Well, it has been a reasonable week of weather across the local region with more warm and muggy conditions, with mostly sunny skies and only light to moderate winds.
However, as we look ahead to today and then across the weekend, there is a lot of uncertainty in the forecast due to the tropical low activity to the north, but it does look like we are going to have partly overcast skies with the chance of a shower or two across the weekend, and moderate (bordering on strong) onshore winds.
This morning’s winds will be from the east at 10 to 15 knots before they increase to 15 to 20 knots from the E/SE during this afternoon.
Tomorrow will then bring E/SE winds at 15 to 20 knots but increasing to 20+ knots through the afternoon.
Sunday will then be much the same with 20+ knots of E/SE forecast throughout the day.
Swimming
Swimming conditions have been quite mixed during this past week, with plenty of sloppy and wobbly conditions due to the variable winds, combined with some fun-sized waves and the big morning high tide heights.
Looking ahead to today and across the weekend, we can once again expect more choppy, messy and wobbly ocean conditions across the weekend, and particularly on the open and exposed beaches.
The morning high tides are still quite large (although gradually dropping in height) so there will still be plenty of water movement on the beaches and in the creek and river mouths.
Wave heights will also increase over coming days, so swimmers will need to be cautious if swimming over the coming days, due to all of the factors.
The best time for a swim will be from early morning to around midday while the winds are a little lighter and the tide high.
Best beaches will likely be Hervey Bay, Agnes Water, Nielson Park and Moore Park but as mentioned earlier, there will be considerable water movement on all beaches.
Please check with the 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!
Today: 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 Beach, Oaks Beach and Agnes Water, 1 to 5 pm at Elliott Heads and Moore Park Beach.
Sunday: 9 am to 5 pm at Elliott Heads, Kelly’s Beach, Nielson Park Beach, Oaks Beach and Moore Park Beach and Agnes Water.
Surfing
This past week has thrown up a little bit of swell for local board-riders to enjoy, with plenty of clean, fun-sized waves about through the mornings before the winds made the waves messier through the afternoons.
These waves are forecast to hang around over the next few days, and they should even get a little bigger in size too across the weekend.
Be prepared for sloppy and wobbly wave faces though, unless you can find some protection from the wind.
Agnes Water, Mon Repos, Nielson Park Beach and Moore Park Beach are likely to be the better locations.
Good Luck!
For the SUP and ocean ski paddlers chasing a downwind paddle, conditions won’t be great due to the E/SE winds and the E/NE swell, but there will be plenty of wind to try your luck at a south to north run over coming days.
For those looking for a more relaxed and gentler paddle though, you will need to hit the protected inland waterways and creaks/rivers.
Events
Good luck to local surf lifesavers that will be competing in the 2025 QLD State Surf Rescue Championships at Dicky Beach (Sunshine Coast) this weekend.
Read last week’s beach report here.
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