The light wasn’t the best, the surface conditions were pretty beat up, but there were some very crunchy low tide sections to be had at North Narrabeen late Wednesday afternoon. There were a heap of Pro Junior competitors out too, so despite the less than optimal conditions, I shot over a hundred pics.
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After weeks we finally get a little SE pulse with nice picture taking weather. I decided to check the situation at Manly and discovered there were some fun looking glassy peaks sliding in on the peaking tide. Heaps of folks were on it – which I love when I’m shooting – and while there was something of a wait between the sets, I still managed to fang off several hundred shots of regular folks catching nice waves.
As usual all these shots are for sale to raise funds for a new, even groovier lens and other photo gear I couldn’t otherwise afford. So, if you see a mate’s picture, let ‘em know! And just to kick things on in that regard, tell them to enter the code HAPPYSURF (just like that) when they get to the check out stage, and it’ll take 33% off the order price (this promo code expires 31/1/2011). Oh yeah, and to get a particular pic, just click on it and then look top left for where it says “Buying Options”.
It’s not booming, but at least there’s a little SE swell bumping up on various banks around the place. For the most part it looks to be in the waist high range, but there would be the odd bigger one in the mix too. Swell at sea is around 9 seconds apart and the average size is around the two metre mark.
Quite a crew on it at North Narrabeen, as you might expect. But there was hardly anyone wave hunting down the beach toward Collaroy. Around at Dee Why the point was being surfed for the first time in weeks. It’s right on the edge of rideable and size is about the waist high mark for the most part.
The wind was light for the early, but it’s set to swing from the SW to the S and SE by lunch time. With luck it won’t go too hard so we’ll still be able to jag a few clean ones as the tide drops. Water temps are still bumping along at about 20.
Outlook is for the pulse to fade but for there still to be little waves around over the next few days… and, right now anyway, the models are showing another pulse around the 10th.
Have yourself a good one!
Tides: H @0845, L @1520
Weather Situation
A slow-moving high pressure system is centred west of Tasmania and a weak ridge extends along the New South Wales coast. The high will move east of Tasmania on Thursday as the low currently over the central Tasman Sea moves towards New Zealand.
Forecast for Wednesday until midnight
Winds: South to southwesterly 5 to 10 knots tending south to southeasterly around midday then tending east to southeasterly by early evening. Seas: Below 1 metre. Swell: Southeasterly 1.5 metres.
Forecast for Thursday
Winds: South to southeasterly 15 to 20 knots becoming southeasterly 10 to 15 knots by early evening. Seas: Up to 1.5 metres. Swell: Easterly about 1.5 metres.
Forecast for Friday
Winds: Southeasterly 5 to 10 knots tending easterly up to 15 knots during the afternoon then tending east to northeasterly 10 to 20 knots during the evening. Seas: Below 1 metre. Swell: Easterly about 1.5 metres.
Lightly offshore to start with today and there’s a weakish looking little SE windswell showing on the MHL buoy off Sydney. The winds are expected to swing more to the east and southeast though. It looks as if the best plan is to get in early and try to grab a few scraps before it gets junked out.
Have yourself a good one!
Weather Situation
Fresh to strong southwesterly airstream will be lingering in the far south on Friday in a wake of the recent front. Otherwise NSW coast will be dominated by a developing high pressure ridge with associated onshore airstream for the next few days. Winds are likely to strengthen in the far north as the ridge becomes established in the central Tasman Sea. Forecast for Friday until midnight
Winds: East to southeasterly 5 to 10 knots increasing to 10 to 15 knots by early evening. Seas: Below 1 metre. Swell: Southerly about 1.5 metres. Forecast for Saturday
Winds: East to southeasterly 5 to 10 knots. Seas: Below 1 metre. Swell: Southerly 1 metre. Forecast for Sunday
Winds: East to northeasterly 10 to 15 knots tending easterly 10 to 20 knots during the afternoon. Seas: Below 1 metre increasing up to 1.5 metres during the afternoon. Swell: Southeasterly 1 metre increasing to 1.5 metres during the evening.
Today’s postcard from California once again features The Pit looking particularly pitiful. Swell in the Santa Barbara region has faded away to almost nothing, so the biggest set I saw was struggling to make knee high. The surf season proper is probably around a month away.
Well, how ’bout them apples? The hoped for extra second of swell energy has made it to Sydney along with a slight tweak to the SE in the primary direction, all of which adds up to a re-calibration from marginal to average. Bet the school kids will be stoked…
After running an errand or two, I checked out beaches from Manly to Dee Why. Ended up paddling out at the point in sideshore, but sunny conditions. A few fun size sets came through and I grabbed some shots with my trusty Panasonic FT-1…
Dee Why point 4 April 2010 (watershots) – Images by Don Norris All pictures for sale at very reasonable prices! Just click on the image you want and you will be taken to the gallery site where you’ll find an “Add to cart” option top left. Click that and you can buy and immediately download the picture.
