swell
Submitted by pommie dave on Thu, 2011-04-28 17:42
Hi All
Im a new boat owner and keen on sea fishing, Been out of Mindarie once and all was good but wondered if anybody could tell about what conditions to look for. I have a 5 mtr boat and havent got a clue on how much is too much swell and how wind speeds affect the conditions. I was thinking of going out Sat morning but conditions say 2.5 - 3.5 swell and 15 for wind.
all advice would be appreciated.
Cheers Dave
DieHard
Posts: 1823
Date Joined: 06/10/08
hey mate dont know much about
hey mate
dont know much about the boating...
but just basic things like strong Southerly or westerly... make i very wet and unconfortable.
so nothing above 15knts???
and swell is a factor but, i would think seas are the biggest...
DieHard – The Official “Ray & Shark” Chaser!
Clown Fish
Posts: 111
Date Joined: 03/02/10
How far out do you want to
How far out do you want to go? Dont rely on seabreeze as it is a shore based forecast aimed primarily at windsurfing. I try to base my weather forecast on a mix of windfinder, willieweather, seabreeze and BOM. Quite often, if you average the wind speed of these four sites you get a pretty close forecast. Wave height is pretty acurate on all sites. Just watch for wind direction that opposes swell direction. This can make conditions pretty shitty in a boat your size.
Cheers, Nemo
pommie dave
Posts: 19
Date Joined: 27/02/11
Sound advice thanks
Sound advice thanks
grayzeee
Posts: 2283
Date Joined: 09/07/09
agree with nemobom usually
agree with nemo
bom usually over calls it , so a safer bet to go by what they say.
just take small steps heading out further when your ready and learn what happens in what conditions
i take it you have charts and def join sea rescue
( a sea is much worse than swell , 15 knots local wind max really)
If I spent half as long fishing , as I do reading this bloody forum , I'd be twice the fisherman I am.
pommie dave
Posts: 19
Date Joined: 27/02/11
Thanks for the info much
Thanks for the info much appreciated
cudbfishn
Posts: 1311
Date Joined: 06/04/09
The 15 rule1.5m seas1.5m
The 15 rule
1.5m seas
1.5m swell
15 knot wind.
Anything more is uncomfortable to say the least. Also need a reliable weather source. lol
pommie dave
Posts: 19
Date Joined: 27/02/11
That sounds easy I should be
That sounds easy I should be able to remember that.
Thanks
ricey
Posts: 740
Date Joined: 24/12/09
and remember a forecast is a forecast
if you get out of the marina and it looks rough it is rough.
from mindarie if not so sure head to Burns rocks or Eglinton rocks (way north) as you can catch fish in some (more) sheltered water. Just burley up and fish will come like skippy, garfish and herring and of course blow fish.
initially try and make it so you come home with the wind, much more pleasant. Take care around the three mile reef too if you are heading out that far.
Wise man says - first take the plank out of your own eye before trying to take the speck out of somebody else's.
pommie dave
Posts: 19
Date Joined: 27/02/11
Thanks for the great advice
Thanks for the great advice especially about where to fish im a bit of a novice at boating and fishing but love and got the rest of my life to learn.
glastronomic
Posts: 892
Date Joined: 16/02/11
A 5 mtr boat spans a lot of
A 5 mtr boat spans a lot of different boats in makeup and seaworthyness, pommy dave.
An open type boat takes on a lot more water then a cabincruiser with a decent free board.
I would sugest to seek a compannion who is familiar with the local conditions (i.e. has or had a boat and used it for a long time here on the ocean).
You will learn to interped the forcasts and what is comfortable for you and your boat.
Good Luck as it is great fun out there!
cudbfishn
Posts: 1311
Date Joined: 06/04/09
If unsure take a look at the
If unsure take a look at the coastal cams, I look at trigg point. Linked from seabreeze.com. You get to actually look at the conditions before you get to the water.
spanishmackeral
Posts: 940
Date Joined: 05/01/11
this cam craps all over the
this cam craps all over the seabreeze one, and sometimes you get a good spotto
http://www.swellnet.com.au/surfcams/scarborough
just dhu it
Posts: 1081
Date Joined: 14/05/09
maps and gps
Dave as the others have said the conditions for one boat and skipper is different to another, i would get a map of the Mindarie area if this is going to be your primary fishing / boating area and work out where the reefs are located and give them plenty of space, as this where the majority og boaties get caught by rogue waves coming through into a reefy area, you will need to assess and work out in all conditions where the waves and swell are coming from.
i would be getting out there and doing the ground work to all the diffrent areas as they will change with the different tides and swell. start of with light to moderate easterlys going to the standard southerlys .learn where the channel markers are just in case your electronics decide not to work when most required
Mindarie has a lot of reefs and passage ways to get to outside the three mile where once you increased your fishing skills you will venture out to deeper water.
