Story by News Ltd.
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THE PASS, at Byron Bay, NSW, comes alive on any morning when the sun is shining, the dolphins are jumping and a moderate or bigger swell is wrapping around the famous cape, our continent’s easternmost point.
The beach faces northwest, so whatever power the swell had as it travelled up the Tasman is diminished as it swings 90 degrees into this idyllic, subtropical nook, one of the most cherished and still untouched places on the entire east coast.
The mood in the car park is convivial, chatty and, typically for Byron Bay, bohemian. Old hippies, young hipsters, stoners, tourists, parents, dreamers, and dropouts come and go from the crowded line-up with broad smiles.
But the most conspicuous demographic is female. Modern surfing is increasingly feminine, but even by those standards The Pass stands out. At times, the majority of people in the water are women.
South African photographer Saskia Koerner is on a global adventure to take portraits of female surfers and hit the Pass, Byron Bay.
Her enthusiasm for her “tribe” was a welcome distraction from the grim topic I’d been commissioned to pursue.
The Pass, she says, is a better place for all the femininity in the air. “It’s a fun, competitive atmosphere,” she says. “And there’s a lot of sharing of waves. It’s really nice to have that feminine energy in the water. It makes it a very happy place. It rubs off on the guys too.”
The wave works for women because it’s not overly powerful, but runs cleanly along the beach. “It’s a perfect running wave,” she says. “It’s not scary but it still has some power. You can do so much on it. The girls are just dancing on them.”
Koerner’s exhibition of portraits of local female surfers opens tonight at the Bayleaf Cafe, Byron Bay.
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Saw 2 chicks standing toe to toe a few weeks back ready to punch on and scratch fight. Great for the kids to see. The pass is a kids wave 90% of the time…get over it!