WINTER rolled into the Port Stephens region early over the weekend as 90km/h winds whipped along the coastline and a 5 metre swell battered the bays beaches.

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Temperatures saw the mercury dip to a low of 8°C on Friday whilst an Antarctic driven east coast low saw local surfers don the rubber and get amongst the coning wave conditions.

Some inexperienced watermen rolled the dice in the dangerous conditions at One Mile Beach on Saturday morning and were swept along the southern point before being picked up by surf lifesavers thankfully still on patrol.

On the ocean side beaches of Shoal Bay conditions were more favourable as locals and visitors scrambled to ride the portal.

Anna Bay expat and former bodyboarding world tour competitor Dallas Singer returned to the line-up at Box Beach and dropped anchor on a few heavy wedges that excited the peanut gallery looking on.

When the winter swells start to pulse there’s no place like home for Dallas.

“From my experience I consider Boxy a world class wave for bodyboarding, a unique side wash refracting off the northern headland makes for perfect blue teepees across the entire stretch,” said Dallas.

“I was lucky enough to grow up in the area and this beach set the platform for the rest of my career in the sport.”

With long-range forecasts predicting similar surf conditions for the winter season Dallas’s mind is willing, even if the body is aging.

“This past swell was awesome, hopefully we see more of the same moving into the winter period that typically produces these large swell events,” said Dallas.

“What’s probably changed is that I feel the beatings a little more the following night, I didn’t mind getting buried in the sand as much in my 20s!”

By Mitch LEES