# Is 2m swell too high to go out in?



## jokinna (Mar 2, 2010)

wanna go outside. so glad this rain has stopped. thinking of fishing out off norah head, or even in close round cabbage tree bay. so sunday is looking the best.

Is 2m swell too high to go out in?


----------



## tootsie (Dec 21, 2007)

Hi Jok.
2mtrs of swell MMMMMMMM you can, however you are constantly moving all over the place very hard to fish,i have been out in those type of seas and it is very hard on the body,let it go for another day Jok or fish a bit closer in mate.

Cheers.


----------



## john316 (Jan 15, 2009)

too many variables for a yes/no answer. Take into account the chop, the swell, the wind and the time and distance between the waves, not to mention the topography of your favourite water and its surrounds. Where I am there are places I can go with 2 metres or larger swell knowing the shape of the landscape offers protection if the wave trains are in specific quaters.
If the waves are running close together, there is an uncomfortable wind with a messy chop then stay in bed. If the swell is well spaced, free of chop and the wind is slight there is no reason not to be out on the water as bobbing over that type of swell doesn't interfere too badly with fishing - unless your prone to getting seasick.

cheers

John


----------



## robsea (Apr 7, 2010)

Too high for me I reckon. I like the swell about half as high as a max. Add localised wind chop to it and....


----------



## GregL (Jul 27, 2008)

Go down and have a look for yourself.
Forecasts help, but as the others said, there are heaps of variables. 
Say no to yourself, don't just be told by the computer.

Computer says no.

Sometimes computer is wrong.

You need to know for yourself.

Regards,
Greg

ps - looking at that chart though, I'd say its ok. Certainly down here I'd be heading out - westerly will keep things clean and knock a bit of the swell down too.
2-3m gets the bommies going too.


----------



## jokinna (Mar 2, 2010)

thanks for input guys.

i havnt been outside for 6mnths, and feel ready to brave it again. i think ill go down on sat just check things out. if it looks ok, sundee mite be a goer. i can always try it for an hour or so till i start puking, then ill pack up and head to the lake hehe.

funny how the waves look managable from shore till you get out on it.

cheers
jokinna


----------



## malhal (Jul 8, 2008)

If you are asking I think you have already answered it yourself.


----------



## Southerly (Apr 20, 2007)

Hi Jokinna,

Assuming you do not have to beach lauch and have access to deep water (such as a launch in Sydney Harbour) then swell height by itself will not be a big factor, you could fish 4mtrs of swell easily as long as you had better than 10mtrs water under you at all times.

Unless it is breaking a yak simply goes up and down with the swell. The reason that special care is needed (excluding bommies, reefs, beach break etc) in that any strong wind can add a chop to the top of the swell and that gets nasty very quickly.

Enjoy,
David


----------



## jokinna (Mar 2, 2010)

thanx dave, indie, mal

reason i asked is its been a while since ive been out. last time i went outside it was chrissy time and it was choppy as, and i rolled my yak coming back to the beach and broke my paddle. the waves were huge though, 100m out from shore. i was actually going up, into, over and then back down the waves. i dont know how big they were, i just remember ive never actually paddled up into and over a wave and then paddle back down it. they werent breaking waves just big and choppy. the usual waves that ive been in before i would just balance and let the wave go under me while i bob up and down.



Southerly said:


> Assuming you do not have to beach lauch and have access to deep water (such as a launch in Sydney Harbour) then swell height by itself will not be a big factor, you could fish 4mtrs of swell easily as long as you had better than 10mtrs water under you at all times.
> Enjoy,
> David


as long as the boat ramp hasnt been blocked off and i can access the bay should be all good. and where i was planning on fishing is only about 5-7m deep. i'll see how i go.

cheers all
jokinna


----------



## yankatthebay (Dec 14, 2007)

if you have to ask, then it is probably best to make sure you go out with someone whos answer is "yes, no problem" until you are confident.

4.5m seas is the biggest I have been out in and I actually didnt mind it at all, it was the wind that sent me back to shore as was sick of the tops of the waves crashing over me simply because the wind was making white caps.

2m seas is really not big at all as far as I am concerned, I will not do a surf launch in anything more than about 0.8m these days as I dont like getting dumped and am not confident in the AI with breaking surf.

Just make sure you have all the safety gear on you and keep a VHF and PLB strapped to your life jacket just in case. Try to call for help on the VHF first as it can take a very long time to get the Marine Rescue to help you if you only use the PLB (the people who monitor the PLB signal and the Marine Rescue do not communicate directly with each other and it makes it take longer than needed).


----------

