Hello Friends,
It looked so promising last night. Lines stretching out and clean, some into the head high plus range… but this morning sees an okay set of numbers from the MHL buoy and perfectly reasonable waves at spots like Dee Why. Swell is out of the south and a couple metres on average (with the odd bigger one in the mix) with an average period of around 9 seconds (again, there is some 12 sec stuff too). It’s not appreciably bigger down at the Batemans Bay and Eden buoys, but the Bureau is still warning of big waves and the models are still calling for a rapid increase in size as the day goes along.
The best plan is to jump in early if possible because the wind outlook is not too inspiring. By lunchtime it could be SE and this afternoon then could be wandering around through the easterly quarters as it drifts around to the NE later.
The models are pointing toward the swell getting into the 3 metre range by early afternoon and then dropping back a touch for tomorrow, but staying around through to Sunday morning. Our big issue will be the usual afternoon onshore annoyance and the dead south swell direction which will tend to clump us together in the few good spots.
Looking into the middle of next week, it’s good to see that there’s another brief pulse on the cards but conditions otherwise look fairly so-so.
I plan to get out and about with a camera today and tomorrow, so expect a few more piccies along the lines of the gallery below…
Tides today: L @0920, H @1600
Weather Situation from the Aust Bureau of Meterology
A trough in the southern Tasman is moving east while a strong high is centred southwest of the Bight. A strong pressure gradient between these two systems is resulting in fresh to strong southwesterly winds along the NSW coast, tending to gale force in the far south. As the trough moves further east towards New Zealand today, conditions will gradually ease, with sea breezes developing late afternoon about parts of the central and southern coasts, although strong southwesterly winds will persist for longer in the far south.
An increasing southerly swell in the wake of the recent Tasman low is expected to develop along the NSW coast during today, then gradually decrease over the weekend.
Forecast for Friday until midnightWinds: Southwesterly 15 to 25 knots tending southeast to southwesterly up to 15 knots around midday then tending east to northeasterly up to 10 knots by early evening. Winds tending northeast to northwesterly up to 15 knots later in the evening. Seas: Up to 3 metres decreasing below 1.5 metres during the morning then decreasing to below 1 metre during the afternoon. Swell: Southerly 3 to 4 metres. Large swells breaking dangerously close inshore.
Forecast for SaturdayWinds: Southwesterly 5 to 15 knots tending south to southeasterly up to 10 knots during the afternoon then tending south to southwesterly later in the evening. Seas: Below 1 metre. Swell: Southerly 3 to 4 metres. Large swells breaking dangerously close inshore.
Forecast for SundayWinds: Southeasterly 5 to 15 knots. Seas: Below 1 metre. Swell: Southerly 2 to 3 metres.