Tim Winton is out at Ningaloo on the big night. Now that is style. Well done young Tim! Haven’t heard anyone ask him what the waves are like there at the moment, but here in Sydney the settings are on ordinary. Swell is out of the SE at a couple metres from 9 seconds and the wind is currently out of the east to ENE at around 10-15 kts. And, the Bureau says it should ramp up into the 20-25kt range offshore later. Not the best for the south corners, but maybe there’ll be something in the protected north corners – if the wind doesn’t stay as easterly as it is now.
FWIW, I’m still liking the look of early next week. I’m hoping for clean chest to head high and offshore…
Next tide is a low at 1053.
I’m hoping to get out later for a look around at things, so with luck I’ll have another picture or two and a few more words.
Sydney Coastal Waters, Broken Bay to Port Hacking and 60nm seawards: Friday until midnight: Wind: E/NE 13/18 knots increasing to 20/25 knots offshore in the evening. Winds inshore Variable to 10 knots early.Sea: about 1.5 metres rising to 2 to 2.5 metres offshore later..Swell: SE 1.5 to 2 metres. Saturday: Wind: NE 13/18 knots, reaching 20/25 knots offshore.Sea: 1 to 2 metres rising to 2 to 2.5 metres offshore.Swell: E/NE about 1.5 metres Sunday: Wind: N/NE 15/25 knots.
Definitely some waves around, but quality is not too astounding.
Hello Friends,
Well, there are waves… but I think a level of keeness is required however to get you into the water this morning. Swell is a couple metres from the SE at about 9 seconds apart, but gee is it ever lumpy, bumpy and messy. Wind is out of the east along the northern beaches as I write this, and out of the NW over in the eastern suburbs. However, as the Bureau’s forecast below indicates, it’s due to settle into an E-SE’r. Sadly, that won’t do anything to improve conditions. Looks like junkworld across the beaches of the Sydney region for today. Oh, and it’s supposed to rain heavily at times as well.
Tomorrow could see more of the junkiness, but with luck there might be a change in the mix that might just possibly see a little activity in the north corners. The swell could still have some SE compnent and the wind is due to be out of the NE. The models show the swell direction swinging around to line up with the wind, so you couldn’t say the outlook was spectacular.
Speaking of the models, there currently seems to be a common expectation that we’ll have light offshores from Sunday morning through Monday afternoon along with 2-3 metres of 7-9 sec ENE windswell…
Have yourself a top old day!
Next tide is a low at 0944.
Sydney Coastal Waters, Broken Bay to Port Hacking and 60nm seawards: Thursday until midnight: Wind: E/SE 13/18 knots. S/SW to 10 knots inshore early. Sea: about 1.5 metres. Swell: SE 2 to 2.5 metres. Chance isolated thunderstorms. Friday: Wind: E/NE 13/18 knots.Sea: 1 to 1.5 metres.Swell: E/SE about 2 metres. Saturday: Wind: NE 15/25 knots.
Whadya reckon… have I earned a coffee yet this week?
One bowls up rather attractively for this lucky pup at around 0730.
Another one rolls through between the showers.
Looked pretty small, then this turned up...
Hello Friends,
Another day of grey skies punctuated by rain showers along the coast – but the wind this morning is a much more favourable westerly. Sets at Dee Why are into the head high plus range on the bomb take-offs. The MHL buoy is showing a useful 2 metre SE swell at about 9 seconds apart.
Wind should remain light and variable through the morning, before getting around to the NE this afternoon.
Outlook is for the swell to fade away as we get toward the end of the working week. With luck we’ll only have a few days of near flatness (Fri-Sun doesn’t look great) before Huey gives us another little pulse to play with in the Sydney region.
Our next tide is a low at just before 1000 this morning.
I’d like to thank everyone who sent our family messages of support yesterday. It marked the 5th year since our boy Jack died in his sleep at age 12. We miss him every hour of every day.
Sydney Coastal Waters, Broken Bay to Port Hacking and 60nm seawards: Tuesday until midnight: Wind: Variable around 5 knots early, becoming E/NE 10/15 knots by afternoon.Sea: to 1 metre.Swell: SE 1.5 to 2 metres. Wednesday: Wind: N/NW 5/10 knots early, becoming N/NE 10/15 knots in the afternoon.Sea: to 1 metre, rising to 1 to 1.5 metres. Swell: SE 1 to 1.5 metres. Thursday: Wind: NW/NE 5/10 knots.
The light wasn’t the best, the surface conditions were pretty beat up, but there were some very crunchy low tide sections to be had at North Narrabeen late Wednesday afternoon. There were a heap of Pro Junior competitors out too, so despite the less than optimal conditions, I shot over a hundred pics.
