And forget about shark feeding times, there's enough light to catch a wave well after sundown! Kids can't get enough. Despite it being an official school sport, kids spend every afternoon, every weekend, and their entire holidays in the surf. Even local business owners work around the tides and the swell. And one thing's for sure - if the surf's up, you wouldn't be the only one chuckin' a sicky! cough.

A quick scan of the local Yellow Pages and you'll discover plenty of local surf schools, surf clubs, boardriding clubs, and surf shops. You might also wanna check out the Surfing Australia website, http://www.surfingaustralia.com.au or the local online surf report, http://www.realsurf.com/.

About the Author: Glenn Murray heads copywriting studio Divine Write. He can be contacted on Sydney +612 4334 6222 or at glenn@divinewrite.com. Visit www.divinewrite.com for further details.