Mornington Peninsula Phenomenon!?
I dont know how to post pics but if not familar reason a simple olde google search will suffice to see the region!
I've noticed this on more than one occasion too Nick and often wondered why that may be happening. I wonder if Arthur's seat has anything to do with it? Maybe acting as a blocking or diverting landmass?
Swellnet team?!
You had me in for a moment NB, when I saw the heading of your post I thought you were referring to the fact that there must be upwards on 10 surf cams in westernport bay and everyone knows the only waves that break there are fat and slow; doesn't stop the great human mass from melbourne descending on it every time it gets over a foot. I think goofy might be onto to something with Arthurs Seat, lived there awhile back and it got twice as much rain as surrounding suburbs also.
Haha Floyd. You be meaning trigger brother territory? Its funny. I live in blairgowrie but if i take 20 min drive i can find myself in a totally different atmosphere where small gutless waves and angry mal riders await. Granted alot of the setups in westernport are good but just lacking the swell department.
Back to the point. I feel the that bay itself might play a bigger part than arthurs seat region. Although in saying that, when the weather comes in (predominantly from the west) its as if the rain splits over the portsea end and it rain in the bay and out to sea. And if it is raining around here you can sure bet arthurs seat will be coping it the most
Similar things can happen around the Phillip Island region and further east.
Nick maybe the wind vane got stuck? Just need one of the BOM fellas to give it a kick to reset it. I have noticed it being onshore both sides some days, but very light, which is weird considering how narrow the land mass is down that end. And yes Westernport is fat and ugly except for the Bommie on the very rare day.
Hey mate we had similar last weekend in Sydney, except I was in the tinny about 6km out.
Was blowing E/NE then a storm line formed and moved in from the NE. a moderate SW kicked up, obviously feeding into the storm.
we got the edge of the storm, when we were under it it was dead calm. storm moved inshore and wind went NE again, we moved in to where the storm was and it was calm again... dunno if it was the same situation where you were with a moving convergence area?
Yo Nick B.
12pm Sat.26...sth.channel 7kt N, Cerberus 6kt N, Pt Wilson 3kt E, Frankston 6kt W, Fawkner Beacon 7kt SE,Aireys 7kt ESE.
Vic. winds will do your head in, while the water is still cold it doesn't take much heat to get convection and sea breezes going, throw in the cooling caused by the bay and it can blow all ways at once.
Don't try to work it out, will send you mad...just let it go man, let it go.
Haha adam. Ill try not let it get a hold of me but.....
Just had a surf for 2 hours. Wind was due east then SE seabreeze came in.
Looking at the south channel wind history for my time in the water.
26/12:30pm - - - - - WSW 7 9 4 5 - - -
26/12:00pm - - - - - N 13 15 7 8 - - -
26/11:30am - - - - - N 19 20 10 11 - - -
26/11:00am - - - - - N 17 20 9 11 - - -
26/10:30am - - - - -
That completely different to what is happening on the backbeaches right now.
By the way. Those numbers are wind speeds and gusts in km/h and knots respectively
I'm sure every peninsula surfer is well aware of the fickleness of the local winds!
I used check the current wind info before heading off, occasionally getting skunked and thinking the wind had swung between home and the beach. but maybe the BOM reading was just wrong.
I also used to notice that the winds around the peninsula would be more likely to be onshore than say Phillip island, if I would check the conditions and surf reports in the morning when you would think they would be getting the same wind. I would often debate the pretty short drive down from Mornington or do the 1 hour down to PI if I had a bit of time on my hands. I just found the wind a little more reliable down there.
I wonder if it could indeed be port phillip bay causing the funky winds? As the larger body of water could affect the wind more whereas Phillip Island has more land mass around it(including the tail end of the great dividing range)
For sure Vic, with such a large body of water either side of the peninsula this would definitely have an effect.
The same wind went past me yesterday nick . At first nth then a sse . Mid arvo . & just when I was checking out the windyty link that crustt advised you could see it easily on the animation . Im a fair ways west of you
http://hoaxcoast.wikifoundry.com/
a bit of info of area with some pics.
What’s that link got to do with this 5 year old post udo?
Just sitting at sorrento back beach having some lunch and just doing my usual flick through of my usual surf report/forecast bits n bobs and the south channel marker is recording that the wind is coming from the north for the last hour now.
http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDV60801/IDV60801.94853.shtml
Now im at the beach and its obiously blowing sou east here. From my location to the south channel marker couldnt be any greater than around 6-7km away so how can there be a different direction in the wind.
This is not the first time whatsoever. Sometimes when we get our SE seabreezes (which can get up to 20knots) after a day of NE offshores on the back beach, the south channel marker will still read offshore on the bay and whilst gusty SE on the back beach.
I work around the portsea/sorrento area and theres not much land between front and back beaches. Being outdoors alot (carpenter) and been a surfer i like to keep a eye on the trees, flags etc and the amount of times this occurs makes me think there has to be a deadset logical reason for this happening.
One thing that springs to my mind is that the bay is susceptible to different winds because of the large body of water. I pull that idea from the massive lake in Nicaguara that apparently plays a huge role in their 300+ days of offshore a year!!
Once again, any important or theroy is always good to hear!