Well, last weekend was spectacular in terms of weather and Monday was much the same but following those Monday night thunderstorms came the gusty SE winds from Tuesday onwards.
Apart from the gusty winds though, the weather has not been too bad with even a slight dip in maximum temperatures and a much-welcomed drop in humidity levels.
Looking ahead to today and then across the weekend, the weather forecast is not expected to be too kind to beach goers, with moderate to strong onshore winds and the chance of scattered showers as well.
The winds will be very similar for today and then across the weekend, with the forecast suggesting 15 to 20 knots of E/SE through the morning, although they may be slightly lighter through the very early mornings, and then increasing to 20 to 25+ knots through the afternoons.
Swimming
After a weekend of great swimming conditions, which continued into Monday, the ocean has become quite choppy and messy since Tuesday, with those open and exposed beaches being the most affected by the moderate to strong SE winds.
These winds will continue over the coming days and also get a little stronger too through the afternoons, so swimmers can expect more of the same over the coming days – choppy, messy, slightly rough and with a strong side sweep pushing along most beaches from south to north.
The best beaches over the coming days will be those that get some protection from the winds, so with this in mind Hervey Bay will be the best, followed by Agnes Water (adjacent to the headland), Nielson Park Beach and Moore Park Beach, with the best time to hit the beach being from early to mid-morning.
A word of warning to swimmers over the coming days – the morning high tide heights are very big this weekend, so please stay clear of creek and river mouths on the dropping or outgoing tide and be very careful on the beaches where there will be considerable water movement due to the waves and the large tides.
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!
Today and weekdays: 9 am to 5 pm, 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, Moore Park Beach and Agnes Water.
Note: These are minimum patrol times – some locations may have longer hours of patrol time.
Surfing
Local beaches have started to throw up plenty of waves since about Tuesday this week with the change in wind direction bringing plenty of messy, choppy and fun-sized waves – although the early mornings have seen slightly cleaner conditions.
Looking ahead to the coming days, we should see more of the same, with an increase in wave heights expected as well by Sunday – if not even through Saturday – and then continuing into early next week as well.
The best spots will likely be Agnes Water, Nielson Park Beach, Mon Repos and Moore Park Beach.
For the SUP and ocean ski paddlers, there will be plenty of south to north downwind fun for the experienced paddlers, but for those looking for gentle and calm conditions, you will need to head to the inland, protected waterways where you can escape the wind.
