East coast low looming for NSW next week, big impacts from wind and rain
These beasts can form quickly and combine moisture and instability in a powerful package. This one is likely to rapidly develop later on Monday or Tuesday.
As we get closer, you may hear terms like 'bombogenesis' or 'rain bomb' or 'explosive cyclogenesis' - they all mean that a low is developing fast and it's going to pack a punch with wind and rain.
Our worst ECLs have sunk bulk carrier ships, and one of them was responsible for the Pasha Bulker running ashore in Newcastle in June 2007 (which stands out in my memory as I was on shift at the bureau at the time).
The key to these is where the low sits.
If it is close to the coast, then those nearby and just to the south have the biggest effects from the wind and rain. Areas well to the south can pick up huge rainfalls, but anywhere north of the low misses out completely, basking in bright sunshine.
If it sits well off the coast, then the effects are less severe, but those on the same latitude as the low and just to the south still have a lot of wind and rain.
The other factor is how long it hangs around for, and how deep or strong the low becomes. The longer they are with us, and the deeper they are, the longer the severe weather lasts... as the rain keeps on coming.
I'm going to walk through what some of the guidance is modelling as of Friday morning, but please keep up to date as this system develops, as the areas in the firing line will be very dependent on where the low moves, how deep it goes, and how long it takes to move away from the coast.
As always, look for consensus across the different models/guidance because when they're all singing a similar tune, and continue to do so from update to update, then we have higher confidence in that outcome.
This guidance is from the Euro model from Friday morning. It has the ECL just northeast of Newcastle on Tuesday night, with a central pressure below 1000hPa.
This puts Newcastle in the firing line, with effects felt through the Central Coast and Sydney.
This has the heaviest rain (for just the one day) at 100mm to 150mm, extending inland to the ranges.
The tight pressure gradient (the lines with numbers line 1000 1002 1004, etc) indicates the wind will be ferocious, and the coastal hazards extreme.
At this stage, all the models are not singing the same tune - some have the low well off the coast, others have it loop-de-looping up off northern NSW, and one has it well off the south coast.
Until we get consistency from the guidance, the effects of this beast remain hard to pin down.
But there is the potential for a big impact, so if you are in eastern NSW, I'd keep a close eye on the guidance as we get closer.
An east coast low (ECL) should form off the NSW coast early next week, bringing the potential for torrential rain, damaging winds, hazardous surf and coastal erosion.
These beasts can form quickly and combine moisture and instability in a powerful package. This one is likely to rapidly develop later on Monday or Tuesday.
As we get closer, you may hear terms like 'bombogenesis' or 'rain bomb' or 'explosive cyclogenesis' - they all mean that a low is developing fast and it's going to pack a punch with wind and rain.
Our worst ECLs have sunk bulk carrier ships, and one of them was responsible for the Pasha Bulker running ashore in Newcastle in June 2007 (which stands out in my memory as I was on shift at the bureau at the time).
The key to these is where the low sits.
If it is close to the coast, then those nearby and just to the south have the biggest effects from the wind and rain. Areas well to the south can pick up huge rainfalls, but anywhere north of the low misses out completely, basking in bright sunshine.
If it sits well off the coast, then the effects are less severe, but those on the same latitude as the low and just to the south still have a lot of wind and rain.
The other factor is how long it hangs around for, and how deep or strong the low becomes. The longer they are with us, and the deeper they are, the longer the severe weather lasts... as the rain keeps on coming.
I'm going to walk through what some of the guidance is modelling as of Friday morning, but please keep up to date as this system develops, as the areas in the firing line will be very dependent on where the low moves, how deep it goes, and how long it takes to move away from the coast.
As always, look for consensus across the different models/guidance because when they're all singing a similar tune, and continue to do so from update to update, then we have higher confidence in that outcome.
This guidance is from the Euro model from Friday morning. It has the ECL just northeast of Newcastle on Tuesday night, with a central pressure below 1000hPa.
This puts Newcastle in the firing line, with effects felt through the Central Coast and Sydney.
This has the heaviest rain (for just the one day) at 100mm to 150mm, extending inland to the ranges.
The tight pressure gradient (the lines with numbers line 1000 1002 1004, etc) indicates the wind will be ferocious, and the coastal hazards extreme.
