Seas/swell between NSW and Nth QLD Australia mid/late April

[MargieRosie]

Hi there - we are considering a cruise as per above and want to find out info re seas/swell we could normally expect (understand cannot predict extreme weather from cyclones etc).. Husband can get seasick if rough. Or, can anyone point me in the direction of websites that show previous years information?
thankyou!!

[ColeThornton]

It's irrelevant what has happened on any specific day in the past.  Seas are constantly changing.  You could have calm seas or stormy seas.   Bring the appropriate seasickness remedies if you anticipate issues.

 

Also, welcome to Cruise Critic.

[CruiserBruce]

Totally agree. Seas can be rough at any time. If sea sickness is a problem,  you need to be ready at all times. Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

[leaveitallbehind]

The question you ask is common with people wanting to understand what to expect in certain regions regarding sea conditions.  And there are certainly some areas of the globe where sea conditions can be predicted to be generally rougher than others.  But typically, as pointed out already, it is impossible to predict or even generalize on sea conditions in most areas as they can be - and are - ever changing and affected by many factors and conditions.

 

As suggested, by @CruiserBruce plan for the worst and hope for the best.  There really is no way of knowing - other than with storms -  what the seas will be like until you are there.  And to @ColeThornton's point, what they were like on your sailing date in the past is just that, and of little value today.

 

Anecdotally, people often think that the northern Atlantic is generally rough and the southern Caribbean is generally calm.  The roughest seas we ever experienced reported by the captain with waves at 20 feet + was on Christmas night between Panama and Jamaica with no storm system involved.  And the calmest sea that was smooth as glass was en route from New York to Bermuda in August, at the height of hurricane season.  So you just never know.

Edited June 6, 2022 by leaveitallbehind

[MargieRosie]

Thanks for your replies. Does anyone have any specific knowledge of the Queensland conditions or are you offering general advice..

Ive heard the Great Barrier Reef and Whitsunday Island areas can be quite calm, but wanted some advice from people who have actually cruised this area around April.. 

cheers 👍

[capriccio]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!  There is lots of useful information here but you just need to know how to find it.  I suggest posting this on the Australia and New Zealand Cruisers' forum (https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/564-australia-new-zealand-cruisers/). I'm sure the well traveled cruisers on that board should be able to share their experiences. 

 

We are booked on a Round Australia cruise (28 days) in April next year.  I'll have to check out the responses you receive.  Luckily we have never suffered from serious sea sickness even in a tropical storm between Charleston and Fort Lauderdale, and rounding - or trying to round - Cape Horn (the captain gave up and said check it out in the distance because we are turning and heading for the Falkland Islands)!

[MargieRosie]

Thanks capriccio! Yes, I actually thought I had posted this on the Aus/NZ forum.. 

my mistake! 
I wondered why I was getting replies from USA folk that didnt reply with their own experience of QLD conditions - which is what I asked for. 
I do understand QLD and FNQ can experience cyclones up until April..

I am interested in what people with experience think of “normal” conditions - with no cyclones.. I do understAnd the difference…

thanks! 🥰

 

[CruiserBruce]

3 hours ago, MargieRosie said:

Thanks for your replies. Does anyone have any specific knowledge of the Queensland conditions or are you offering general advice..

Ive heard the Great Barrier Reef and Whitsunday Island areas can be quite calm, but wanted some advice from people who have actually cruised this area around April.. 

cheers 👍

We sailed from Perth around the north end to Sydney in August/September.  It was mostly quiet in regards to the seas, certainly nothing noteworthy. But that is just anecdotal info.

 

We have also sailed across the Tasman from New Zealand to Melbourne.  It was the roughest of our 22 cruises...about 30 hours of pretty rough sailing. 

[Heidi13]

7 hours ago, MargieRosie said:

Thanks for your replies. Does anyone have any specific knowledge of the Queensland conditions or are you offering general advice..

Ive heard the Great Barrier Reef and Whitsunday Island areas can be quite calm, but wanted some advice from people who have actually cruised this area around April.. 

cheers 👍

 

I have sailed these waters extensively, with my first Aussie cruising being out of Sydney every 2 weeks back in 1977/78. I have returned many times since on a variety of ships.

 

Even discounting for Tropical Revolving Storms, many other factors influence sea conditions, some of which can be > 1,000 miles away. As others correctly point out, the ocean could be smooth to storm force, and what it was last year bears very little on what you could experience this year.

