When the Hilux finally came to a standstill on top of a sand dune, I was overwhelmed by the view before me: pristine beach bordering the sheer glitter of the sea. If there is anything like love at first sight with waves, that is what happened. Looking at the incredibly smooth left handers rolling in from far out like clockwork, I was mesmerized by the sight. I could hardly concentrate on the elaborate instructions given to sail this place and survive: For a start I was to go out to the back ‘the long way’, downwind along the edge of the breaking waves. Coming in from the side, I could then try to catch a wave and, in case of a wipe out, I could easily leave the impact zone again. As for coming in, I had to watch out for the nasty little shorebreak due to the slightly onshore winds. If that worked out I was supposed to sail straight out through ‘the middle’ (of the breaking waves), planing or not,  minding a few rocks here and there and looking out for a gap in the wall of white water rushing toward me. That way I could catch the wave further upwind, ride it a bit longer, and would not have to worry about the shorebreak. What is so impressive about ‘the spot’ is the fact that no matter how windy it gets, it is so smooth, with no chop on the wave faces, and usually the wind is perfect side shore till 4 o’clock and then swings cross off shore till dark.

My head was spinning, my knees were wobbling, and I knew I was pushing my personal limits there, so I did exactly as I was told. Then I got encouraged to “put in a bit more effort” and go out even further to the very back, about 800m from the beach, where the swell reached 3m. Before I had time to finish my gybe, my board was caught by a wave that pulled me along, developing more and more momentum till it finally started breaking right next to me. I was stunned. I did not dare to move and must have stopped breathing as well, for I found myself gasping for breath when I was finally pushed ashore by the white water. Wow! What a great feeling! I sailed out again straight through the middle, which went smoothly, as there were quite a few gaps in the breaking waves and enough flat water to accelerate in between them. Coming back in, I was thrilled every time I caught a wave. I started riding the board up and down a bit, and happily shared some waves with other sailors, who discreetly kept their distance. Contrary to some localism agro stories, I was neither hassled, nor faded, nor snaked!

Indeed, I quite enjoyed the company of the people I met there. Like Margareta from Sweden, who has been windsurfing for only 2 years and already is a confident wave sailor, or the local who keeps stitching his old harness together, because the new one he already got ‘just in case’ simply does not feel right. And on my most beautiful, heartbreaking last day at ‘spot x’ I was very impressed by the solidarity of the local windsurfing community, who sailed together for a last time in support of a wave sailor who had to undergo treatment in Perth the following day. At his farewell party, with a full moon rising over Oakajee, everybody said good bye privately as well, hoping sincerely to see him come back one day.

Having found a perfect place for wave sailing and then having to fly back to Germany to live in the cold without swell seems to be a small price to pay compared to what lies ahead for future generations of windsurfers at Oakajee, and also Coronation beach.. The state government of WA has confirmed Oakajee as the preferred site for a new, privately funded, deep water port capable of taking 100,000 tonnes-plus ore carriers to ship up to 60 million tonnes of iron ore a year by 2012. Feasibility studies for the A$ 1.3 billion project are currently being conducted and a consortium of global players (Midwest Corporation Limited, Sinosteel Corporation, China Railway Engineering Corporation, China Communications Construction Group) has been formed to build and operate the proposed port and associated rail network. If these plans are carried out, the waves of Oakajee will disappear for good, which would be a great loss not only for those that have sailed ‘the spot’, but also for those future generation of windsurfers that never had the chance to go there. So, before we lose it, we might as well use it. Meet me at Oakajee.