East Coast Low
Deadmans, Queenscliff, Narrabeen | 6 June 2016 | 7-11 ft E @ 13s
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This once in a generation swell was the primeval spawn of an east coast low that raged mercilessly for 24 hours over the first weekend of June 2016. East Coast Lows are common along the Sydney coast but in this case the distinction was its north easterly direction and ferocity which caused severe flooding at Narrabeen and extreme beach erosion at Collaroy where several homes were seriously damaged including the infamous loss of a backyard swimming pool.
Emerging from all this destruction and carnage was an unprecedented swell event delivering huge sphincter-tightening waves with a size and scale never witnessed before on the Northern Beaches. Standouts include the Queenscliff Bombora, Deadmans and Narrabeen as graphically illustrated below.
Ocean waves with surfers and a hillside with houses in the background.
Surfers riding waves in ocean with residential houses on hillside in background.
Surfers riding waves near rocky shoreline, with hillside houses in the background.
Surfers riding large waves off a rocky coastline with houses on a hill in the background.
A person surfing on a large wave near a rocky coastline with houses and trees in the background.
People surfing on large ocean waves near a coastline with houses on a hillside in the background.
Surfing on a large ocean wave near a rocky shoreline with residential houses in the background.
Surfer riding a wave near a rocky coastal shoreline with houses on a hill in the background.
Surfer riding a wave near a rocky coastline with houses on the hillside in the background
Surfing on a large wave near coastal houses and rocky cliffs.
A large ocean wave with a surfer inside it, crashing near a rocky shoreline with houses and trees above.
Surfing in the ocean near the shore with houses on a hillside in the background.
Surfer riding a large wave near rocky coastline with houses and trees on a hillside in the background.
Surfers riding a large wave near a rocky coastline with houses and trees in the background.
Surfers riding a large wave near a rocky shoreline with houses on a hillside in the background.
Surfers riding a large wave near a rocky coastline with houses on the hill in the background.
Surfer riding a large wave near a coastal residential area with houses on the hillside.
Surfer riding a large wave with houses on a cliff in the background.
A surfer riding a wave near the coastline with houses and lush greenery on the hillside in the background.
Surfer riding a large ocean wave near a rocky coastline with residential houses in the background.
Surfer riding a wave near rocky coastline with houses on hill in background.
Surfers riding large waves near a rocky shoreline with houses and trees in the background
Surfer riding a large wave near a rocky coastline with houses and trees in the background.
A surfer riding a wave near a rocky shoreline with houses on a hill in the background
Surfers riding a large wave near a rocky coastline with houses on a hillside in the background.
Surfers riding a large wave near the shoreline with houses and rocky cliffs in the background.
Surfers riding a wave near a rocky shoreline with houses on a hillside in the background.
Surfer riding a wave near the rocky shoreline with houses and trees on the hillside in the background.
Surfer riding a wave near a rocky coastline with houses and trees on a hillside in the background.
People surfing on large ocean waves near rocky shoreline with hillside homes and lush greenery in the background.
People surfing on large waves near a coastline with houses on a hillside in the background.
Surfers riding a wave off the coast with houses and rocky cliffs in the background.
Surfing scene with three surfers riding a wave near a rocky shoreline, with houses and trees on a hillside in the background.
Ocean waves crashing against a rocky coastline with cliffs in the background.
A large ocean wave with a surfer riding inside it, near rocky cliffs and houses on a hillside in the background.
Surfer riding a large wave near a rocky coastline with residential houses on the hilltop in the background.
Large ocean wave with a surfer riding it, near a rocky coastline with residential houses and trees in the background.
Ocean waves crashing near a rocky cliffside with mist rising in the air.
Waves crashing against rocks with large cliffs in the background, mist rising from the water.
Ocean waves crashing near rocky cliffs, with mist and greenery in the background.
Ocean waves crashing near rocky shoreline with steep cliffs and vegetation in the background.
Ocean waves crashing against rocky shoreline with cliff face in the background.
Ocean waves crashing near rocky cliffs with some greenery in the background.
A large ocean wave crashing near a rocky shoreline with cliffs in the background.
Ocean waves crashing against rocky shoreline with tall cliffs in background.
Ocean waves crashing near rocky cliffs with mist and spray rising in the air.
Ocean waves crashing near a rocky coastline with cliffs and green vegetation.
Ocean wave crashing near rocky cliff with sparse vegetation and mist in the background.
Ocean waves crashing near rocky coastline with cliffs in the background.
Surfer riding a large wave with a spray of water in the air, while other surfers wait in the water.
A surfer riding a large ocean wave with white spray and foam, near a rocky coastline and some buildings in the background.
Surfers riding a large wave near the shoreline with trees and houses in the background.
Four surfers riding and sitting on waves near the shoreline with houses and trees in the background.
Four surfers are riding a large wave near the shoreline, with a cityscape and trees in the background.
Four surfers riding a large wave near the shoreline with trees and houses in the background.
Four surfers waiting to ride a large wave in the ocean, with a rocky shoreline and some buildings in the background.
Surfers riding a large wave at the beach.
A group of surfers in wetsuits riding a large, powerful ocean wave near the shoreline, with a rocky and green cliff in the background.
A large ocean wave is about to break with two surfers in the water near the wave, and a person sitting on a surfboard waiting for a wave.
