Report by Dan Wyer

It's been a classic start to Autumn 2012 in the west starting with a consistent five-day run of swell and good winds followed by a large west-southwest swell on the first day of March. 

The season kicked off on Thursday March 1 with a clean long-period swell with light offshores and near-glassy set waves pushing four foot. Friday March 2 was a little larger with occasional five foot sets and moderate offshore easterly winds. Saturday saw good conditions continue for the Labour Day long weekend with clean moderate north- easterly winds early tending northerly though the day.

Exposed reefs and beachies were again seeing quality waves in the three-to-five range.  The stand out day of the period came on Sunday with the swell building to a solid six foot at exposed breaks by midday. Crowds were up with some very busy line-ups at Three Bears, the back of Gracetown and down at Prevally. Early Monday saw the ocean a little hung over for the dawn patrol with winds from the south.

Conditions improved into the morning with winds swinging offshore into the east cleaning up the left over three-to-four foot swell.  The first solid pulse of west swell of the 2012 Autumn season arrived on our shore Thursday March 8. There were some bomb set waves at exposed breaks in the eight-to-ten foot range with light winds from the southeast.

Some solid waves were towed at offshore bombies and some big drops made by the paddle crew at exposed breaks. Thanks to the west-southwesterly swell direction there was plenty of swell pushing into the protected bays and points with Gracetown and Injidup the pick of those spots. All in all it's been a great start to the season.