Rock fishers, boaties, surfers, and swimmers looking to make the most of the winter sunshine are being urged to check the conditions before heading out into the water after the Bureau of Meteorology issued a hazardous surf warning today.
The two to three metre southerly swell that was expected over the weekend finally arrived overnight and is expected to peak on the incoming tide this morning.
Wind gusts of more than 60km/h have already been recorded across the region with the bureau advising they will become lighter in the late afternoon.
At Wattamolla a southerly wind gust of 69km/h was recorded at 9.28am. At Kurnell a south-westerly gust of 54km/h was recorded and at Sydney Airport at the same time gusts of 41km/h were registered.
Cronulla’s beaches are unsurfable past North Cronulla with Cronulla Point and the southern reefs the only safe options.
A surfer was taken to hospital this morning after an incident at Sandshoes reef.
Although surf conditions may be challenging for the whole NSW coastline, a warning has been issued for the lower north coast between Port Stephens and Smokey Cape as forecasts indicate that the powerful surf is expected to remain for the day then slowly abate over the following 24 hours.
Weekend volunteer patrols are just over a month away from returning and only a few beaches around NSW currently having lifeguards on duty throughout the week.
It is anticipated that the swell conditions will begin to ease on Tuesday afternoon though forecasts are continually being refined.
Sydney can expect a mostly sunny day today a top temperature of 17 degrees. The week ahead looks likely to remain cool with a forecast top of 19 for the remainder of the working week.