Hi Guys, I am joining a mate doing a round-oz road trip in a few weeks for the section Broome to Exmouth, should I take my kit? Wondering if anyone can say wether there is any chance of a kite, and what sort of wind and conditions there are? Which spots are good to check out?
(PM me if you dont want your spot advertised, I am good at keeping it quiet!)
Never been, but am reliably informed that the North Pilbara coast brings howling easterlies during the winter from the high that centres itself over the cold center of Australia.
The wind is at its strongest in the morning but declines as the day warms and pressure lowers. Apparently Lots of sandy beaches but big tidal range mean some spots are best at different times. Broome gets good morning easterlies too discussed previously on the this forum if you search.
karratha has some good spots like hearsons cove ,dampier harbour ,point sampson and some surrounding beaches ,,,if you can hire a boat at dampier there are some nice quite beaches on the islands and a lot of marine life to
the constant easterlies are providing good conditions for Karratha (Hearsons Cove and the islands), Point Sampson, Cossack and a few other spots, pretty consistent this time of year and good temps although I had to wear a wetsuit on the weekend - water was under 22 degrees :|
point samson works best on neap tides nice flat water from the protection of the reef, when the tide gets to high it comes over the top of the reef and gets a bit choppy when the tide is to low there are alot of rocks to watch out for and the bay can empty right out, there is a couple of caravan parks there too
cossack (settlers beach) is best from low to mid tide again neaps is better but can be done on any tide, when the tide is low to mid there are some run offs where the water channels out and you get butter flat water from the protection of the sand bars. water is probably knee deep in the middle of the run off at lower tide. both spots can be ridden at high tide but gets a bit choppy nice little wind swell can be fun for a quick session.
they are the best easily accessible spots in the area for the winter months, bassically if there is a high dominating the state we have kiteable wind and the best part about both spots is 9 out of 10 times I go there i have the place to myself, if you have access to a boat there are some great sand bars and reefs worth exploring off the islands.
hearsons cove is ok but I would go to both the other spots before I would bother with hearsons cove
wind is normally at its strongest at about 9-930am check the bom website wallal to cape preston is the forcast area and is normally pretty accurate the closest wind meter is roebourne airport and the wind strength can vary from there to cossack some times stronger sometimes weaker. for hearsons cove use karratha airport, wind on the islands tends to stay in for longer in the winter months.
I normally use my 10 or 12 and sometimes if im lucky my 7 but not very often. wind can vary anywhere between 15 to 25 knots sometimes over 25 but not that often. either side of the strongest days you tend to get a few 12 to 15 knot days aswell. I say bring the lot. the water temp isnt bad I still kite in boardies but the wind chill in the morning can be a bit cold
Get yourself some skins for the legs....keeps the sun in check and just might give you some protection against poisonous slime. Booties might be useful too, especially if you are not too skilled at body dragging in shallow water.
pozza is on the money, dampier harbour works well, but point sampson is better. stay alert in the harbour, the sharks are very well fed, but you willl run over one if you are not paying attention :)
the constant easterlies are providing good conditions for Karratha (Hearsons Cove and the islands), Point Sampson, Cossack and a few other spots, pretty consistent this time of year and good temps although I had to wear a wetsuit on the weekend - water was under 22 degrees :|
is there much risk of bitey-stingy things in the ocean along there (crocs, jellyfish, sea snakes or sharks).