A person surfing on a large wave near a coastal city with multiple residential buildings and lush greenery on the hillside.
A person surfing on a large wave near the coast with residential houses on a hillside in the background.
Surfer riding a large wave near a shoreline with residential buildings in the background.
Surfer riding inside a large wave near a rocky shoreline with houses on the hill in the background.
A surfer riding inside the barrel of a large ocean wave near a beach with a rocky shoreline and residential buildings in the background.
A person surfing on a large wave near a coastal town with multi-story apartments on a hill.
A person surfing a large wave near the shore with multi-story residential buildings in the background.
A person surfing on a large wave near a shoreline with multi-story residential buildings in the background.
A person surfing on a large wave near a shoreline with high-rise residential buildings in the background.
A person surfing a large wave near a rocky shoreline with residential buildings in the background.
A person surfing on a large wave with oceanfront houses in the background.
A person surfing on a large wave near a rocky coastline with colorful house buildings in the background.
A person surfing on a large ocean wave with buildings in the background.
A person surfing on a wave with a beachfront residential area in the background.
A person surfing on a breaking wave near a coastal residential area with houses and cliffs in the background.
A person surfing on a large wave near a rocky coastline and residential buildings on a hill.
Surfer riding a large wave near the shoreline with houses built on a rocky cliff in the background.
A surfer in a black wetsuit riding inside a large ocean wave near a beach, with houses and lush greenery on the hillside in the background.
A person surfing on a large wave near a coastline with residential buildings and trees in the background.
Surfer riding inside a large ocean wave with a city and trees in the background.
A surfer rides inside a large breaking wave near a city with high-rise buildings and trees in the background.
A surfer riding inside the barrel of a large ocean wave with buildings and trees on a hillside in the background.
A person surfing a large wave near the shoreline with buildings and trees in the background.
Two surfers try to ride a large wave near the shoreline, with a hillside of houses and palm trees in the background.
A large ocean wave with a surfer inside the barrel near a coastal residential area with multiple houses, trees, and palm trees.
A person surfing on a wave near a shoreline with residential houses and trees in the background.
A surfer riding a wave near a coast with residential houses and rocky cliffs in the background.
A surfer riding a large wave near a coastal residential area with houses on a cliff in the background.
A person surfing on a large wave near a rocky coastline with residential houses on a hillside in the background.
A person surfing on a large wave near a rocky shoreline with a hillside of modern residential buildings.
A person surfing a large wave near a coastline with residential houses and buildings in the background.
A large ocean wave with surfers riding it, with houses and trees in the background.
A person surfing a large wave in the ocean with another person on a jet ski nearby, and building storm clouds overhead.
A surfer riding inside the barrel of a large wave at the beach, with another person on a jet ski nearby, and a building with antennas in the foreground.
Surfer riding inside a large breaking wave as a person on a jet ski follows behind in the ocean, with a rooftop of a building visible in the foreground.
A surfer riding inside the barrel of a large ocean wave, with another person on a jet ski nearby on the water.
A large ocean wave with surfers and paddleboarders riding it.
A person surfing on a large wave in the ocean, with the sky and distant shore in the background.
A person surfing on a large wave in the ocean, with the wave curling over them and spray in the air.
A surfer riding a large wave in the ocean during daytime.
A person surfing on a large ocean wave with white foam and spray.
A person surfing on a large wave in the ocean.
Two surfers riding large waves in the ocean, one near the crest and the other farther up the wave.
People surfing on large waves at the beach, with one surfer riding a wave and another on a jet ski in the background.
People surfing large ocean waves with a person riding a surfboard and a person paddling on a kayak in the distance.
A person surfing on a large wave in the ocean.
A surfer riding a large wave in the ocean.
A surfer riding inside the barrel of a large ocean wave.
A person surfing on a large, powerful ocean wave with the water curling over them and white spray in the air.
A surfer riding inside the barrel of a large breaking wave in the ocean
A person surfing on a large wave in the ocean.
A surfer riding inside the barrel of a large ocean wave.
A surfer riding inside the barrel of a large ocean wave.
A surfer riding inside the barrel of a large wave in the ocean.
A surfer riding inside the barrel of a large wave in the ocean.
A surfer riding inside a large breaking wave in the ocean.
A person surfing on a large ocean wave.
A person surfing inside a large wave with another person standing on the shore in the distance.
Surfers riding large ocean waves during daytime at the beach.
A surfer riding inside the barrel of a large ocean wave.
A surfer riding inside the barrel of a large ocean wave
A person surfing on a large wave in the ocean during the daytime.
A surfer riding inside a large wave with another person on a paddleboard in the background.
A person surfing on a large ocean wave with mist and whitewater
Multiple surfers riding and waiting for waves in the ocean, with large breaking waves visible.
Multiple surfers riding and waiting for large ocean waves in a gray sea.
Two surfers riding large ocean waves with multiple surfers in the water watching.
A surfer executing an aerial maneuver on a large ocean wave. The ocean is slightly rough with visible waves, and there is a person in the water in the background.
A person surfing on a green wave in the ocean with another person in the water nearby.
A person surfing on a large wave in the ocean.
A person in a wetsuit surfing on a large wave in the ocean.
A person in a wetsuit surf skiing on a large ocean wave during daytime.