Competition is about to heat up in the 2021 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships, or “the Aussies” as they are more commonly known.
It’s exciting for the Sunshine Coast to see such a large scale event back and witness the best surf athletes in the nation.
It’s also a great chance for our local lifesavers to compete in our biggest carnival on some of their home beaches.
We wish all the competitors well and I’m sure our Sunshine Coast athletes will do us proud.
With such a large event, there are some drawbacks. With the bulk of the competition areas at Maroochydore beach, there’s no viable place to have the normal flagged swimming area, so this won’t be in operation.
Please take this into account when you’re picking a beach for a swim. If Maroochydore is your local, please make other plans and head to one of the other patrolled beaches.
While there are events at Alexandra Headland, Mooloolaba and Coolum there’s enough space still at these sites to allow patrols to continue as normal.
On the weather front, we’ve had a beautiful few days leading into the weekend but the Bureau is having a bet each way and suggesting a 50% chance of some showers. Fingers crossed they stay away.
Daytime temperatures are expected to drop a touch from what we’ve experienced during the week with tops of 25C and 23C expected across Saturday and Sunday.
There’s a very slight increase in the swell expected but only up to around the two-foot mark, so conditions should be favourable.
Bear in mind there still will be rips around, especially as the tide runs out in the later part of the morning and into the early afternoon.
As always, only swim between the flags!
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.