At this stage, all the models are not singing the same tune - some have the low well off the coast, others have it loop-de-looping up off northern NSW, and one has it well off the south coast.
Until we get consistency from the guidance, the effects of this beast remain hard to pin down.
But there is the potential for a big impact, so if you are in eastern NSW, I'd keep a close eye on the guidance as we get closer.
An east coast low (ECL) should form off the NSW coast early next week, bringing the potential for torrential rain, damaging winds, hazardous surf and coastal erosion.
These beasts can form quickly and combine moisture and instability in a powerful package. This one is likely to rapidly develop later on Monday or Tuesday.
As we get closer, you may hear terms like 'bombogenesis' or 'rain bomb' or 'explosive cyclogenesis' - they all mean that a low is developing fast and it's going to pack a punch with wind and rain.
Our worst ECLs have sunk bulk carrier ships, and one of them was responsible for the Pasha Bulker running ashore in Newcastle in June 2007 (which stands out in my memory as I was on shift at the bureau at the time).
The key to these is where the low sits.
If it is close to the coast, then those nearby and just to the south have the biggest effects from the wind and rain. Areas well to the south can pick up huge rainfalls, but anywhere north of the low misses out completely, basking in bright sunshine.
If it sits well off the coast, then the effects are less severe, but those on the same latitude as the low and just to the south still have a lot of wind and rain.
The other factor is how long it hangs around for, and how deep or strong the low becomes. The longer they are with us, and the deeper they are, the longer the severe weather lasts... as the rain keeps on coming.
I'm going to walk through what some of the guidance is modelling as of Friday morning, but please keep up to date as this system develops, as the areas in the firing line will be very dependent on where the low moves, how deep it goes, and how long it takes to move away from the coast.
As always, look for consensus across the different models/guidance because when they're all singing a similar tune, and continue to do so from update to update, then we have higher confidence in that outcome.
This guidance is from the Euro model from Friday morning. It has the ECL just northeast of Newcastle on Tuesday night, with a central pressure below 1000hPa.
This puts Newcastle in the firing line, with effects felt through the Central Coast and Sydney.
This has the heaviest rain (for just the one day) at 100mm to 150mm, extending inland to the ranges.
The tight pressure gradient (the lines with numbers line 1000 1002 1004, etc) indicates the wind will be ferocious, and the coastal hazards extreme.
At this stage, all the models are not singing the same tune - some have the low well off the coast, others have it loop-de-looping up off northern NSW, and one has it well off the south coast.
Until we get consistency from the guidance, the effects of this beast remain hard to pin down.
But there is the potential for a big impact, so if you are in eastern NSW, I'd keep a close eye on the guidance as we get closer.
An east coast low (ECL) should form off the NSW coast early next week, bringing the potential for torrential rain, damaging winds, hazardous surf and coastal erosion.
These beasts can form quickly and combine moisture and instability in a powerful package. This one is likely to rapidly develop later on Monday or Tuesday.
As we get closer, you may hear terms like 'bombogenesis' or 'rain bomb' or 'explosive cyclogenesis' - they all mean that a low is developing fast and it's going to pack a punch with wind and rain.
Our worst ECLs have sunk bulk carrier ships, and one of them was responsible for the Pasha Bulker running ashore in Newcastle in June 2007 (which stands out in my memory as I was on shift at the bureau at the time).
The key to these is where the low sits.
If it is close to the coast, then those nearby and just to the south have the biggest effects from the wind and rain. Areas well to the south can pick up huge rainfalls, but anywhere north of the low misses out completely, basking in bright sunshine.
If it sits well off the coast, then the effects are less severe, but those on the same latitude as the low and just to the south still have a lot of wind and rain.
The other factor is how long it hangs around for, and how deep or strong the low becomes. The longer they are with us, and the deeper they are, the longer the severe weather lasts... as the rain keeps on coming.
I'm going to walk through what some of the guidance is modelling as of Friday morning, but please keep up to date as this system develops, as the areas in the firing line will be very dependent on where the low moves, how deep it goes, and how long it takes to move away from the coast.
As always, look for consensus across the different models/guidance because when they're all singing a similar tune, and continue to do so from update to update, then we have higher confidence in that outcome.
This guidance is from the Euro model from Friday morning. It has the ECL just northeast of Newcastle on Tuesday night, with a central pressure below 1000hPa.