Play it safe and enjoy boating and build your skill/knowledge up , try and get out with another boatie or FW member on a good day .
Faulkner Family
Posts: 18330
Date Joined: 11/03/08
imo, these conditions you
imo, these conditions you have mentioned might not be favorable for your size boat with little experience. the wind isnt so much of a prob as the swell is. if it goes beyond the 2.5 it will get very uncomfortable and dangerous if you dont know what your doing properly yet.
my first boat was a 5.7 mtr and we learnt heaps by trial and error .. we took ages to work out the weather and conditions to go out in, some were crazy trips but we learnt.
It is your decision wheather to go out or not but i wouldnt until you have more experience.
RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together
poddyfish
Posts: 986
Date Joined: 01/05/07
boating
try to head out with someone who's experianced on a boat and can pass on some knowledge mate! little things like the trim on your boat , weight distribution etc etc also go along way in boating!
most things with the weather have already been covered - watch for little signs aswell for thunderstorms (mainly summer and mainly buildup over land) or winter squalls! both can turn nasty veeeeeery quickly
know your limits and eaze into it dude. baby steps - soon enough you will be out there enjoying it with everyone else!
Fear The Spear............!
Iceman
Posts: 749
Date Joined: 17/03/09
Log on with Sea rescue
dave
make sure you log on with Whitfords Volunteer Sea rescue. Use your boat registration and call VJ6LQ. You can call anytime as we provide 24hour radio coverage.
Give them Persons on board, fuel amount where your are leaving from and where you are going. Also advise time of return.
This way if you get in trouble we know where to look and don't forget to log off when you return.
Radio channels are \: 27 mhz - ch 90
VHF - ch 73
but as stated before best to follow someone else as the reefs west and north are a minefield. get a chart and have a good look at it.
Smartline Personal Mortgage Advisers - Level 1, 11 Hobsons Gate Currambine
0448122208
pommie dave
Posts: 19
Date Joined: 27/02/11
back safe and well
Went out on Saturday and all was good had a great time and am now a little wiser. Thanks to all for the useful advice
DavidBaricevic
Posts: 122
Date Joined: 30/10/10
I agree with cudbfishn
I also follow roughly the 15 rule as cudbfishn says... I also have a 4.85mtr boat which is similar to yours. I look primarily at seabreeze for my initial forecast and to see a good one week look ahead which helps me plan things initially but then I always double check with BOM before I go out. You can still go out in bigger seas/swell if you want to but If the wind is up its like a washing machine and no fun at all. I went all the way to FFB (Five Fathom Bank) about 11 nautical miles out in 2.5-3mtr seas with 15-20kt winds and one of my passengers hurled his guts up so we had to come home.... no fun for him and we all got soaked.
DavidBaricevic
Posts: 122
Date Joined: 30/10/10
double posted
sorry
DavidBaricevic
Posts: 122
Date Joined: 30/10/10
double posted
sorry
dirtball
Posts: 49
Date Joined: 26/02/11
POMMIE DAVE, MINDARIE, I
POMMIE DAVE,
MINDARIE, I started my boating day there, be cautious of the reefs on the way out, big swells can take you, on the return into the marina.
Easterly's make good conditions, but my experience, is the weather turns Midday to 2pm your way, so I always made sure to be heading home before then.
Log In and Log out, and go speak to volnteer rescue boys, they are always happy to advise and chat to, if not busy ofcourse.
For experience drive to Hilarys and back, North towards Yanchep always has more swell, and rougher conditions from what I have experienced.
Also take a bit of time to study the launch and retrieve protocols, that ramp has some right banana's turning up, who haven't a clue and cause all sorts of issues, at peak times.
Good to watch and learn how to avoid these fools, especially the pom's with their new aquisitions.... you will know what I mean if you watch, Sunday avo is good, with a beer from the Indy...
Another tip is, watch the ramp floor for slime algae build up, seen a lot of near misses and a car slip all the way into the marina...
Cheers
DB
spanishmackeral
Posts: 940
Date Joined: 05/01/11
wave period
i agree with what everyone says,
but no-one has mentioned wave peroid which plays a big factor on good boating aswell. Wave period is seconds between waves.
if seabreeze says its anywhere below 10 seconds its going to be a fair bit more choppy (unless the swell is around a foot), anywhere above 10 seconds and its going to be a rolling swell. More of an uuuuuuuup...... dooooooown sorta swell, which i rekon is better and you can be safe going out in anything up to 3m (but anythig over that makes basically every part of reef on the 3-mile break). so its basically opposite to swell and wind, the longer wave period the better
cheers rob