Well, it has been a great week of beach weather to start this week, with just a part day of gloom and overcast skies on Easter Monday prior to a couple of spectacular days with perfect conditions on Tuesday and Wednesday – before those onshore winds became a little more moderate yesterday.
As we look ahead to today and then across the weekend, the biggest issue for beachgoers will be the weather system impacting South East Queensland and whether it causes much impact to our local region.
The forecast suggests we are set for showers, possible thunderstorms – and even rain periods – from today until at least Sunday, so keep an eye on the sky before planning your beach trip.
Aside from the showers or rain, the conditions will not be too bad with light to moderate onshore winds that will become lighter on Sunday.
Today’s winds will be from the E/NE at around 15 knots, before tomorrow brings E to E/NE winds at 10 to 15 knots and then Sunday will be even better with around 10 knots of E/SE to E/NE winds.
Swimming
Swimming conditions have been fantastic across the local region this week, with huge crowds taking advantage of the school holidays and great beach conditions.
Yesterday was the only blemish, with sloppy and wobbly conditions developing thanks to the onshore winds strengthening slightly.
These wobbly and choppy conditions will continue through today and then across the weekend thanks to the moderate onshore winds, but they will be better during the early mornings and also will improve by Sunday when the winds become lighter.
The best time for a swim will be through the early mornings while the winds are lighter and the tide higher.
The better beaches for swimmers will likely be Kelly’s Beach and Elliott Heads if the winds are from the NE but most beaches will have a bit of chop and slop on them this weekend.
The early morning high tide heights are increasing over the coming days as we approach the new moon on Tuesday, so beware of some extra water movement on the dropping tide – especially around creek and river mouths.
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.
Saturday and Sunday: 9 am to 5 pm at Elliott Heads Beach, Kelly’s Beach, Nielson Park Beach, Oaks Beach, Moore Park Beach and Agnes Water, plus a rove lifeguard in the Bundaberg Region.
Weekdays (school holidays): 9 am to 5 pm at Elliott Heads Beach, Kelly’s Beach, Nielson Park Beach, Oaks Beach, Moore Park Beach and Agnes Water, plus a rove lifeguard in the Bundaberg Region.
Note: These are minimum patrol times, some locations may have longer hours of patrol.
Surfing
Not much has been happening across the local beaches this week with only small waves about most beaches but at least they were clean up until about Wednesday.
The onshore winds are only light to moderate but have already started creating sloppy and wobbly conditions across most beaches and these type of conditions will persist across the coming days as well – but we should see a slight increase in wave heights to at least reach a height that may entice a few out into the water.
Hit the usual locations, with Kelly’s Beach and even Elliott Heads also worth a look if the winds become more northerly. Good luck.
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