Well, it has been a week of mixed and varied weather conditions this past week, with overcast and windy conditions to start the week, which were then replaced by sunny skies and lighter winds from Wednesday.
Looking ahead to today and then the weekend, it appears we are set for more varied conditions – though mainly with respect to the wind – although it certainly is going to be a very warm and sunny weekend as temperatures climb back into the 30’s for both Saturday and Sunday.
Today’s winds will be only light to moderate, with lighter N/NE winds through this morning at around 10 knots, before they increase to around 15 knots through this afternoon.
Tomorrow though is going to be very windy, with the forecast suggesting 15 to 20 knots of N/NW winds through the morning that will then increase to 20 to 25 knots through the afternoon.
Sunday will then bring lighter NW winds through the morning (10 to 15 knots), but these winds will then swing from the E/SE from about mid-afternoon and increase to 15 to 20 knots.
Swimming: Swimming conditions have been like the weather this week – varied and mixed – with choppy and very messy conditions through Monday and Tuesday before the ocean settled and brought milder conditions from Wednesday onwards. Unfortunately, though, swimming conditions are going to deteriorate again over the weekend.
Today will once again be good for swimmers, particularly through this morning with only light northerly winds forecast, but gustier northerly winds will arrive tomorrow (moderate to strong) before the ease only slightly on Sunday ahead of a moderate E/SE wind change through Sunday afternoon.
The best beaches by far for swimmers through today and tomorrow, and into Sunday morning, will be Elliott Heads and Kelly’s Beach, with all other beaches expected to be very messy and choppy through tomorrow in particular.
There will also be a strong sweep pushing from north to south, as well as considerable tidal variance between high and low tide, meaning there will be lots of water movement so swimmers will need to be cautious! Hit the beaches in the mornings (through until late morning) for the best conditions.
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!
Beach patrols: 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
Weekdays (including today) – 9 am to 5 pm at Kelly’s Beach and Agnes Water only
Surfing: Plenty of waves were about early in the week, but unfortunately conditions were mostly messy and sloppy, which meant it was not that much fun unless you could escape the onshore winds!
The waves did clean-up over the past few days to provide at least fun-sized conditions, so for today, you could find some fun waves about the usual locations before the wind gets up this afternoon – but then across the weekend, your best chance of success in the gusty northerly winds is going to be to head to Kelly’s Beach and Elliott Heads, or drive to Double Island Point, if you want to find some cleaner wave conditions. Good luck.
For the SUP and ocean ski paddlers chasing a downwind paddle, tomorrow is looking epic for a very fast and slick north to south downwind paddle, with the gusty N/NW winds set to provide plenty of runners and assistance.
For those looking for a more relaxed and gentler paddle though, I would suggest trying Kelly’s Beach or Elliott Heads this morning, or heading to the protected, inland waterways across the weekend.
Events: Nil.
- Last week’s beach report: Sunny skies and mild temperatures ahead
