Well, once again it has been a week of varied weather conditions across our local region, with a mixture of very warm temperatures, high humidity, light winds and even some showers through yesterday.
Now, looking ahead to today and across the weekend, the forecast is indicating another weekend of mixed weather conditions, with vastly varying wind directions and speeds, but showers and warm temperatures are again expected throughout.
The showers could even turn into rain periods too, so keep an eye on the sky if planning a trip to the beach!
Today’s winds will be from the E/SE early this morning at only around 10 knots, but they will increase during the day to 10 to 15 knots, and then up to 15 to 20 knots by about mid-afternoon.
Saturday will be vastly different though, with the forecast saying the winds will swing from the E/NE to N/NE but will only be light at around 10 knots throughout the day.
Sunday will then bring N/NW winds at around 10 knots through the morning but then increasing to around 15 knots through Sunday afternoon.
Swimming
The swimming conditions have been good right throughout this past week thanks to the predominantly light winds, but the coming days look set to produce a mix of swimming conditions and they will vary greatly depending on which day to go, and to which beach you choose!
Generally, the mornings will be the best time to head to the beach over the coming days, due to the winds being lighter at this time of day.
However, this afternoon will produce quite choppy and messy conditions on those open and exposed beaches, whilst Sunday afternoon will likely be the same.
For today, the best beaches for swimmers will be Hervey Bay, Agnes Water, Nielson Park and Moore Park Beaches due to their protection from the E/SE winds. However, for the weekend, when the winds turn more northerly, the better beaches will certainly be Elliott Heads and Kelly’s Beach.
High tides are due around late morning over the coming days, so the absolute best time for a swim will be from mid-morning to midday.
Please check with the surf 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: Weekdays – 9 am to 5 pm at Kelly’s Beach & Agnes Water only
Saturday – 9 am to 5 pm at Kelly’s Beach, Nielson Park, Oaks Beach andAgnes Water; 1 pm to 5 pm at Elliott Heads and Moore Park Beach
Sunday – 9 am to 5pm at Elliott Heads, Kelly’s Beach, Nielson Park, Oaks Beach, Moore Park Beach and Agnes Water
Surfing
The surf conditions have been quite funny during this past week, with constant lines of small ground swell rolling through, but the size has been quite small, and the ocean has been quite sloppy despite the light winds.
Looking ahead to the weekend, the forecast is going to be quite similar too unfortunately, with only small waves expected, but the mornings may be OK to drag the mals or the SUPs out to have a play.
Try Nielson Park, Agnes Water, Mon Repos and Moore Park Beach today, but then for the weekend, Kelly’s Beach and even Elliott Heads may be worth a look.
Good Luck!
For the SUP and Ocean Ski paddlers looking for a downwind paddle, try this afternoon (south to north), and also Sunday afternoon (north to south).
For those seeking a gentler and more relaxed paddle, hit the beaches through the early mornings before the winds increase.
