We are headed towards our third long weekend in a row, which I am sure nobody is complaining about, but here’s hoping that this weekend’s weather is better than last weekend – at least in terms of the winds anyway!
Windy, and even showery, conditions have been the norm for most of this past week, but we did start to see some slight relief yesterday.
Looking ahead to the weekend, the early forecast is looking favourable, with light to moderate winds forecast, more mild temperatures, but still the chance of scattered showers across all days, so you will need to keep an eye on the sky before planning your trip to the beach.
Today’s winds will continue from the E/SE at around 10 to 15 knots through this morning, before they increase to 15 to 20 knots during the middle part of today, but then ease back to 10 to 15 knots through the late afternoon.
Tomorrow will then bring a more favourable wind forecast with 10 to 15 knots of E/SE winds, before Sunday brings around 10 knots of S/SE winds in the morning that will then increase to 10 to 15 knots from the E/SE through the day.
Monday then brings an increased chance of showers, along with 10 to 15 knots of S/Se to E/SE winds.
Swimming: The swimming conditions were very ordinary for swimmers for the most part this week, with those strong and gusty winds whipping up a messy and angry ocean, but we did see conditions start to improve yesterday – albeit with a moderate swell to contend with.
For the coming days, the ocean conditions should start to improve by tomorrow and into Sunday, but there will still be plenty of water movement should the waves continue to hang around, so please be mindful of that.
The best time for a swim will certainly be from early morning through until around mid-morning while the tides are high and the winds a little lighter.
Later in the day, we will start to see the ocean get a little choppier as the onshore winds strengthen slightly.
The better beaches for swimmers will again be Hervey Bay, Agnes Water, Nielson Park, and Moore Park beaches.
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 – 9am to 5pm at Kelly’s Beach and Agnes Water only
Saturday – 9am to 5pm at Kelly’s Beach, Nielson Park, Oaks Beach and Agnes Water; 1pm to 5pm at Elliott Heads and Moore Park Beach
Sunday and Monday – 9am to 5pm at Elliott Heads, Kelly’s Beach, Nielson Park, Oaks Beach, Moore Park Beach and Agnes Water
Weekdays (from Tuesday onwards) – Nil
Surfing: Local board-riders have again been enjoying another good run of waves about our local beaches during this past week, although the ocean conditions have been quite mixed and messy, but yesterday did deliver much cleaner waves to enjoy!
As we look ahead to the coming days, there is more good news for surfers too, with the likelihood of fun-sized waves continuing for at least the next two days, and hopefully right through the long weekend.
The key will be to find the right stage of the tide, combined with the right wind conditions at the right location!
As per usual, Agnes Water will be the best option, but locally, beaches such as Nielson Park, Mon Repos and Moore Park Beach will also be worth checking out. Good luck.
For the SUP and ocean ski paddlers, there should be plenty of waves for you to enjoy, but whether you can find a slick downwind opportunity is a little up in the air, so keep an eye on the winds.
Once again though, if you are chasing a relaxed and calm paddle, you will need to hit the protected waterways in the creeks and rivers.
Events: Monday’s public holiday is the last day of volunteer surf lifesaving beach patrols for this season 2021-22, marking the end of the current surf lifesaving season.
- Last week's beach report: Strong and gusty onshore winds return to region
