“I’m riding the wave between 200 and 300 meters and I’m still a long way from the coast,” he said.
He explained why the long period between waves is so rare.
Big waves on Clovelly beach. Credit: Louise Kennerley
“Normal wave would be about eight seconds [between waves]. A ground wave is anything more than 10 seconds. It is rarely above 12, which is why this wave is iconic. He has more time to get out of the ocean floor and when he touches these reefs he gets up very quickly. “
Woodhouse, the office’s forecaster, said conditions would begin to ease from Tuesday, though the ocean would remain dangerous until Thursday.
“It actually takes a lot of energy with these waves, which means they have a lot of power,” he said.
Because the waves come from the usual southerly direction, coastal erosion is not expected to be too bad because these beaches have a “natural defense.”
“The last two years with major coastal erosion events have been waves from the east hitting beaches that don’t normally see that kind of power,” Woodhouse said.
Rock fishermen, bathers and seafarers are advised to stay ashore until conditions are reduced.
On Monday morning, the office canceled a severe weather warning for surf damage (a higher wave threshold), but the dangerous surf warning remains in effect for the entire NSW coast. Sydney’s forecast for Tuesday is a sunny day with a high of 17 degrees.
Chojnacki said long weekends used to attract large crowds to surf spots. “But he doesn’t really care when he’s the size he was.”
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To end the experience, Chojnacki said almost every established wave had a rainbow behind it.
“It was a beautiful experience,” he said. “It’s what we live as surfers: it’s nice when you walk in your door.”
With Pallavi Singhal
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