Sidewinders

Strong southerly this afternoon pushed some little 45 degree wedges towards the beach. As usual with that angle the looked good but were both impossible to catch and with impossible wonks and sections in them.  However two bodyboard groms at Juniors were frothing and getting all the best waves.

Off the back beach two clubbies were having a ball catching runners on their surf skis. Would have been a bastard paddling into the wind but fun linking green waves back.

Wednesday and Thursday both look promising on the forecast. The southerlies might have even blown in a little bank or two.

Wednesday 13 March

Winds

East to southeasterly 15 to 25 knots.

Seas

1.5 to 2.5 metres, decreasing below 1.5 metres during the morning.

Swell

Southwesterly 2 to 3 metres, decreasing to 1.5 to 2 metres during the morning.

Thursday 14 March

Winds

East to southeasterly 15 to 25 knots.

Seas

1.5 metres, increasing to 1 to 2 metres during the morning.

Swell

Southwesterly 1.5 to 2 metres, increasing to 2 to 3 metres.

Weather

Scattered thunderstorms.

The harbour buoy is out of service again. Judging by the excuses for closing the path to the Bay the BPA will probably that they aren't preventing anyone from getting the swell reading they just need their own buoy.

Hanging around

Both the swell and the crowds hung around all day.The wind did turn light onshore but with the huge storm tide it just made the take offs a little easier.

BP Reef was still the go for rights but Fraggles cleaned up a little from the morning and was offering some decent rides. There were a few making the trek to the Bay but the BPA has locked the gates again so it was a bigger hassle that it should have been.

The swell looks like it is on the wane but there still could be some waves tomorrow morning for those running out of school holidays or lucky enough to have a RDO.

Denied

Nice day. Offshore wind, crystal water but no real swell. There are a couple of lines but they aren't big enough to be surfable. If it wasn't a bit cold this morning it could be the middle of summer.

Access has been denied to the Bay for a few days while a ship is being loaded and unloaded. The gate is locked and I doubt it would be good enough to worry about the getting there the "old" way.

More Progress at BP

The concrete pad is down for the lookout at BP. Bit of a miracle when you consider the weather.

Work has started on a footpath from the park to basically join up with the path to the Bay and Wall. The entry walls have been removed as well. Rumour has it that the path will just be an extension of the road but some Councilors have pressed the BPA to put in a proper concrete path. We'll have to see what happens.

New Swell Buoy

The Bunbury Port Authority has added a second swell buoy to its internet page. As well as beacon 3 now you can track the massive swells at beacon 10.

Beacon 10 is just outside the entrance to the inner harbour and is currently tracking eight centimetres of swell !!!!!!

Access to the Bay Open

The Bunbury Port Authority has opened up access to the Bay in time for winter. The BPA have run a fence along the edge of the road allowing pedestrian access to the beach.

A number of years ago the BPA closed access. They claimed it was as a result of ongoing problems with damage. However even if it hadn't been done then with the current restrictions due to the terorrism laws it would have happened anyway.

I would like to think that the new access is due to a recognistion of surfing but suspect it simply was a result of the cruise ship activity. Regardless of the reason surfers (especially body board groms) no longer have to break the law and dodge security guards and big trucks to get waves.

Undoubtedly this will increase crowds but as a bonus might reduce crowds down at BP. Its still a decent walk so lots of people won't bother.

Goes without saying (hopefully) if you use the path make sure you do the right thing, don't park in the weighbridge (they have put bollards up anyway), keep to the path, take your rubbish home with you and have a go at anyone who doesn't follow the rules.