In north-east Arnhem Land, surfers brave the savage swell for a shot at magical waves

A hammerhead shark breaches the ocean’s surface, as if to sniff at the splashing presence paddling hard towards the outgoing tidal foam.

Cyclone swell — a churning, spitting ocean phenomenon unique to Australia’s north — is starting to roll in.

And the human out among it is Gove District Hospital doctor Tim Blake.

“I’m sure the majority of surfers have no idea there’s so much surf up here in this small pocket of northern Australia,” Dr Blake said.

On the Gove Peninsula, jutting out from the western edge of the Gulf of Carpentaria, Dr Blake is part of a tight, intrepid community of surfers with a common interest.

Like their peers the world over, they’re chasing the wildest, most exhilarating…