No place for the faint-hearted, huge swells on the South Coast cleared beaches of hardy surfers - except one.
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Scott Dennis was given a tow-in by his mate Tim Taplin on a jet ski while another mate and freelance photographer, Simon Punch, jumped into the water to capture the action.
A south-westerly gale whipped up sand and stung faces on the beaches, while waves lifted and crashed with an intimidating roar, testing Taplin's skills in timing his run on the ski.
"It's a bit chancy, you want one that will break, a round, barrelling one, but if they clamp they will trap you inside," Taplin said.
Dennis, a carpenter who previously competed in pro-junior events, has for the past five years enjoyed a sportswear company's sponsorship, which enables the 29-year-old to travel broadly in search of great surf.
Lately he has been surfing at South Australia and Indonesia, before returning home to Bawley Point in time for the super swells.
Dennis reckons the South Coast has plenty to offer for big-wave surfing, a skill needing a tow in, even though it's too rough for paddle surfing.
"In Indonesia, the waves are different. Here [on the South Coast] they are more round, they are the heaviest in Australia."
About 15 metres behind the surf ski he keeps an eye on Taplin's hand signals.
"You wouldn't be out there if you were paddle-surfing," says Taplin. "With a jet ski you can catch the bigger waves."
But picking which one remains a challenge. "Sometimes, you can make the call in the last two seconds," he says.
The water was so cold the three men were back on dry land after about an hour of freezing action in the thrashing surf.