This puts Newcastle in the firing line, with effects felt through the Central Coast and Sydney.
This has the heaviest rain (for just the one day) at 100mm to 150mm, extending inland to the ranges.
The tight pressure gradient (the lines with numbers line 1000 1002 1004, etc) indicates the wind will be ferocious, and the coastal hazards extreme.
At this stage, all the models are not singing the same tune - some have the low well off the coast, others have it loop-de-looping up off northern NSW, and one has it well off the south coast.
Until we get consistency from the guidance, the effects of this beast remain hard to pin down.
But there is the potential for a big impact, so if you are in eastern NSW, I'd keep a close eye on the guidance as we get closer.
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7NEWS
02-07-2025
- 7NEWS
Jane Bunn explains exactly what a bomb cyclone is after weather event develops off NSW
There have been a lot of scary sounding terms used to describe the East Coast Low off New South Wales. 'Bomb cyclone', 'bombogenesis', 'rain bomb' - all sound very threatening, and involving the word 'bomb'. Let's get to the bottom of this, because the bomb here is very different to something you would see in a war zone. On a weather map you see high's, low's, trough's and cold fronts. These are the features that highlight parts of the pressure pattern (the lines). There are a few easy parts to decipher, like where the pressure lines are well spaced, the wind is light. Then where the pressure lines are close together, the winds increase. You can also tell which way the wind is blowing because our winds travel clockwise around a Low and anti-clockwise around a high. The low off the NSW coast very quickly dropped pressure, so much so that it met the criteria for rapid development of 24hPa in 24 hours. On Sunday night it was very weak on 1014hPa, and by Monday night it was a powerful low on 988hPa. It is now 986hPa. We use the terms High and Low to denote the highest or lowest point of pressure, but the scientific term for these is 'cyclones'. A low is technically a cyclone, and a high is technically an anticyclone. When a low is in the tropics and meets certain criteria it gets the new term 'tropical cyclone' (also known as 'typhoon' or 'hurricane' in other parts of the world). This low off the NSW coast underwent rapid cyclogenesis, which is a rapid development into a deep cyclone. And this rapid development (of 24hPa in 24 hours) is known as explosive cyclogenesis or bomb cyclogenesis - coined by a professor from MIT in the US back in the 1970s. Professor Sanders used the word bomb to describe the explosive element and that is how it is defined in the American Meteorological Society's Glossary, and what you will see it referred to in meteorology textbooks. We get these bomb cyclones often around the globe, most regularly seen out to sea. When they develop near a coastline the effects become significant. One of them in 2007 ran a bulk carrier ship aground in Newcastle, called the Pasha Bulker. I remember this one well, because I was on shift as a forecaster at the weather bureau at the time. Our current beast of a weather system is bringing the typical weather we see when a deep low is located just off the coast. The rain is heaviest near the low and to its south (because our winds travel clockwise around a low). To the north it feels a world away in bright sunshine. Winds are damaging (over 90km/h) to locally destructive (over 125km/h). These beasts stir up the ocean, with hazardous surf and coastal erosion. So, when will it end? The answer is when the low moves away, which is likely to happen later on Wednesday into Thursday.
