Well, it has been another mixed week of weather just gone, with hot and muggy conditions to start with, followed by a wet Melbourne Cup Day, and then followed by a cool change with offshore winds.
Temperatures have certainly dropped, and they will likely remain a little cooler than average over the coming days as well, so enjoy it while it lasts!
There is also the chance of a few scattered showers too, but mainly tomorrow, although they should not be too much of an issue.
This morning’s winds will be from the S/SE at around 10 to 15 knots before they increase to 15 to 20 knots through this afternoon.
This will be a common theme over the weekend too, with the afternoons being the windiest part of the day.
Tomorrow morning will then bring S/SE winds at around 15 knots before they then increase to 20+ knots from the E/SE through the afternoon.
Sunday will be similar, with 10 to 15 knots of S/SE winds in the morning that will then increase to 15 to 20+ knots from the E/SE through the afternoon.
Swimming: Swimming conditions were quite choppy and messy through Monday and Tuesday this week, but they improved markedly from Wednesday with the arrival of the offshore winds.
As we look ahead to today and then into the weekend, the news is not great for swimmers and beach goers – unless you hit the beach through the early mornings!
We can expect moderate to strong onshore winds through the afternoons, so if you are swimming, I would suggest hitting the beaches in the early mornings while the winds are lighter, the tide higher, and the ocean a little milder!
Choppy and messy conditions will develop through the day, each day, and the afternoons will particularly messy, with a strong side sweep pushing along most beaches from south to north.
The best beaches swimmers will therefore be those that offer some protection from the winds, so Hervey Bay, Agnes Water (adjacent to the headland) and to a lesser extent, Moore Park Beach and Nielson Park Beach, will be the better options.
Please check with the 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 and weekdays – 9 am to 5 pm at Kelly’s Beach and Agnes Water only
Saturday – 9 am to 5 pm at Kelly’s Beach, Nielson Park, Oaks Beach and Agnes Water; 1 pm to 5 pm at Elliott Heads and Moore Park Beach
Sunday – 9 am to 5 pm at Elliott Heads, Kelly’s Beach, Nielson Park, Oaks Beach, Moore Park Beach and Agnes Water.
Surfing: This past week has not provided much at all for board-riders, with just some messy northerly waves about on Monday and Tuesday, before the ocean flattened out significantly from Wednesday onwards.
However, looking ahead to the weekend, and we should see an increase in wave heights through tomorrow and into Sunday as the onshore winds intensify.
The waves will be choppy and messy, but there should be plenty of fun-sized waves about over the weekend at beaches such as Agnes Water, Nielson Park Beach, Moore Park Beach and Mon Repos. Try the early mornings, or again from mid to late afternoon.
For the SUP and ocean ski paddlers, the ocean is going to get choppy and messy this weekend – especially through the afternoons – but this should provide slick downwind paddling options (south to north) for those that are keen.
If not, try the very early mornings for gentler conditions, or stick to the protected waterways.
Events: Good luck to all local junior surf lifesavers that will be competing on Sunday at Nielson Park Beach, Bargara (Bundaberg SLSC), for the first of our local 5-Point Junior (U8-U15) carnivals, with competition commencing at 8.30 am.
- Last week's beach report: Local beaches the place to be this weekend
