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Thread: South Moreton passage info wanted

  1. #1
    Ausfish Bronze Member OcciferNick's Avatar
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    South Moreton passage info wanted

    Hello everyone,

    I tried searching but couldn’t find anything relevant with enough information.
    I am wanting to know if it’s safe or even possible to cross between North Stradbroke Island and South Moreton Island? Besides fishing I love to dive and am keen to visit Manta Bommie. Does anyone here regularly go through this channel? What’s it like? What would be the best place to launch the boat?

    The star on the map is where I want to go.

    B7ECA1A1-9C72-48A6-9C5C-6A6C0D78EE71.jpg

    Cheers,
    Nick

  2. #2

    Re: South Moreton passage info wanted

    The centre Chanel was good a month ago shallows out a bit at the end but still good water
    Launch at Manly or Raby Bay


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

  3. #3
    Ausfish Bronze Member OcciferNick's Avatar
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    Re: South Moreton passage info wanted

    Thanks for the info mate.
    Can you tell me how long it takes roughly to get from boat ramp through the channel?

  4. #4

    Re: South Moreton passage info wanted

    South Passage bar - not somewhere to be if you don't know what you are doing.

  5. #5
    Ausfish Bronze Member OcciferNick's Avatar
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    Re: South Moreton passage info wanted

    Jeremy,
    Thanks for the reply mate but would you care to elaborate on the info?
    Ive crossed a few bars including, Wide Bay, Noosa and others.
    Is your reply only related to this specific bar?

  6. #6

    Re: South Moreton passage info wanted

    South Passage Bar (this is the name if the bar you are referring to) is up there with Wide Bay as coastal bars go. So if youve got plenty of experience with Wide Bay then SPB should be within your capabilities.

    I guess the tone of your initial post made it sound like you didnt have much experience, hence some of the replies you have got.

    Anyway, here is my 2c worth on SPB hope it helps:

    Strong tidal run on the run in and run out. Best times to go thru (especially out) are therefore at slack water, which is about 1 hour earlier than tide times at the Brisbane Bar.

    Across the inside of the bar is a wide area I call the shingles. Goes from Amity to Moreton inside the bar. It can be shittier than the bar itself sometimes, due to ocean swells coming in one direction, wind chop from another, and currents running 2 different directions out of the Rainbow and Rous channels. It can be a real nasty washing machine in there - and 30 minutes later when the tide stops, it can be as smooth as glass. Strangeley enough, in my experience it is often smoothest across the shingles on a runout tide.

    Any time there is an Easterly or NE swell of any size, the bar can get pretty ugly. A SE on the other hand is not so bad. More than 1.8m swell from NE or E .......ugly. Have a look but dont be afraid to not go thru.

    Similar to Wide Bay there is usually a gutter or two on the southern side - referred to by many as the Amity channel due to proximity to Amity Pt. You can stick in fairly close to the beach and follow your eyes to go thru the deeper gutters and miss the surf altogether sometimes. Wider than this there is a wreck (the Rufus King) that breaks at certain times, its marked on charts. Often a channel past there as well.

    At the moment there is a good channel out the middle. Go north a bit from the entrance to the Rouse channel markers and look E and you should find your way.

    The best option of course is to arrange to follow someone who is experienced thru or go with them in their boat, or invite them in yours. Nothing substitutes for experience.

    It takes about 30minutes (25kms approx) to get from Cleveland ramp to inside the SPB. I usually go via Rainbow channel simply because its a lot more sheltered, via the Rous channel is almost the exact same distance.

    From Manly - go via Rous channel entering it via small ships gutter.
    Note to self: Don't argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience....

  7. #7

    Re: South Moreton passage info wanted

    Quote Originally Posted by OcciferNick View Post
    Jeremy,
    Thanks for the reply mate but would you care to elaborate on the info?
    Ive crossed a few bars including, Wide Bay, Noosa and others.
    Is your reply only related to this specific bar?
    ON

    Take care with SP bar. Jeremy is right to exercise caution. I have crossed WB bar a couple of times and SP 30 or so times now. They do not compare. I don't claim to be an expert as each time the conditions are slightly different. There are 3 channels, northern, middle and Amity. Forget northern at present which has lots of sand. Check the Brisbane and Gold Coast wave rider bouys for swell height, direction and frequency before you go out. If the swell is over a metre or from the south go Amity. Best conditions are 0.5m or less swell from east for middle channel, you can take it head on on an incoming tide. Avoid the pressure waves on an ebb tide going out. If unsure don't go. You do not mention your boat size or hp. Need at least 5-6m with high bow and plenty of grunt. Can I suggest you contact Bill Corten regarding his SP bar crossing course. Expensive at $580 for a day on the bar, but may save your life. The bar rolled a 10m alloy boat with 11 on board last year and had many yachties to it's credit.

    Just my 2 cents worth. There are more experienced skippers on this forum that have good advice. Hope to hear from them.
    Cheers SS.

    Sent from my [device_name] using Ausfish mobile app

  8. #8
    Ausfish Bronze Member OcciferNick's Avatar
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    Re: South Moreton passage info wanted

    Really great information and appreciated.
    i agree my original post was lacking information that Imshould have put in.
    i recently moved up from Sydney hence not having a lot of local knowledge for this area.
    i have a 5.3m ally centre console with a 90hp.
    I like the idea of doing the course I’ll definitely look into that.

