Well, it has been another week of mixed weather and wind conditions but one thing has been constant – it has been very warm!
The start of the week again brought lighter wind conditions but these winds certainly increased on Wednesday and into yesterday.
As we look ahead to today and then across the weekend, we will again see mixed and varied wind conditions, along with another warm day today before temperatures become milder across the weekend – and there is also the slight chance of scattered showers through today and tomorrow.
This morning’s winds will be light and from the W/NW to W/SW early before they increase and shift to be 10 to 15 knots from the N/NE to E.
Tomorrow will then bring around 10+ knots of E/SE winds for most of the day before we get a late increase to 15 to 20 knots by late afternoon.
Sunday will then bring E/NE winds at 10 to 15 knots, so the wind will certainly be quite varied across all days.
Swimming
Swimming conditions were ok to start the week but as the winds increased through Wednesday and Thursday, the ocean conditions became very choppy and messy – particularly on those beaches that are exposed to the northerly winds.
The coming days are going to bring more variable winds, which will also mean more varied swimming conditions too, but for those up and about early this morning, you should find plenty of mild ocean conditions thanks to the offshore winds.
But from through this afternoon, and then across the entire weekend, we can expect moderate onshore winds and therefore mostly choppy and slight messy ocean conditions too – but it will depend on which beach you choose to visit as well.
For today and then also again on Sunday, the better beaches for swimmers will be Elliott Heads and Kelly’s Beach, however for tomorrow, the better beaches will be Agnes Water, Nielson Park Beach, Moore Park Beach and Hervey Bay.
The best times to hit the beach across all days will either be in the early mornings, or again around mid-afternoon.
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!
Saturday: 9 am to 5 pm at Kelly’s Beach, Nielson Park Beach, 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 Beach, 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
Just like the weather and the swimming conditions, the surf has also been very mixed this week, with a few moments of clean, glassy fun to be found in between the mostly choppy and messy conditions.
Looking ahead to today, I am going to suggest that early this morning could just about provide the best potential surfing conditions for the next few days, with offshore winds and a leftover swell from yesterday providing plenty of clean, fun waves to enjoy.
But then for this afternoon and across the weekend, we can expect messy and sloppy conditions as the winds shift and change – but there may still be enough size there to entice you out for some fun.
Try the early mornings, or again a few hours before the top of the tide to find some waves.
Try the usual locations but if the swell direction is still from the north this morning, don’t be afraid to head to Kelly’s Beach or Elliott Heads.
Events
Good luck to all local surf lifesavers travelling to Mackay to compete in the 2024 North Australian Surf Life Saving Championships commencing today and concluding on Sunday.
Last week’s beach report: Warm weekend as temperatures start to climb
