“Never seen it like this before”.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
This is what Newcastle Stand Up Paddle Club president Steve Thais had to say about Fingal Beach on Tuesday.
Powerful surf conditions, which saw a recorded swell of four to five metres, forced the closure of all beaches in the region on Tuesday.
Fingal Beach, which typically does not produce big waves due to its sheltered location, was described as “massive” by surfers.
Mr Thais, who was in Fingal Bay on Tuesday morning, said the usually calm Kiddies Corner at the beach was “not the place for the faint-hearted” that day.
However, some of the area’s experienced surfers including the Bay’s Chris Michalak saw Tuesday’s conditions as a welcome challenge.
Michalak, a professional surfer due to compete in the Volcom Pipeline Pro in Hawaii in two weeks, tackled the monster waves on his home break. Alongside him was Fingal Bay resident Chris Hasson and former WCT legend Simon Law.
Hasson said the rare swell event, dubbed “Big Tuesday”, created what many are calling “the biggest waves to ever be surfed in Port Stephens”.
“With all beaches too big and unsurfable, the usually still waters of Fingal Bay combined with this rare swell event to provide a unique spectacle for spectators and a couple of local big wave chargers game enough to take on the large surf,” Hasson said.
Spectators lined the Fingal headland and rocks to watch the trio, plus an unknown man on a stand up paddle board (SUP), surf the monster waves.
He added that rides lasted up to 200m long.
However, the dangerous conditions had its casualties. Michalak is believed to have broken his ribs on a wipeout, Hasson said.
Port Stephens fishing identity John “Stinker” Clarke called Fingal a “bay of extremes”.
“It’s either extremely calm or extremely cranking,” he said. “Fingal has a personality. It can be calm for so long but then when a strong southerly comes along, really big.”
The Fingal Spit, which had been “high and dry” leading into the summer months and throughout Christmas, is now under water.
It was conditions like those experienced earlier this week that washed the Fingal Spit away in 1981.
The Maitland Gail destroyed the once permanent natural land bridge with trees, vegetation and rocks between Fingal Island and the “mainland”.
“Long periods of calm, northerly winds will bring it back,” Mr Clarke, a Fingal Bay resident, predicted.
Beaches in Port Stephens will remain closed today (Thursday).
The surf is expected to remain big and messy and swell to gradually drop from 3 to 4m to 2.5m through out the day.
The Bureau of Meteorology has for a third day issued a hazardous surf warning for the NSW coastline.
It advises that surf and swell conditions are expected to be hazardous for coastal activities such as rock fishing, boating and swimming.
Send your snaps of the huge surf to the Examiner. Email them to portstephens@fairfaxmedia.com.au or send them in a message to the Port Stephens Examiner’s Facebook page.
Safety Advice
- People should consider staying out of the water and avoid walking near surf-exposed areas.
- Rock fishers should avoid coastal rock platforms exposed to the ocean and seek a safe location that is sheltered from the surf.
- Boaters planning to cross shallow water and ocean bars should consider changing or delaying their voyage.
- Boaters already on the water should carry the appropriate safety equipment and wear a lifejacket.
- Boaters should remember to log on with their local Marine Rescue radio base, via VHF Radio or the Marine Rescue APP, and consider their safety management plan.
Ellie-Marie Watts
A journalist with 10 years experience, Ellie-Marie connects readers to the stories that matter in their communities. A Port Stephens-based news, sport and event writer and photographer with a passion for human interest features.
A journalist with 10 years experience, Ellie-Marie connects readers to the stories that matter in their communities. A Port Stephens-based news, sport and event writer and photographer with a passion for human interest features.