 

If concerned with motion of the ocean, book a midships, lower deck cabin and come armed with various remedies.

[Host Kat]

7 hours ago, MargieRosie said:

... Yes, I actually thought I had posted this on the Aus/NZ forum.. my mistake!...

 

Howdy @MargieRosie and welcome to the Cruise Critic message boards! 

 

Thank you for your first new thread! 👍  Don't worry, I have moved it to the Australia & New Zealand Cruisers forum where it will be on topic. The Ask a Cruise Question forum is for general cruise questions and yours is specific.

 

The Cruise Critic website and message boards are a great resource for new as well as experienced cruisers and we are so glad you found us!  Please feel free to browse the Cruise Critic Community categories list for the various forums. Read a few threads in the different forums to get a feel for what each forum is about. Make sure you read any pinned threads (aka Stickies) on the top of the first page of threads in most forums. You will find very important instructions or information there.

 

I hope this will be helpful and glad to have you aboard Cruise Critic!  

Happy sails,

Host Kat 

[Aus Traveller]

7 hours ago, MargieRosie said:

Thanks capriccio! Yes, I actually thought I had posted this on the Aus/NZ forum.. 

my mistake! 
I wondered why I was getting replies from USA folk that didnt reply with their own experience of QLD conditions - which is what I asked for. 
I do understand QLD and FNQ can experience cyclones up until April..

I am interested in what people with experience think of “normal” conditions - with no cyclones.. I do understAnd the difference…

thanks! 🥰

 

We have cruised in Queensland and NSW waters many, many times. In April I would expect good conditions. North from Rockhampton, the shipping channel is 'inside' the Barrier Reef so sea conditions are usually very calm.

 

I suggest you take medication to counteract any seasickness, just in case. Currently Phenergan is the best available in Australia. The tablet should be taken at night because it can cause drowsiness.

[MargieRosie]

Thankyou!!
 

[Russell21]

Cruising is like camping, camp long enough and sooner or later you are going to get wet.

[Russell21]

4 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

We have cruised in Queensland and NSW waters many, many times. In April I would expect good conditions. North from Rockhampton, the shipping channel is 'inside' the Barrier Reef so sea conditions are usually very calm.

 

I suggest you take medication to counteract any seasickness, just in case. Currently Phenergan is the best available in Australia. The tablet should be taken at night because it can cause drowsiness.

My wife starts 2 nights before sailing, and takes the tablet just at bedtime. Cruise number 9 coming up and we have had our share of weather in the past, but she is still a very happy cruiser.

[sewgood]

17 minutes ago, Russell21 said:

My wife starts 2 nights before sailing, and takes the tablet just at bedtime. Cruise number 9 coming up and we have had our share of weather in the past, but she is still a very happy cruiser.

My husband and I found that we became really seasick and were unable to eat or get out of bed in rough seas but following the above advice with seasick tablets we haven't had any problems.

We also wear wrist bands for sea sickness (buy at chemists) when there are whitecaps in the water, though we don't know if this helps or not.

If you like ginger take along a ginger product (naked or crystallised) it is suppose to help as well as the skins of green apples.

[Aus Traveller]

15 minutes ago, sewgood said:

My husband and I found that we became really seasick and were unable to eat or get out of bed in rough seas but following the above advice with seasick tablets we haven't had any problems.

We also wear wrist bands for sea sickness (buy at chemists) when there are whitecaps in the water, though we don't know if this helps or not.

If you like ginger take along a ginger product (naked or crystallised) it is suppose to help as well as the skins of green apples.

A few weeks ago Hogbay posted a link to a study into seasickness remedies. The authors believe that the wrist bands don't help, or at best have a placebo effect. They weren't impressed with ginger but it could help very slightly. The post with the link was in a thread entitled "sea sick medication outside the infirmary". At the moment, this thread is on page 2.

Edited June 7, 2022 by Aus Traveller

[arxcards]

Simple answer is, I don't know. Past conditions are not much off a guide of NSW waters, as it usually depends on when there is a southerly or an east coast low in the cycle. The direction of the current and swell has the biggest effect on movement on the ship.

 

But, this is a coastal cruise, and the ship can sail relative close to the coast or out to sea depending on conditions. It is outside cyclone season, so that also reduces the risk of a rough sailing. For much of the QLD part, you are cruising inside the barrier reef and that is usually calm.

