It has been a little mixed this week in terms of weather, with a glorious start to the week, but those onshore winds have started to increase and get quite gusty over the past two days.
Unfortunately, as we look ahead to the weekend, it does appear that these gusty SE winds will continue, and there will also be the increasing chance of showers today and again tomorrow, which is not great news for beach-goers, unless you can provide a protected location.
Today’s winds will be from the S/SE this morning at around 15 knots, before they swing more from the E/SE during the day and increase to around 20 knots through this afternoon.
Tomorrow will be a little windier too, with S/SE to E/SE winds at around 20+ knots for most of the day. Sunday will then bring a slight decrease in wind speed, with S/SE to E/SE winds forecast at around 15 knots.
Swimming: The swimming conditions were fantastic early in this past week, but unfortunately, they did become quite choppy and little messy over the past two days – and especially on the more and open and exposed beaches.
These conditions will be the norm over the coming days too, with choppy and messy conditions expected on most beaches, with the open beaches being a little worse!
There will also be a side sweep or current pushing along most beaches from south to north as well, so you will need to swim with caution. The best beaches for swimmers over the coming days will certainly be those that provide some protection from the prevailing winds – so Hervey Bay and Agnes Water will be the best, followed by Nielson Park and Moore Park Beach.
Just be careful through if swimming, because there is a bit of swell around too, combined with the choppy and messy conditions.
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: Today, Saturday and Sunday – 9am to 5pm at Elliott Heads, Kelly’s Beach, Nielson Park, Oaks Beach, Moore Park Beach and Agnes Water, plus a rove lifeguard in the Bundaberg Region.
Weekdays (next week) – 9am to 5pm at Elliott Heads, Kelly’s Beach, Nielson Park, Oaks Beach, Moore Park Beach and Agnes Water, plus a rove lifeguard in the Bundaberg Region.
Surfing: There has been plenty of fun-sized waves about over the past day or two, the only problem though has been the gusty onshore winds that have been making the wave quality pretty ordinary.
This will be the same across the weekend as well as the gusty SE winds continue. There should still be plenty of fun-sized swell, but you will need to either hit the water in the early mornings to find slightly cleaner conditions, or head to beaches that give you some relief from the winds.
Agnes Water will be the best spot over the coming days, if you can handle battling the school holiday crowds, but otherwise, Moore Park Beach, Mon Repos and Nielson Park will also be worth checking out. Good Luck!
For the SUP and ocean ski paddlers, there should be plenty of options for a south the north downwind paddle over the coming days, but if you are looking for a more relaxed and causal float, you will need hit the protected rives, creeks and inland waterways.
Events: The 2022 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships continues on the Gold Coast today, tomorrow and Sunday, with all of the finals being held over the coming two days. Good luck to our local surf lifesavers that are still racing!
- Last week's beach report: Sunny skies for the start of school holidays
