I do almost all of my sailing on Lake Illawarra with slalom gear and I want to get out off the beach to do some slalom in the ocean for a change. Just wondering if anyone could give me some advice on what conditions I should be looking for in the forecast (eg tide and swell) before I bother driving to the beach. I've never really paid much attention to surf conditions and forecasts so I wonder if there is a rule of thumb I could follow. It would be good to avoid wasting time or destroying gear in the surf.
This may not apply to everywhere..but there is a group of us that go.ocean sailing .
we alway go with the out going tide ..winds slightly stronger and it starts flattening off.
I only tried once in light winds, I had a Manta 113 and 8.5 Koncept 3 cams. There was some swell breaking on the beach and it was really hard to get out, I did not have enough time to jump on and go over the breakers, eventually I made it, but broke a batten. In the ocean the sailing was pretty slow and choppy.
Hey Stu .what type of board and sail do you have .
reason asked .is you need a board that will soak up the. Bumps .not to sharp on the rails .
we have 120 's Naish GT sports .125 Tabou rockets . .and use 6.5 -7.0 .you have to uphaul sometimes.as the swell will block the wind .
and you have trouble flying your sail .Its not always the case.
we sometimes sail 4 mile out.then turn around come back .our best time .riding ocean swell on the way of course .is 8. minutes.one way.
Bring back surf slalom. 
Actually i want to raise it at the nsw meeting on tuesday.
Select to expand quoteSTU7777 said..
Just wondering if anyone could give me some advice on what conditions I should be looking for in the forecast (eg tide and swell) before I bother driving to the beach.
Don't go down right now. There's the odd green arrow but the shore break is huge.
I still can't figure out what it's going to be like out back beyond the breakers after 7 years living beside the seaside. I either ask the bunny or rig up, go out and have a look myself. It's always different, never the same, swell comes from all directions. The beach bends it towards shore, the headlands reflect it. Sometimes it's best a bit behind the shelter of a headland, sometimes it gets better the further you go offshore.
If the swell is a mess the first time you go out don't make it your last. It's those days that make days when the swell does line up for those magic downwinders all the more better.
Back in the day (late 1980s), all the sailors making there first ventures into the surf would do it at Windang. Back then the entrance was often on the south side, and lined up beautifully in a NE wind, really shallow, with a sandy bottom and only knee high waves. From there is was a good place to build up confidence and familiarity with surf, before getting into something more serious.
I have no idea what is like now with the deeper channel and breakwaters which head to the north side of the island. Might be good in a SE??
I think it is about location as much as conditions. Try Gerroa on a NE (often the waves will be only knee high) and it is pretty smooth for ocean sailing. If you go to Gerroa and it is over 15 knots there will always be company if things don't go as planned. The south side of Sandon Point is another place which is a bit more sheltered from larger waves and chop in a NE breeze.
It is also critical to be really confident with waterstarting smoothly, esp with a cammed sail in the surf. I'd also suggest a shorter fin so you can do the inside gybe and beach starts on the inside of the breaking wave zone.
Clarence
One word of advice. Don't launch in iffy conditions as 9 times out of ten you'll get munched by the shore break and slalom gear doesn't take too kindly to the impact zone (I've become an expert at repairing snapped battens). Also direct onshore wind can come with its challenges but all in all racing in open ocean is a great way to improve your sailing.
Once out there I used to find you want a sail size for the gusts as the rough water will be enough to keep you busy. Also make sure you are very proficient at waterstarting including clew first. If you have a decent 15+ knots the water condition will be very rough mixed with swell. Not easy to waterstart in this with broken waves and swell crashing on you using cambered sails. If you do use the ocean it will improve your skills no end. Great training ground. Good luck.
PS. Below is open ocean on slalom gear (Trial Bay). No shore break to ruin gear but demanding out back. Please make sure you have someone with you for safety.
Cheers
Marty
Thanks guys, sorry for the delayed reply, been on night shift. Some good common sense tips in there. Basically avoid shore dumpers and big surf and get out and have a crack. I looked at Windang the other day but surf looked too big. I think I just need to give myself a kick up the butt and make the trip to the beaches more, which is hard when the lake is 2 mins from home. Always liked the idea of a massive downwinder with a group, say Sandon to Bombo or something like that.
Select to expand quoteShifu said..
Great photo. Wish I had been there.
Thanks. I think it was about 18 years ago from memory.
Select to expand quoteSTU7777 said..
I do almost all of my sailing on Lake Illawarra with slalom gear and I want to get out off the beach to do some slalom in the ocean for a change. Just wondering if anyone could give me some advice on what conditions I should be looking for in the forecast (eg tide and swell) before I bother driving to the beach.
Webcams, but you have to watch for awhile so you don't just watch during a swell lull.
But having said that, nothing beats seeing is believing by being there, then you can also watch, study, and see how it's done by others.
Driving down to the beach doesn't have to be a "bother", it can be very helpful even if you don't go out. Besides once you get the ocean slalom bug, you'll be taking that bothersome drive quite often, may as well get used to it.
