Some nasties in the water there

www.perthnow.com.au/wa/popular-kite-surfing-spots-safety-bay-beach-and-the-pond-closed-after-bacteria-found--c-19799399

Thanks for the heads up. Its been getting worse and worse as its closed up. I think it really lost its appeal for windsurfers a couple of years ago when it started to close up further in (thanks to the yearly dredging). Im sure all the kiters will be devastated. But it was only a matter of time before it turned really skanky.

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Subsonic said..
Thanks for the heads up. Its been getting worse and worse as its closed up. I think it really lost its appeal for windsurfers a couple of years ago when it started to close up further in (thanks to the yearly dredging). Im sure all the kiters will be devastated. But it was only a matter of time before it turned really skanky.

Makes you wonder doesn't it. Was it the dredging that changed things or just the way it was always going to be? I had some good years sailing there.

I keep hoping that the shallow section opens up a bit more to let water in and out a bit, but its probably shallow enough that its closed completely at low tide.

The Pond was/is forever changing, i think it was always going to fill in. but the dredging has certainly accelerated the process, no question about it. The cut at the end of the tern island point has let in a whole lot of sand and weed thats formed up whats there now.

ironically, they've not only screwed it up for windsports, their million dollar jetty is completely unusable now.

Here's a sequence view of Safetybay from 2002 to around 2015


When I was a kid (many many many moons ago the sandbar wasn't there and we'd snorkel from the cray fishers jetty down to the boat ramp.

If you look at the first image you can just see the remains of the old jetty and the end of the last track to the beach on the left, it still there just buried.

When I stared in 2001 the sand bar was pretty much perpendicular with the shore. Sooner or later it will join back up with the shore and the natural flow of sand down the beach.

Here it is now

Its a nice line of sand from the cut at the end of the point, and leads straight to the boat ramp.


i'll always have fond memories of the pond, but i fear this now means we're going to have the entire pond kiting population out with us on the west side of the tern island point

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Subsonic said..

i'll always have fond memories of the pond, but i fear this now means we're going to have the entire pond kiting population out with us on the west side of the tern island point

Don't be too worried. I think a lot of them will stay inside the pond, no matter how small it is. I think they love the flatwater, but it makes it crazy congested. Even if they are outside it has heaps more room, but then again some kiters have no idea when it comes to who goes where.

Last season I was kiting (don't judge me!) outside the pond because the sandbar where we used to gybe over was deep enough for kiting even though it was still shallow. No one else was kiting out there even though it was pretty good. I think they saw me enjoying myself too much as an hour later there were 4 or 5 people kiting around me. Maybe that will become the new section to use?

What a shame ,

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elmo said..
Here's a sequence view of Safetybay from 2002 to around 2015

When I stared in 2001 the sand bar was pretty much perpendicular with the shore. Sooner or later it will join back up with the shore and the natural flow of sand down the beach.

I remember Simon from GoWindsurfing tell us on a trip in Fiji that Safety Bay was better and that they would gybe near a sandbar somewhere and video it. I guess that must have been in 2000 or slightly before because by the time I turned up in about 2002 I think the sandbar had already started to move across to the east.

I would prefer if it moved a km or so further to the east

I think it's sort of funny that the 'protected' area of Tern Island where you weren't allowed to rig up in or launch from has pretty much washed away completely. It was meant to be a reserve to protect nesting birds but nature had other ideas.

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Subsonic said..
Here it is now



i'll always have fond memories of the pond, but i fear this now means we're going to have the entire pond kiting population out with us on the west side of the tern island point

No mate, already noticed the increase in twin tip idiots in and out of the break at Dutchies last summer

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Mark _australia said..

Subsonic said..
Here it is now



i'll always have fond memories of the pond, but i fear this now means we're going to have the entire pond kiting population out with us on the west side of the tern island point

No mate, already noticed the increase in twin tip idiots in and out of the break at Dutchies last summer

I guess we'll just have to share the luv then. :p

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Subsonic said..

Mark _australia said..

Subsonic said..
Here it is now



i'll always have fond memories of the pond, but i fear this now means we're going to have the entire pond kiting population out with us on the west side of the tern island point

No mate, already noticed the increase in twin tip idiots in and out of the break at Dutchies last summer

I guess we'll just have to share the luv then. :p

Nope, more shotguns needed..