Well, it has been another week of mixed weather conditions, with a few very warm and humid days mixed in with a few cooler and more overcast days, but for the most part, the conditions at the beach have been quite good.
Looking ahead to the coming days, and it appears we are set for a continuation of mild temperatures but also an increased chance of showers across the weekend.
Also, the winds will become more moderate in intensity too – especially through the afternoons.
The winds this morning will be from the E/SE at only around 10 knots early before they increase to 10 to 15 knots later this morning and then to 15 to 20 knots through this afternoon.
For the weekend, the forecast is very similar too, with 10 to 15 knots of E/SE winds through the morning and then 15 to 20 knots of E/SE winds through the afternoons.
Swimming                  Â
Swimming conditions have been quite OK once again this past week, with mostly calm swimming conditions with just a few afternoons of choppy conditions thrown in to keep swimmers on their toes.
As we look ahead to today and across the weekend, we can expect the ocean to become quite choppy, and even quite messy through the afternoons – and this will be more so on the open and exposed beaches that are exposed to the onshore winds.
The best time for a swim over the coming days will be through the very early mornings to avoid the stronger winds, but unfortunately it will also be low tide at this time of day.
High tide conditions will be found around midday to early afternoon, but this is when the ocean will be getting choppy and messy.
There will also be a side sweep or current pushing along most beaches from right to left, so please be cautious if swimming.
The better beaches for swimmers will be Hervey Bay, Agnes Water, Nielson Park and Moore Park beaches.
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: Weekdays – 9 am to 5 pm at Elliott Heads, Kelly’s Beach, Nielson Park, Oaks Beach, Moore Park Beach & Agnes Water, PLUS a Rove Lifeguard operating in the Bundaberg Region (Please Note: Operational Hours may differ at certain beaches)
Saturday and Sunday: – 8 am to 6 pm at Elliott Heads, Kelly’s Beach, Nielson Park, Oaks Beach, Moore Park Beach & Agnes Water, PLUS a rove lifeguard operating in the Bundaberg Region (Please note: Operational Hours may differ at certain beaches)
Surfing
Well, last Sunday threw up plenty of fun surfing conditions for local board-riders to enjoy, but unfortunately the wave size dropped quite quickly after that and almost disappeared for the most part!
Looking ahead to today, we do not expect to see much of an improvement or increase in wave heights today, but fingers crossed for the weekend that we will at least start to see more suitable wave heights about for board riders.
The conditions will get quite choppy and even a little messy, but the wave heights should be enough to entice the diehards out for some fun.
Best beaches for board riders should be Agnes Water, Mon Repos, Nielson Park and Moore Park. Good Luck!
For the SUP and ocean ski paddlers, there will no shortage of suitable conditions for a slick south to north downwind paddle this afternoon, and more so then across both Saturday and Sunday.
For those looking for a more relaxed and gentler ocean paddle, I would suggest looking for sheltered, inland waterways across the weekend.
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