Well, it has been a little gusty on our local beaches this past week with a very strong SE wind change moving into the region last Sunday, and although the winds did ease, they have remained quite moderate ever since.
Looking ahead to the coming days though, we should see a slight decrease in wind strengths, but we are also forecast to see slightly overcast skies along with the chance of scattered showers. Temperatures should also remain quite mild.
Today’s winds will be from the E/SE at around 10 to 15 knots for the most part, although they could reach 15+ knots through the late afternoon.
Tomorrow will then bring 10 to 15 knots of E/SE winds through the morning, before they start to swing more from the E/NE through the afternoon.
Sunday will then bring E/NE winds at only 5 to 10 knots through the morning before they increase to 10 to 15 knots from the N/NE through the afternoon.
Swimming: The swimming conditions have been quite choppy and messy for the most part this week, unless you have been able to find a protected location, or get there very early in the morning, to find the better conditions.
Looking ahead to the coming days, we will see a slight decrease in wind strength, but the shifting nature of the wind direction will still provide sloppy and slightly messy ocean conditions for the most part – particularly through the afternoons.
High tide times are due around mid-morning over the coming days and the tide heights will be quite large too, so swimmers will need to be careful during the run-out stage of the tide when there will be considerable water movement, coupled with some wave action as well.
For today and tomorrow, the better beaches for swimmers will be Agnes Water, Hervey Bay, Moore Park Beach and Nielson Park Beach, but by Sunday this will change and the best beaches for swimmers by then will certainly be Elliott Heads and Kelly’s Beach.
The best time for a swim will be from early morning through until mid-morning or soon after.
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: Today and weekdays – 9am to 5pm at Kelly’s Beach and Agnes Water only
Saturday – 9am to 5pm at Kelly’s Beach, Nielson Park, Oaks Beach and Agnes Water; 1pm to 5pm at Elliott Heads and Moore Park Beach.
Sunday – 9am to 5pm at Elliott Heads, Kelly’s Beach, Nielson Park, Oaks Beach, Moore Park Beach and Agnes Water.
Surfing: There have been plenty of waves about our local beaches during this past week, and despite the mostly choppy and messy conditions, there have been windows of opportunity to find some clean, fun waves to enjoy.
For the coming days, we can still expect to find waves for the board-riders, but the waves will still be quite sloppy and messy, unless you can find some cleaner ones through the very early mornings. Beaches such as Agnes Water, Nielson Park, Mon Repos and Moore Park Beach will all be worth a look through the early mornings today and again tomorrow, whilst Kelly’s Beach and Elliott Heads may surprise by Sunday morning. Good Luck!
For the SUP and ocean ski/kayak paddlers, we can expect the ocean to be quite sloppy and bumpy over the coming days, but for those chasing a surf, there should still be a few waves about today and tomorrow.
For those looking for calm, gentle paddle though, I would suggest hitting the protected waterways again.
And for those after a downwind paddle, Sunday afternoon should be okay for a north to south run, although this afternoon may also be okay for a south to north run if the wind does not have too much east in it.
Events: Nil
Important note: Remember there are updated COVID-19 restrictions, if you are at the beach, please maintain the social/physical distancing minimum guidelines and abide by the current group gathering guidelines as well.
- Last week's beach report: Wind change brings choppy conditions to beaches
