NSW SWELL REPORT: When The Fog Cleared It Was Pumping!
Report and photos by Ben Horvath
Just as no two waves are ever the same, no two days are either. It’s what keeps our gig interesting right?
Tuesday July 24 and Wednesday July 25 were pretty much polar opposites. Tuesday saw a continuation of the uninspiring theme well and truly established last weekend when an East Coast Low formed in the central Tasman. Brisk SSE winds and four-to-five-foot of messy, windblown SE swell combined with persistent coastal showers, making it extremely difficult to get motivated to go surfing.
However admittedly there were some reasonable waves on offer for hardcores in some southern corners, particularly as the swell began to straighten from the East. On Tuesday they even ran The Shark Island Bodyboarding Challenge as the wind funnelled SSW at times. Mark Mathews and Sammy Mac snuck out to Solander for a quiet paddle sesh, but the rain she kept a falling.
What a contrast Wednesday turned out to be. Wednesday morning July 25 dawned thick with fog. So thick you could barely see the surf. However usually after the fog comes sunshine and offshores. Wednesday followed the script.
As the fog began clearing you could see enough to make out that it was 3-5ft, offshore and pumping. On my mid-morning surf check on Tuesday I didn’t even bother getting out of the car as the rain bucketed down. On my mid-morning surf check on Wednesday I couldn’t get out of the car and into the water quick enough. It was sunny, mild, offshore and cracking. After days of persistent southerly winds and showers, the wind puffed offshore NW until mid afternoon on Wednesday.
The swell was in the three-to-five-foot range out of the ESE. It was big enough to bowl on some reefs and points and small enough for the masses to paddle out and enjoy the beachies. The good news was that there were so many options, most breaks weren’t too crowded. Northy and Nth Steyne were reportedly the busiest spots north of the bridge. Kai Otton, Dayyan Neve and Jarrad Howse prowled the Nth Steyne line-up (check out Jarrad’s North Stene barrel which took out Coastalwatch’s Wave of The Week HERE: Coastalwatch Plus | Coastalwatch ), whilst Tama, Maroubra and Cronulla Point were the most populated spots in the East and South.
In little over a few weeks time you can count on the onset of mid to late morning sea breezes, so enjoy the all day offshores while you can.
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