The Advertiser
27-06-2025
- The Advertiser
East coast low looming for NSW next week, big impacts from wind and rain
An east coast low (ECL) should form off the NSW coast early next week, bringing the potential for torrential rain, damaging winds, hazardous surf and coastal erosion. These beasts can form quickly and combine moisture and instability in a powerful package. This one is likely to rapidly develop later on Monday or Tuesday. As we get closer, you may hear terms like 'bombogenesis' or 'rain bomb' or 'explosive cyclogenesis' - they all mean that a low is developing fast and it's going to pack a punch with wind and rain. Our worst ECLs have sunk bulk carrier ships, and one of them was responsible for the Pasha Bulker running ashore in Newcastle in June 2007 (which stands out in my memory as I was on shift at the bureau at the time). The key to these is where the low sits. If it is close to the coast, then those nearby and just to the south have the biggest effects from the wind and rain. Areas well to the south can pick up huge rainfalls, but anywhere north of the low misses out completely, basking in bright sunshine. If it sits well off the coast, then the effects are less severe, but those on the same latitude as the low and just to the south still have a lot of wind and rain. The other factor is how long it hangs around for, and how deep or strong the low becomes. The longer they are with us, and the deeper they are, the longer the severe weather lasts... as the rain keeps on coming. I'm going to walk through what some of the guidance is modelling as of Friday morning, but please keep up to date as this system develops, as the areas in the firing line will be very dependent on where the low moves, how deep it goes, and how long it takes to move away from the coast. As always, look for consensus across the different models/guidance because when they're all singing a similar tune, and continue to do so from update to update, then we have higher confidence in that outcome. This guidance is from the Euro model from Friday morning. It has the ECL just northeast of Newcastle on Tuesday night, with a central pressure below 1000hPa. This puts Newcastle in the firing line, with effects felt through the Central Coast and Sydney. This has the heaviest rain (for just the one day) at 100mm to 150mm, extending inland to the ranges. The tight pressure gradient (the lines with numbers line 1000 1002 1004, etc) indicates the wind will be ferocious, and the coastal hazards extreme. At this stage, all the models are not singing the same tune - some have the low well off the coast, others have it loop-de-looping up off northern NSW, and one has it well off the south coast. Until we get consistency from the guidance, the effects of this beast remain hard to pin down. But there is the potential for a big impact, so if you are in eastern NSW, I'd keep a close eye on the guidance as we get closer. An east coast low (ECL) should form off the NSW coast early next week, bringing the potential for torrential rain, damaging winds, hazardous surf and coastal erosion. These beasts can form quickly and combine moisture and instability in a powerful package. This one is likely to rapidly develop later on Monday or Tuesday. As we get closer, you may hear terms like 'bombogenesis' or 'rain bomb' or 'explosive cyclogenesis' - they all mean that a low is developing fast and it's going to pack a punch with wind and rain. Our worst ECLs have sunk bulk carrier ships, and one of them was responsible for the Pasha Bulker running ashore in Newcastle in June 2007 (which stands out in my memory as I was on shift at the bureau at the time). The key to these is where the low sits. If it is close to the coast, then those nearby and just to the south have the biggest effects from the wind and rain. Areas well to the south can pick up huge rainfalls, but anywhere north of the low misses out completely, basking in bright sunshine. If it sits well off the coast, then the effects are less severe, but those on the same latitude as the low and just to the south still have a lot of wind and rain. The other factor is how long it hangs around for, and how deep or strong the low becomes. The longer they are with us, and the deeper they are, the longer the severe weather lasts... as the rain keeps on coming. I'm going to walk through what some of the guidance is modelling as of Friday morning, but please keep up to date as this system develops, as the areas in the firing line will be very dependent on where the low moves, how deep it goes, and how long it takes to move away from the coast. As always, look for consensus across the different models/guidance because when they're all singing a similar tune, and continue to do so from update to update, then we have higher confidence in that outcome. This guidance is from the Euro model from Friday morning. It has the ECL just northeast of Newcastle on Tuesday night, with a central pressure below 1000hPa. This puts Newcastle in the firing line, with effects felt through the Central Coast and Sydney. This has the heaviest rain (for just the one day) at 100mm to 150mm, extending inland to the ranges. The tight pressure gradient (the lines with numbers line 1000 1002 1004, etc) indicates the wind will be ferocious, and the coastal hazards extreme. At this stage, all the models are not singing the same tune - some have the low well off the coast, others have it loop-de-looping up off northern NSW, and one has it well off the south coast. Until we get consistency from the guidance, the effects of this beast remain hard to pin down. But there is the potential for a big impact, so if you are in eastern