So true .mastbender. .many a time we have driven down and said no to dangerous today ,and gone home .safety first .
but the wind is clean in the ocean ..nothing in its way to distort the breeze ..
swell ..sometimes it is tough going one way ,but you know on the way back you will have the wind at your back
and slide down those perfect swells ,feels like you double your speed! and you have no sail in your hands..because your going faster than the wind ..it's a great feeling .Its a great feeling when you overtake boats at full speed ..they look at you with their mouths open...yep we skip over the swell no smash through it.
I hope you get to sample the ocean soon stu7777.
Thanks again guys. Think I'll head north where there are some locals to sail with. Its not the drive that's the problem, its the lack of time mostly. Cant wait for the kids to get big enough to come out too 
Think the biggest tip of all is don't use cambered sails in surf/waves, absolutely no need or advantage when your out in the deep blue stuff, especially for water starts in between breaking sets, or quick sail rotations between swells or waves, Better still pick a sail that doesn't have 'tube' battens, cause IME tube battens snap super easily.
Get a board that has some comfort built in, soft rails for gybes, and same for the sails, use a RDM mast.
Ocean blasting is the best, sorts out who's who in the jungle pretty quickly also.
Select to expand quoteMrCranky said...
For the Victorians - how does the ocean compare with Port Phillip?
Grew up sailing in Vic. The bay can get wild every now and then but there's still no swell so it's a fair bit different to sailing somewhere like the Surf Coast. I'm not a great wave sailor in any sense so I don't spend heaps of time in the break zone but I'll take a good blast in open water over any other type of sailing if I get the chance. Unfortunately I now live in Brisbane inner west 
Select to expand quoteJonesySail said..
Think the biggest tip of all is don't use cambered sails in surf/waves, absolutely no need or advantage when your out in the deep blue stuff, especially for water starts in between breaking sets, or quick sail rotations between swells or waves, Better still pick a sail that doesn't have 'tube' battens, cause IME tube battens snap super easily.
Get a board that has some comfort built in, soft rails for gybes, and same for the sails, use a RDM mast.
Ocean blasting is the best, sorts out who's who in the jungle pretty quickly also.
What kind of board would you use? Something like a Rocket or a Futura? What kind of sail?
Select to expand quoteMrCranky said..
JonesySail said..
Think the biggest tip of all is don't use cambered sails in surf/waves, absolutely no need or advantage when your out in the deep blue stuff, especially for water starts in between breaking sets, or quick sail rotations between swells or waves, Better still pick a sail that doesn't have 'tube' battens, cause IME tube battens snap super easily.
Get a board that has some comfort built in, soft rails for gybes, and same for the sails, use a RDM mast.
Ocean blasting is the best, sorts out who's who in the jungle pretty quickly also.
What kind of board would you use? Something like a Rocket or a Futura? What kind of sail?
Something like a Futura is still a bit too racy on a wild day in open water. Ok for those supermen who really like to ride the ragged edge, but an FSW type board is a better bet - especially if you want to sail all day. Stick a slalom fin in and you'll get good speed too.
Everyone here is right - open water with swell and big chop is the real thing. Flat water isn't so tempting after you've mastered the rough stuff.
The pirate has it nailed on gear.
I use an Atom 100 and a 7m but that could easily be a 6.5, the Atom is capable of 30knts so that's more than required!
General winds would be 15-25 range, as previously mentioned tides to play into also mainly to try and get a situation that avoids savage shore breaks or close out waves on the banks as you leave shore.
Ezzy cheetah, no tube battens, massive wind range, xply construction, there are few other brands that do similar style sails, Sailworks Retro, Naish Noah, the Tushingham bolt looks pretty good too.
Select to expand quoteShifu said..
Something like a Futura is still a bit too racy on a wild day in open water. Ok for those supermen who really like to ride the ragged edge, but an FSW type board is a better bet - especially if you want to sail all day. Stick a slalom fin in and you'll get good speed too.
Everyone here is right - open water with swell and big chop is the real thing. Flat water isn't so tempting after you've mastered the rough stuff.
So something like a big Tabou 3S?
I sailed Inverloch for the first time a couple of months ago. After Port Philip it was effortless.
Select to expand quoteMrCranky said..Shifu said..
Something like a Futura is still a bit too racy on a wild day in open water. Ok for those supermen who really like to ride the ragged edge, but an FSW type board is a better bet - especially if you want to sail all day. Stick a slalom fin in and you'll get good speed too.
Everyone here is right - open water with swell and big chop is the real thing. Flat water isn't so tempting after you've mastered the rough stuff.
So something like a big Tabou 3S?
I sailed Inverloch for the first time a couple of months ago. After Port Philip it was effortless.
Great choice mr cranky .3S 
....I use the 105 & 125 rockets..great ocean boards ....(96kgs)
Dont' forget the Starboard Carves. The 111 with a 6.4 is great for ocean blaster on lighter days- say 14-20 knots. Bloody fast too. Had it over 33 knots- on flat water that is. Not brave (or skilled) enough yet to max it out on the ocean. Once the wind is over 18 or so knots it's FSW time- 94 Kode and 5.8 or so- wicked outfit and so comfortable over the swells and troughs. Fun, and light, in the air.