 

We cruised last week, and the seas were reasonable considering the winds. On the way up to Brisbane from Sydney is was really comfortable as we had a southerly current and swell "pushing" us along. On the way back to Sydney, the ship was fighting against it. It didn't seem particularly rough, but I know of a few seasoned cruisers that have struggled to get their land legs back over the past few days.

 

From above, ginger is great for some people. For those who it isn't, it just adds to the burn for anything coming back up.

Edited June 7, 2022 by arxcards

[MMDown Under]

This year I did a cruise on a small ship from Cairns to Darwin in late February/March, during the cyclone season.  We had good weather, sunny skies and smooth seas all the way.  However, had there been a Low or Cyclone, the seas could have been very rough.  The cyclone season is until the end of April (or later).

 

I don't get seasick, but I always take ginger and Bundaberg ginger cordial.

[cme2c]

The Great Barrier Reef is, well a great barrier! Highest seas I've encountered were off the NSW North coast, hit by spray on the running track!. Other cruises have been like a millpond. The Bureau of Meteorology (bom.gov.au) has maps of expected swell.

[MargieRosie]

Thanks everyone - yes, we know about seasick tabs, ginger and the wristbands - we used them last cruise.. Perth to Broome return.. was rough from Perth until Exmouth and Exmouth to Perth..I was ok - husband found things a bit squishy..

the cruise we are looking at departs Newcastle. As we have no idea on the conditions north east coast, thats why I asked..  we understand there could be a cyclone or could be a storm- the best info weve had so far is about once cruising inside the Barrier Reef - things “should” be calm.

I certainly dont expect anyone to be able to give a definitive answer - just some general info regarding others experience/knowledge - or even local knowledge..

Really appreciate info from folks who have cruised this area and their experiences - we certainly wont hold you to any info you provide! Ive not found it easy finding past seas/swell information that we can use as a “guide” and talk to our fishing friends as to what the stats mean.

please accept that I understand things change and weather cant be predicted with certainty.. but.. think about going to Chicago and expecting it to not be windy 🤣! Just peoples experiences is all Im after. Thankyou!! 🥰

[Porky55]

Very rare to get a cyclone up here after April, tho it has happened. From April to late Oct/Nov is the best time to cruise up this way. The humidity virtually disappears, nights usually lowest 12deg, days ranging from 24 to 28 - beautiful one day, perfect the next.

 

We only have two seasons in Nth Qld - 6 mths of “ bloody humidity & heat” - 6 mths of “just perfect”. Jump aboard, grab some seasick meds for hubby, (start him before he boards) and enjoy your cruise 👍

 

[MMDown Under]

41 minutes ago, Porky55 said:

Very rare to get a cyclone up here after April, tho it has happened. From April to late Oct/Nov is the best time to cruise up this way. The humidity virtually disappears, nights usually lowest 12deg, days ranging from 24 to 28 - beautiful one day, perfect the next.

 

We only have two seasons in Nth Qld - 6 mths of “ bloody humidity & heat” - 6 mths of “just perfect”. Jump aboard, grab some seasick meds for hubby, (start him before he boards) and enjoy your cruise 👍

 

I've holidayed at Mackay and Whitsundays all my life (my favourite place).  During that time, I've noticed it rains more now in April.  On our last trip, we were pleased we changed from plans to camp in April to staying in on site accommodation in caravan parks.  

[Porky55]

1 hour ago, MMDown Under said:

I've holidayed at Mackay and Whitsundays all my life (my favourite place).  During that time, I've noticed it rains more now in April.  On our last trip, we were pleased we changed from plans to camp in April to staying in on site accommodation in caravan parks.  

You have that right, we did get deluges in April, but so did everywhere this year. Seems the past rainy season months of early summer have moved to early winter. 🙄
 

But it is still wonderful to cruise in the rain - and it is much warmer rain than say - in Melbourne at this time of year? 😁

 

[MMDown Under]

4 hours ago, Porky55 said:

You have that right, we did get deluges in April, but so did everywhere this year. Seems the past rainy season months of early summer have moved to early winter. 🙄
 

But it is still wonderful to cruise in the rain - and it is much warmer rain than say - in Melbourne at this time of year? 😁

 

My cruise from Cairns to Darwin in February/March this year had perfect weather - fine and sunny with smooth seas.  

[Porky55]

23 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

My cruise from Cairns to Darwin in February/March this year had perfect weather - fine and sunny with smooth seas.  

Would have been warm though 😅