NSW, I'd keep a close eye on the guidance as we get closer. An east coast low (ECL) should form off the NSW coast early next week, bringing the potential for torrential rain, damaging winds, hazardous surf and coastal erosion. These beasts can form quickly and combine moisture and instability in a powerful package. This one is likely to rapidly develop later on Monday or Tuesday. As we get closer, you may hear terms like 'bombogenesis' or 'rain bomb' or 'explosive cyclogenesis' - they all mean that a low is developing fast and it's going to pack a punch with wind and rain. Our worst ECLs have sunk bulk carrier ships, and one of them was responsible for the Pasha Bulker running ashore in Newcastle in June 2007 (which stands out in my memory as I was on shift at the bureau at the time). The key to these is where the low sits. If it is close to the coast, then those nearby and just to the south have the biggest effects from the wind and rain. Areas well to the south can pick up huge rainfalls, but anywhere north of the low misses out completely, basking in bright sunshine. If it sits well off the coast, then the effects are less severe, but those on the same latitude as the low and just to the south still have a lot of wind and rain. The other factor is how long it hangs around for, and how deep or strong the low becomes. The longer they are with us, and the deeper they are, the longer the severe weather lasts... as the rain keeps on coming. I'm going to walk through what some of the guidance is modelling as of Friday morning, but please keep up to date as this system develops, as the areas in the firing line will be very dependent on where the low moves, how deep it goes, and how long it takes to move away from the coast. As always, look for consensus across the different models/guidance because when they're all singing a similar tune, and continue to do so from update to update, then we have higher confidence in that outcome. This guidance is from the Euro model from Friday morning. It has the ECL just northeast of Newcastle on Tuesday night, with a central pressure below 1000hPa. This puts Newcastle in the firing line, with effects felt through the Central Coast and Sydney. This has the heaviest rain (for just the one day) at 100mm to 150mm, extending inland to the ranges. The tight pressure gradient (the lines with numbers line 1000 1002 1004, etc) indicates the wind will be ferocious, and the coastal hazards extreme. At this stage, all the models are not singing the same tune - some have the low well off the coast, others have it loop-de-looping up off northern NSW, and one has it well off the south coast. Until we get consistency from the guidance, the effects of this beast remain hard to pin down. But there is the potential for a big impact, so if you are in eastern NSW, I'd keep a close eye on the guidance as we get closer. An east coast low (ECL) should form off the NSW coast early next week, bringing the potential for torrential rain, damaging winds, hazardous surf and coastal erosion. These beasts can form quickly and combine moisture and instability in a powerful package. This one is likely to rapidly develop later on Monday or Tuesday. As we get closer, you may hear terms like 'bombogenesis' or 'rain bomb' or 'explosive cyclogenesis' - they all mean that a low is developing fast and it's going to pack a punch with wind and rain. Our worst ECLs have sunk bulk carrier ships, and one of them was responsible for the Pasha Bulker running ashore in Newcastle in June 2007 (which stands out in my memory as I was on shift at the bureau at the time). The key to these is where the low sits. If it is close to the coast, then those nearby and just to the south have the biggest effects from the wind and rain. Areas well to the south can pick up huge rainfalls, but anywhere north of the low misses out completely, basking in bright sunshine. If it sits well off the coast, then the effects are less severe, but those on the same latitude as the low and just to the south still have a lot of wind and rain. The other factor is how long it hangs around for, and how deep or strong the low becomes. The longer they are with us, and the deeper they are, the longer the severe weather lasts... as the rain keeps on coming. I'm going to walk through what some of the guidance is modelling as of Friday morning, but please keep up to date as this system develops, as the areas in the firing line will be very dependent on where the low moves, how deep it goes, and how long it takes to move away from the coast. As always, look for consensus across the different models/guidance because when they're all singing a similar tune, and continue to do so from update to update, then we have higher confidence in that outcome. This guidance is from the Euro model from Friday morning. It has the ECL just northeast of Newcastle on Tuesday night, with a central pressure below 1000hPa. This puts Newcastle in the firing line, with effects felt through the Central Coast and Sydney. This has the heaviest rain (for just the one day) at 100mm to 150mm, extending inland to the ranges. The tight pressure gradient (the lines with numbers line 1000 1002 1004, etc) indicates the wind will be ferocious, and the coastal hazards extreme. At this stage, all the models are not singing the same tune - some have the low well off the coast, others have it loop-de-looping up off northern NSW, and one has it well off the south coast. Until we get consistency from the guidance, the effects of this beast remain hard to pin down. But there is the potential for a big impact, so if you are in eastern NSW, I'd keep a close eye on the guidance as we get closer.
