Change

There was a change in the weather and with the clear skies and light winds came some decent sized, ridable waves. Only really Fraggles and the Wall weren't reasonable and even then there were some surf ski at the Wall and waves at Fraggles if you wanted them.

Everywhere from Fawlty Towers to the Bay had people out late this afternoon. Most people seemed to get at least one or two that made the paddle and the cold worth it.

BP had waves up and down the beach from the rip off Juniors all the way to the Groyne (where a decent looking bank is starting to form).

Tomorrow is predicted to have light offshores early with pretty light WNW in the arvo. The swell should straighten a bit so it could be okay again. But it is winter so you never know.

What do we need ?

Consider the last few day. Good winds, even tides and a nice clean swell. But was there any surf ? Sure there were waves, close outs, dumpers and fat dribblers in to a rip but no real, consistent surf.

Imagine if Bunbury had an artificial surfing reef (or better still three or four). Anyone who has surfed here for a while has watched swells roll in and smash pointlessly on the shore and dreamed of a decent reef.

There are a huge range of options. BP reef used to produce long lefts and with a bit of work may be able to again, with a right as well. Watch Hungry Hollow from the side on even a small day and you'll see what looks like an Indo dream. Or stand near where Fawlty Towers used to be on an offshore day and watch straight swell lines as far as the horizon, peaking way out but never breaking. There is plenty of beach south of Hungry Hollow with potential for a surfing reef.

Surfing reefs aren't just for surfers. With changes in sea level predicted, artificial reefs could have the benefit of preserving and stabilising beaches or protecting infrastructure, like Ocean Drive.

Bunbury is trying to attract tourists. If people are honest there isn't much here to keep visitors interested but it could be sold as a pivot point to the south west, with people heading off for day trips but returning here. A surfing reef would attract the older, richer surfer who wants the restaurants and nice hotels, without the costs of Margaret River. Head down south for the early and some lunch, back to Bunno for a nanna nap and the LAGO at the artificial reef. Next day, breakie at Cafe 140, day trip to Pemberton and the back for another wave with the friendly locals.

Want more reasons ? What about better fishing or shore based scuba diving. Perhaps marine studies for High School or improved beach safety for swimmers (no dumpers).

This isn't the first time artificial reefs have been floated in Bunbury. The Bunbury Surf Sports website has details of some of the early attempts. Perhaps it is time for us to start asking the question to council and government again !! Keep watching the blog for more information.

In the mean time there is a poll on the Blog site to gauge what type of wave we should be asking for. If your reading this in an RSS feed click on the title or here to get to the poll.

Waves All Day

Might have been freezing cold this morning but there were waves all along the Bunbury coastline.

The LAGO was very popular with people out everywhere from Fawlty Towers to the BP groyne. The Bay was empty despite being the biggest.

Fronts on the Way

Should be a couple of decent fronts over the next few day.

Today was pretty marginal with a solid but not huge north west swell starting to run through. A few guys were braving the waves around Fawlty Towers and a couple of boogers were taking on very small waves at the wall.

This side of the Cape might be okay tomorrow but expect crowds.

Batten down.