REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Wednesday, February 14, 2007

IT was the Coast’s biggest downpour in more than 13 months, but the biggest weather bomb was set to drop as ‘Big Wednesday’ returned to our waves.

While the rest of the city mopped up from Monday night’s deluge, with ceilings collapsed and homes flooded after more than 140mm of rain at Pimpama alone, surfers were to be busy waxing their boards with swells due to peak at 3m.

Almost five years after The Bulletin recorded the first Big Wednesday at Kirra’s Superbank, the legendary conditions finally returned – and a rash of surfer sickies were sure to follow.

Swellnet operator Ben Matson said the super surf was created from the remnants of Cyclone Nelson and was expected to last for days.

“Basically, what’s happened is that Cyclone Nelson weakened and travelled south to below New Caledonia where it stopped on Sunday and started to regain strength – and that’s what’s whipping up our waves,’’ he said.

“It’s really going to be fantastic surf, the best we’ve seen in a very long time by far.

“The best spots will be the points, and the Kirra Superbank will be going off. It’s going to be more a question of where to find a good wave of your own rather than where to just find a good wave. Every serious surfer knows what’s coming and they’re all pumped.’’

Meanwhile, weather conditions had residents across the Coast excited.

A Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster said it was the biggest single rain event since January, 2006.