Well, once again it has been another mixed bag of weather conditions, with gusty winds, showers, and overnight rain, but thankfully the humidity levels became more tolerable.
Now, looking ahead to today and across the weekend, the weather forecast is looking fantastic for beach goers, with light winds, mild temperatures, and mostly sunny skies.
Today’s winds will be from the E/SE this morning at around 10 knots or even lighter this morning before increasing to 10 to 15 knots from the East by late this afternoon.
Tomorrow will then bring E/SE winds at only about 10 knots throughout the day, although the winds may just tend more E/NE by late afternoon.
Sunday will then be very similar to Saturday, with E/SE at around 10 knots throughout the day.
Swimming
The swimming conditions have been very mixed over the past week, just like the weather, with mostly choppy and messy conditions, combined with lots of water movement due to the large tide heights, and also a reasonable amount of swell about our local beaches.
The good news though for beach goers is that the swimming conditions will improve from today, with generally mild ocean conditions expected for the next few days at least.
High tides are due around mid to late morning over the coming days, so the best time for a swim will be any time from early morning right through until around midday to early afternoon, particularly if the winds remain light as forecast.
Whilst all beaches should be good for swimmers over the coming days, the better options will likely be Hervey Bay, Agnes Water, Nielson Park and Moore Park, although Kelly’s Beach and Elliott Heads will be good options by Saturday afternoon.
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 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:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
The surf conditions have been pretty good for the most part this week, with plenty of waves about all beaches, although it has been quite variable in terms of the wave quality depending on the beach, the stage of the tide, and the wind strength.
Looking ahead to the next few days and there is good news for board-riders in that the winds will ease, but unfortunately, so will the wave heights!
But fingers crossed that there will still be enough swell about to find a few clean, fun waves through the mornings for a few more days yet. Â
The better locations will likely be Agnes Water, Nielson Park, Moore Park and Mon Repos. Good Luck!
For the SUP and Ocean Ski paddlers looking for calm and gentle ocean conditions, try your luck through the early mornings.
For those looking for a downwind paddle, the wind forecast is not looking great for you, but mid to late afternoon may just provide a small window of opportunity.
Events
Good luck to all local competitors heading over to Perth, Western Australia, to compete in the 2023 Australian Surf Lifesaving Championships from Saturday 25 March to Sunday 2 April.
