We are in for some classic autumn conditions this weekend with the promise of quality waves arriving just in time for the start of the school holiday break.
Strong south-easterly winds Friday will fall away into Saturday and Sunday, which will be mainly sunny with minimum temperatures around 18C and maximums 27C-28C.
An interesting feature, if predictions hold true, will be a 12-to-13 second-period SSE swell, which will reach 2-3m offshore.
Our swell is usually in the 7-10-second range and the longer distance between swells usually means it has travelled farther to get here and will be cleaner – and give surfers fewer waves to duck-dive on their paddle out.
Due to the southerly angle, we are likely to only see waves of 1m inshore and the best time to surf will be early when the winds are more south-westerly.
Most beaches will be in play and the points at Moffat and Alexandra Headland should offer some excitement, with Sunday morning most likely providing the best conditions.
As a light north-easterly is predicted through Sunday, Kings Beach and Happy Valley will be worth a look.
The best time for a swim will be in the morning with high tides at 8:30am and 9am respectively. Low tides will be 2:45pm and 3:15pm so if you plan to head down to the beach after lunch be mindful that the rips will be working hard as the tide drops.
We’ve seen some really calm flat surf conditions over the past few days for the first time in quite a while.
It’s been a good chance for our beaches to stabilise and recover somewhat after a fair old battering over the past couple of months.
The sand banks will have had an opportunity to settle and reform and the water clarity continues to improve.
The BOM is suggesting there’s a chance of a shower but only very small amounts of rain if that does eventuate, so it shouldn’t dampen the spirits too much.
Enjoy your weekend and if you’re heading to the beach make sure you, of course, only swim between the red and yellow flags!
Aaron Purchase is Surf Life Saving Queensland’s regional manager for the Sunshine Coast. His column in sunshinecoastnews.com.au keeps the community informed of what’s happening on the beach and offers tips on how to stay safe.