    Again in I appreciate all comments and responses so cheers everyone.
    Nick

  9. #9

    Re: South Moreton passage info wanted

    Nick
    There are a number of fantastic dive sites in the general area where you want to go - Flat Rock, Boat Rock, etc as well as the Manta bommie. I very strongly recommend that your first couple of trips are with an experienced dive operator - the current really rips through some of those areas and even though safety looks close by if you bob up in the wrong area, chances are, you are going to need to be picked up. You also need to get a feel for the protected areas (in terms of fishing and where there may be less boat traffic). The bar itself - as others will tell you, can range from a water ski crossing to horrendous. It changes all the time. I log my crossings across all entrances and compare them month to month, season to season and year to year. That way you get an image in your head about what you are likely to encounter and the one constant, is that it is constantly changing. It's not like many bars in northern NSW where it's a quick blast out over a river entrance bar. Best advice you can get - ring Bill Corten on 0447 233 247 and book a course. He'll teach you the lay of the land in safety and you can progress at your own level and in short, comfortable steps on the day. I've crossed SPB hundreds of times and yet still ring Bill for an update if it's been a while between trips or if we've had a big blow. Book the course - you won't get a better insight and because he has dived over the side of his boats, he'll also be able to give you a good handle of anchoring issues etc. Do it.


    Quote Originally Posted by OcciferNick View Post
    Really great information and appreciated.
    i agree my original post was lacking information that Imshould have put in.
    i recently moved up from Sydney hence not having a lot of local knowledge for this area.
    i have a 5.3m ally centre console with a 90hp.
    I like the idea of doing the course I’ll definitely look into that.

    Again in I appreciate all comments and responses so cheers everyone.
    Nick

  10. #10
    Ausfish Bronze Member OcciferNick's Avatar
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    Re: South Moreton passage info wanted

    Thanks Superdaff really appreciate the reply.
    Cheers

  11. #11

    Re: South Moreton passage info wanted

    Refer PM
    Cheers Alistair

  12. #12

    Re: South Moreton passage info wanted

    I took these photos in 2014: http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/sho...r-from-the-air

    Obviously outdated, and I can confirm the bar is very different now. The channel out of days gutter is no longer there, its silted around Reeders point. The main channel north is more or less the same but the south eastern point near Mirapool has changed somewhat and it looked like it was breaking out near the end of the channel just 2 weeks ago.. The centre channel is more or less the same, its really shallow to the northern side and its pretty obvious because it breaks almost all the time. The southern channel is more or less the same also, its shallow but if you can get over the first part it looks ok. I was out there a few times in the last couple of weeks (including a shitty 15knot NE wind abut 4 hour before the low) and it looks to be breaking along the beach. I personally would not go south at the moment, but that just depends on tide and swell. I am in a 9m cat that draws about as much as a 3m tinnie. I went over the bar about 3 weeks ago in really calm weather and it still looked ordinary. To be fair though, I am not overly familiar with the south channel, it just always looks to shallow for my liking.

    The Google Maps satellite images are pretty much where its at right now. https://www.google.com.au/maps/place...!4d153.4244435 (not for future readers, check date because this will change a lot).


    I know south passage gets a bad wrap, and it can get really farking nasty, but generally it seems to behave and unlike Wide Bay its reasonably predictable most of the time. Like Moonlighter says, the area I call the inner bar and he calls the shingles can be, and often is worse than the actual bar. When it looks shitty, I will often poke up into the start of the centre channel for a better look, and most of the time when you get there you just go for it and its fine on the other side. Sometimes you get there though and just say to your self 'fark it, not worth the risk'. If in doubt, bail out. You will live to try again another day.

    Go have a play on a good flat day on a still tide when its not breaking. I actually enjoy scooting over the real shallow areas when it calm, plenty of wildlife to look at. Its actually one of my favorite pastimes!!


    Oh, and most important thing is you have departed the worst league state for the best. As a bonus, you get access to some of the best areas in the world now and get to leave that horrible dull place that is Sydney!!!! Enjoy Moreton Bay, wont take you long to realise how good you have it now!


  13. #13

    Re: South Moreton passage info wanted

    Be careful not to bump into the Rufus King. It has claimed a few newbies over the years. Also Flat Rock is a green zone if you were planing to go spearing.

  14. #14
    Ausfish Bronze Member OcciferNick's Avatar
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    Re: South Moreton passage info wanted

    So much awesome information thank you everyone.


    Fantastic photos from your plane mate! Imcan see why you are so addicted... what a view
    I think I’ll hook up with someone that knows that area first before venturing out myself.
    I’ll also just do a few dives at Manta Bommie with the dive charters in that area and catch the ferry over.

    I agree 100% “If in doubt, bail out.” I’m not going to trying crossing an unknown bar to me if it looks bad just to go diving or fishing. Always another day.

    So many great people here willing to share their years of experience and wealth of knowledge. It makes this site a really great community to be a part of.

    Cheers
    Nick

  15. #15

    Re: South Moreton passage info wanted

    Quote Originally Posted by OcciferNick View Post
    So much awesome information thank you everyone.


    Fantastic photos from your plane mate! Imcan see why you are so addicted... what a view
    I think I’ll hook up with someone that knows that area first before venturing out myself.
    I’ll also just do a few dives at Manta Bommie with the dive charters in that area and catch the ferry over.

    I agree 100% “If in doubt, bail out.” I’m not going to trying crossing an unknown bar to me if it looks bad just to go diving or fishing. Always another day.

    So many great people here willing to share their years of experience and wealth of knowledge. It makes this site a really great community to be a part of.

    Cheers
    Nick
    For South Passage Bar knowledge, Bill Corten used to be the goto. Have not heard from him in a while but if he is still doing his courses then he should be your number one on your list of people to hook up with for local experience!


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