Spa-like ocean temperatures off Sydney
Was toasty in the water this morning that's for sure. Actually I recall last year surfing in a springy all the way through to July! Wonder if it'll happen again.
Yeah, I can usually get through until June, but jump into the 3'2 when those howling offshore westerly days kick up.
Wetsuit? What are they? ;)
Oh God, if only.
Craig that 4th last deadies shot is sick. Almost seems like a new take on the speed blur
Cheers Mitch, the one where the guys blowing it and the waves running off without him?
yup! Looking closer, is there a booger in the lip of the previous photo? and a guy trying to paddle way on the shoulder of the photo previous to that (5th from start)?
How big would you say that 4th last one is btw? I'd say 7ft? I'd even agree with 8.9ft
Yep, here's the video, hectic times for the boog Chris Harding, but he was gonna take it and then the standup swung late into it and he got pitched in the lip.
How's the next wave on the head as well! Heavy!
Video by Mark Clinton:
Hectic indeed.
Anyway, those sorts of anomalies aren't due to the ekman transport are they? Even though the first map looks as though it could be...
Nothing to do with Ekman transport Mitch and just more due to a strong pulse of warm water pushing down the EAC, possibly due to an intensification of the current.
Ekman transport is created by wind on water, and leads to upwelling/downwelling, but more so in lateral terms away/into the coast.
Anyone that's been surfing early morning across the Southern NSW Coast the last couple of weeks and noticed the invitingly warm air and sand just beyond the shore-line and then once getting in the water the stupidly warm ocean should be interested in this.
This shows a strong tongue of the East Australian Current pushing down a lot further south than normal, with 22-23 degree water temperatures close to the coast, and further offshore, amazing 25 degree water!
This is a lot warmer than normal, and as you can see in this sea surface temperature anomaly chart (current temp difference to the long term climatical average) it's over 4+ degrees above average.
I don't think anyones complaining, and it's been a lot better in the ocean that out the last few mornings with those crisp south-westers.