LifestyleEasing wind for a brilliant weekend on the water

Easing wind for a brilliant weekend on the water

easing wind
Craig Holden says looking ahead to the weekend, the good news is that the winds will ease, and the sun will be shining. Photo: Nielson Beach Park

Easing winds and sunshine will make for an enjoyable day by the seaside according to this week's beach report by Craig Holden.

Well, it has been quite a mixed bag of weather during this past week, with the odd scattered shower, combined with strong S/SE winds through the afternoons, and some warm and humid days, but looking ahead to the weekend, the good news is that the winds will ease, and the sun will be shining.

It may also be a fraction cooler through today and maybe even tomorrow before temperatures start to climb once again later in the weekend.

The winds this morning will continue from the S/SE at only around 10 knots before they gradually increase during the day to 10 to 15+ knots from the E/SE.

Tomorrow will then bring E/NE winds that will be very light in the early morning (5 to 10 knots) before increasing to 10 to 15 knots through the afternoon.

Sunday will be very similar, but with warmer N/NE winds at 10 to 15+ knots (lighter in the morning and stronger through the afternoon).

Swimming: The swimming conditions have been quite mixed this past week, with those S/SE winds really picking up this week, and whilst the early mornings provided some calm ocean conditions, the afternoons were very messy, choppy and even a little rough.

Also, the water has been very dirty and debris-filled this past week too, and although it is improving each day, swimmers will still need to be very cautious over the coming days.

Looking ahead to the weekend, the best time for a swim will be through the early mornings – this is when the winds will be light and the tide will be high – or again through the late afternoons, but the ocean will get choppy again by this time of the day.

For today, the better beaches for swimmers will be Hervey Bay, Agnes Water, Moore Bark Beach and Nielson Park, however across the weekend when the winds turn northerly, beaches such as Kelly’s Beach and Elliott Heads will be better options.

Please check with the lifesavers or lifeguard on duty, read any safety signage or messages, and most importantly please swim only at patrolled beaches, only between the red and yellow flags, and only during patrol times – remember, if we can’t see you, we can’t save you!

Beach patrols: Saturday and Sunday – 8am to 6pm at Elliott Heads, Kelly’s Beach, Nielson Park, Oaks Beach, Moore Park Beach and Agnes Water, plus a roving lifeguard across the Bundaberg Region; also early morning RWC surveillance patrols operate from 6am around the Bargara and Mon Repos areas.

Weekdays – 9am to 5pm at Elliott Heads, Kelly’s Beach, Nielson Park, Oaks Beach, Moore Park Beach & Agnes Water, plus a roving lifeguard across the Bundaberg Region; also early morning RWC surveillance patrols operate from 6am around the Bargara and Mon Repos areas.  (Please note – some beaches and services may have longer hours of patrol).

Surfing: This week has delivered plenty of fun-sized waves for local surfers to enjoy, with the afternoons producing messy but solid waves, and the early mornings producing clean, super-fun waves for all to enjoy.

Beaches such as Agnes Water, Nielson Park, Moore Park Beach and Mon Repos have probably been the picks, but even Kelly’s Beach and Elliott Heads have been worth a look through the early mornings.

Looking ahead to the coming days, and we should continue to see fun-sized waves for at least today and tomorrow, as some long-range E/NE ground swell continues to roll-in.

The size will drop over the coming days, but there should still be plenty of fun waves about if the northerly winds don’t destroy it. Good luck!

For the SUP and ocean ski paddlers, if you are looking for a few fun waves, hit the beaches through the early mornings today and tomorrow.

For a more relaxed float, the rivers and creeks will be the better options, although Kelly’s Beach and Elliott Heads may also be OK on Saturday and Sunday morning. The late afternoons may also provide enough wind for some downwind paddling options too.

Events: The WBC Branch Surf Rescue Championships will be held tomorrow at Elliott Heads SLSC with around 20 competitors competing in champion lifesaver, first aid and patrol competition events.

Important note: Remember there are updated COVID-19 restrictions, if you are at the beach, please maintain the social/physical distancing minimum guidelines and abide by the current group gathering guidelines as well.

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