Easter is upon us and thankfully we’re not in a full COVID lockdown.
However, the events of the past week clearly show that the virus still poses a real challenge for our community.
Please make sure to follow the social distancing requirements even when visiting the beach, spread out on the sand and be respectful of one another. As always, when going for a swim make sure you stay between the flags.
The weather certainly isn’t looking favourable for a visit to the beach.
Showers are forecast each day over the Easter long weekend getting up to a 90% chance on Sunday and Monday.
Strong south-easterly winds are expected to blow, getting up to 30 knots, which will make conditions really messy and choppy.
We’re expecting the powerful winds to drive a solid south-easterly swell that should be in the 1.5m-2m range range, maybe increasing a touch later Sunday and into Monday morning. Noosa and Mooloolaba will be the pick of the spots for swimmers offering the most protection from the winds.
The Ma and Pa Bendall Memorial Surfing Contest will be on at Moffat Beach over the long weekend with a number of the state’s best boardriders in action.
Unfortunately, last weekend we saw another drowning near Stumers Creek at Coolum.
Our thoughts go out to the young man’s family and friends in this difficult time.
It highlighted how quickly and easily tragedies occur and the last thing we want is to see a repeat.
I’d like to acknowledge the work done in the three-day search effort to locate the young man. Approximately 25 volunteer surf lifesavers and lifeguards were involved.
Aaron Purchase is Surf Life Saving Queensland’s regional manager for the Sunshine Coast. His column in sunshinecoastnews.com.au appears each Friday to keep the community informed of what’s happening on the beach and how to stay safe in the water.
