Blue skies but surf’s a mess
Hello Friends,
The picture tells the story. You’d have to be fit, experienced and keen to paddle out this morning at Dee Why. It’s chaotic looking and well overhead on the sets thanks to 3.3 metres of 11 second energy from the SE. The wind was 15-22 kts from the WSW when I took the snap, and the Bureau tells us it’ll be 20-35 kts late this morning.
For the last few days I’ve been looking at Friday as an opportunity to get a wave. I’ll see what the Goat thinks later, but the BoM forecast more strong SW wind and a pulse in the southerly component of the swell. So I’m thinking Saturday might be more the go for the average rider.
Of course Saturday’s going to be the big paddle out to celebrate the recent passing of legendary surf movie maker and all around gentleman, Jack McCoy. The organisers are going to put his send off online for all his friends and fans around the world, but we Sydneysiders can get in the water for it at Palm Beach at midday this Saturday 5 July. The broadcast goes live from 1230 and paddlers start wading out to form the circle at 1 pm. If you can’t make that, there’s going to be a Jack McCoy film night at Mona Vale Hotel in the evening. If you’re going along, there’s a dress code: wear your best aloha shirt.
Jack was a huge supporter of Surfrider Foundation and Surfers for Climate and his family have set up a donation pool for those organisations.
Weather Situation
A complex low pressure system off the northern NSW coast. The primary centre of the system is forecast to continue its gradual eastward track over the Tasman Sea today while the secondary low centre brushes the southern half of the coast maintaining strong winds and large powerful surf. Winds and surf conditions are forecast to ease gradually later in the week as the system moves further offshore and it is followed by a large high pressure ridge moving across the state.
Forecast for Thursday until midnight
Gale Warning for Thursday for Sydney Coast
- Winds
- Southwesterly 20 to 30 knots, reaching up to 35 knots during the morning and early afternoon.
- Seas
- 3 to 4 metres, decreasing to 2 to 3 metres by early evening.
- 1st Swell
- Southerly 3 to 5 metres.
- 2nd Swell
- Easterly 1.5 to 2 metres, decreasing to 1.5 metres around midday.
- Weather
- Cloudy. 90% chance of showers. The chance of a thunderstorm offshore, possibly severe.
- Caution
- Large and powerful surf conditions are expected to be hazardous for coastal activities such as crossing bars by boat and rock fishing.
Friday 4 July
Strong Wind Warning for Friday for Sydney Coast
- Winds
- Southwesterly 15 to 20 knots, reaching up to 30 knots offshore early in the morning. Winds becoming variable about 10 knots in the late afternoon.
- Seas
- 1.5 to 2.5 metres, decreasing to 1 to 1.5 metres around midday, then decreasing below 1 metre by early evening.
- 1st Swell
- Southerly 2 to 3 metres inshore, increasing to 2.5 to 4 metres offshore.
- 2nd Swell
- Easterly 1 to 1.5 metres, decreasing to around 1 metre during the morning.
- Weather
- Partly cloudy. 50% chance of showers offshore, near zero chance elsewhere.
- Caution
- Large and powerful surf conditions are expected to be hazardous for coastal activities such as crossing bars by boat and rock fishing.
Saturday 5 July
- Winds
- Northerly about 10 knots increasing to 15 to 20 knots during the morning.
- Seas
- Below 0.5 metres, increasing to around 1 metre during the morning.
- Swell
- Southerly 2 to 3 metres, tending southeasterly 1.5 to 2 metres during the afternoon.
- Weather
- Becoming cloudy.