Photo: Associated Press // YouTube
New South Wales is famous for its surf, but the region was recently battered by a very different kind of wave. A massive 18-foot swell, combined with a king tide, battered the coast of Sydney this week, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
“It has just been devastating,” Bob Tate, manager of the iconic Bondi Icebergs Swimming Club, which had glass doors and windows shattered by waves, told the Associated Press. “I’ve been a member for 50 years at Bondi. I’ve never seen this sort of thing before. You know, the sheer magnitude of the level of water and the power of the water coming through must’ve just been horrendous.”
Bondi wasn’t the only location to suffer the wrath of the swell. According to The Guardian, three beaches in Waverley were damaged and have been closed for cleanup. Beaches in Randwick, where the Coogee Surf Club had doors smashed in and handrails torn off, were also closed. A section of the Cronulla esplanade has been cordoned off, Bayside Council experienced significant damage, and several beaches north of the city were closed.
The Bureau of Meteorology has said that, while the worst has likely passed, the ordeal is not quite over yet. A hazardous surf warning remains for the New South Wales coast. Both the Bureau and NSW police advised people to stay out of the water in affected areas.
