crossing bars safely,any tips

[last-cast]

I will be moving up near noosa soon and I want to fish laguna bay ect... I have a 4.2 quintrex dory with a 25 hp. Any advice on crossing bars or in particular the noosa river bar would be much appreciated.

[SeaHunt]

Hi mate,
I suppose they lose 4 or 5 boats a year on it.
Last time I went over it was November last year on a fishing charter.
Talking to the skipper he said it was getting rediculous, only about 2 foot of water at low tide, and needed dredging but there is a fair bit of resistance from the greenies up that way. I havn't been back since.
There are a few places that run bar crossing courses, and they have been mentioned in previous posts on here, and I suggest that is probably the best way to get some experience.
But if you must have a go on your own, make sure you have a radio and log on with the Coastgard first.
Watch a few others go out, so you can see where the channel is and how their boats go in the conditions.
Put your life jacket on , watch for a break in the waves and go for it. Once you decide to go, keep going until you get well past the breakers. If you end up side on to the breakers you can kiss your dory good bye. Most people who get swamped on the way out either have a mechanical failure , loose their nerve and try to turn around or get a bit too much air under the boat. Tell the coastguard when you are safely across.
Coming back in , try to watch a few others first and stay on the back of a wave or between waves, don't surf down the front of them or let one break over the back of the boat. #:P

[MTpockets]

Howdy,
I have spent the last 25 years crossing the Noosa bar with my father-inlaw and he is as experienced as they come.
What Seahunt just told you is exactly 100% correct. There used to be a definate path that you could easily go through, but alas that is no longer the case. Definatly VERY shallow there and there is also a lot of cross rips as well. NEVER turn round because if the next wave dont get you, the cross rip will steer you across and you will need more power than your 25 can give to straighten. My friend had a rouge wave break across his bow a few years ago, and it smashed his windscreen, and swamped his tinnie, and he had 40 years experience on that bar. I have also seen 2 coastguard boats wasted there as well, right in front of me. The first I saw was a brand new boat, on its first traing run. Ended up like a cork, bobbing around helpless. Sailboats used to cross with ease once, but too shallow now.
If you must go out, do as Seahunt said, watch 2-3 boats, see where they go and dont back off, stay like he said between the waves, and contol the revs. Coming in is hard sometimes too, just watch others first and never drop off the front of the waves. You can imagine what happens.

Another good idea is to stand on the beach right opposite the bar and watch the boats for a hour or two, we do that every xmas to get a handle on the bar for when we go out.

Hope ya have fun up there cos it really is a good day when its a good day.
cheers
Les

[Streaker]

I go to Noosa twice a year Christmas and Easter,during these periods I regulary cross the bar. The first time I watch the locals or Charter boats for a while to find the deepest water and then I plot a course through. I also go down at low tide to get an indication of depth accross it. Noosa can be dangerous at times and a big greenback seems to come from knowhere. The good part is that as you approach the bar you come across the front of it,this gives you the opportunity to observe the break pattern(if there is one). Iv'e noticed that giving the boat to much air seems to cause the most problems. the best suggestions is to either do the course or take an experienced skipper with you for the first few times.
Hope this helps Wayne

[drevil]

You adrenalin junkies. Maybe I'm a big chicken, buy I don't think I'll be attempting a bar crossing for many years (if ever!). I think I'll stay around the bay and estuaries. :P

[last-cast]

thanks everybody for the advice ,I think I will go on a charter and talk with them about how to cross they do the crossing every day . I will go down to the river mouth to and watch the boats coming and going over the bar , I have been told that its better to cross out on an incoming tide so the tide and swell are going in the same direction. It will be scary but at the same time exciting the first time I cross the bar, thats what I like about fishing there are so many different areas of the sport to enjoy :)

[SeaHunt]

Yes drevil I agree with you , you're chicken. ;D ;D
The big ones are out in the deep stuff , put your life jacket on and have a go, you have only got your boat to lose. ::) :P

[NQCairns]

Great advice above, If you have access to a bar crossing pick a day with little wind and <3 footers coming in (or whatever makes you comfortable first time), you will also get the odd bigger sets and have a play for a couple of hours with no gear in the boat and your lifejacket on even a bike helmet ;).
It is great fun, a couple of hours of this really helps the learning curve and confidence. Keep going until you start to get sore, hungry or bored. Also consider adjusting the throttle grip on the tiller to release back to idle for bar crossings. Does your motor have a dead mans switch? nq