WAUCHOPE-Bonny Hills Surf Club have high hopes ahead of the Australian surf life saving championships at Tugun.
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But Mother Nature could play a role in determining how well anyone goes when the surf boats head out on Thursday or Friday.
After hammering the Far North Queensland Coast on Monday, Cyclone Debbie is slowly making her way south.
Club captain Tony Kee said the carnival could be postponed or moved to an alternative venue.
“Cyclone Debbie is being felt here on the Gold Coast with up to 400 millimetres of rain expected on Thursday and Friday,” Kee said.
“It’s unlikely it will be cancelled altogether. They will probably move it to a lake near Tugun although moving 100 boats from the beach could be a logistical nightmare.
“It will present some challenges for the SES and emergency services who have been telling people to stay out of the water with the risk of floods from Brisbane down the coast.
“The surf is a mess at the moment – it’s like a washing machine out there.”
Clubs will keep a keen eye on the radar with conditions expected to worsen before they get better.
“A southerly is meant to come through on Friday which will bring an increase in swell which will provide some more challenges for crews,” Kee said.
“It’s potentially a perfect storm on the Gold Coast.”
Cyclonic conditions are not anything new for surf clubs at the Australian titles with the Bonny Hills boat captain saying history was set to repeat.
“Every season it seems the Aussie titles are a magnet for cyclones,” he said.
Bonnies sent three crews north during the week and Kee said their under-23 men were favourites to progress deep into the titles.
When the carnival starts, the Bull Sharks and Hammerheads could go up against each other for the first time all season.
The Bull Sharks have bragging rights at the moment being the fastest crew at training.
“They have the top boat speed out of the two crews,” Kee said.
The cancellation altogether of the competition appears unlikely, with competition organisers to condense the event if conditions don’t improve.
“Every season it seems the Aussie titles are a magnet for cyclones.”
- Wauchope-Bonny Hills boat captain Tony Kee
“If they postpone the carnival for a day or two it just means that they’ll have to introduce elimination rounds earlier in the competition,” Kee said.
“We’re all keeping a keen eye on the radar, but ultimately we’re in the hands of the surf Gods at the moment.”