The Advertiser
07-06-2025
- The Advertiser
The photos that captured a disaster: 18 years on from the Pasha Bulker storm
Ask any local on the street and chances are they'll tell you where they were on June 8, 2007 when the massive 76,000-tonne Pasha Bulker ran aground on Nobbys Beach in a wild tempest of fierce seas, roaring gale winds, and pounding rain. That month is still one of the wettest on record for Newcastle, as nearly half a metre of rain fell over Nobbys Head, eclipsing the Bureau of Meteorology's 161-year average for the month over four times over. The city had woken up to a rotten morning. The beaches were pummelled by a merciless swell, whipped under tearing winds and a pouring rain. Veteran newsman Greg Wendt was waiting in the gale for his morning coffee at the Merewether Surf Club when he caught word of a ship might have been in trouble off the coast. As he made his way into work at the Newcastle Herald offices, the phones were ringing off the hook. The Pasha Bulker had been fighting her way up the coast, battered by a 10-metre swell. The ship was unloaded and sitting high in the water, and her captain was fighting hard to get the propeller to find purchase. By the time Wendt arrived on the waterside with photographer David Wicks, the untethered ship was floundering. "The captain of the ship was trying to reverse it and then jerk the bow into the teeth of the storm, so he was reversing down towards Nobbys," Wendt reported for the paper on the 10th anniversary of the storm. "There is a great shot that (former Herald photographer Darren Pateman) got of the Pasha Bulker being hit by a wave and was bent almost over the rocks at the Cowrie Hole. "I thought that's where it is going to end up. But it kept going in reverse towards Nobbys at a rate of knots. "This wave just swamped it and all you could see was a bit of the funnel and a little bit of the bow and then it disappeared in the murk towards Nobbys.'' The ship ultimately ran aground on Nobbys Beach as its crew sheltered together inside the swaying 225-metre vessel, before they were rescued from the deck by a pair of Westpac Rescue Helicopters. Notably among them, crewman Greg Ramplin, who could be seen descending into the tempest's teeth countless times to winch the crew to safety, and veteran lifeguard Warren Smith who leapt on board a jet ski with a few fellow surf life savers to brave the ocean and patrol from the water. After 90 minutes, the extraordinary rescue - which continues to be lauded as one of the great maritime operations - was over. Ramplin collapsed, utterly spent, on the sodden turf outside the surf club. The dramatic events of June 8 preceded more than a year of investigation and scrutiny by the national transport watchdog, which finally found the bulk of blame for the grounding rested on the ship's master, who either failed or didn't properly understand how to ballast the ship for bad weather. The investigation, which prompted significant changes to the Port of Newcastle's arrival and vessel queuing protocols, found that most of the 27 ships, including the Pasha Bulker, that had tried to ride out the storm in the port's coal queue dragged anchors in the gale before the Pasha's master attempted to haul anchor and adjust the ship's course ultimately leading to the grounding just after 9am. "A number of masters did not appropriately ballast their ships," investigators concluded in 2008, among a litany of findings and recommendations. "It was also found that the substantial ship queue increased the risks in the anchorage and resulted in another near grounding, a near collision and a number of close-quarters situations at the time." The Japanese-owned ship was renamed Drake for a time, and then Anthea in 2018, and was last reported to be off the coast of Brazil this week en route to the Port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. Ask any local on the street and chances are they'll tell you where they were on June 8, 2007 when the massive 76,000-tonne Pasha Bulker ran aground on Nobbys Beach in a wild tempest of fierce seas, roaring gale winds, and pounding rain. That month is still one of the wettest on record for Newcastle, as nearly half a metre of rain fell over Nobbys Head, eclipsing the Bureau of Meteorology's 161-year average for the month over four times over. The city had woken up to a rotten morning. The beaches were pummelled by a merciless swell, whipped under tearing winds and a pouring rain. Veteran newsman Greg Wendt was waiting in the gale for his morning coffee at the Merewether Surf Club when he caught word of a ship might have been in trouble off the coast. As he made his way into work at the Newcastle Herald offices, the phones were ringing off the hook. The Pasha Bulker had been fighting her way up the coast, battered by a 10-metre swell. The ship was unloaded and sitting high in the water, and her captain was fighting hard to get the propeller to find purchase. By the time Wendt arrived on the waterside with photographer David Wicks, the untethered ship was floundering. "The captain of the ship was trying to reverse it and then jerk the bow into the teeth of the storm, so he was reversing down towards Nobbys," Wendt reported for the paper on the 10th anniversary of the storm. "There is a great shot that (former Herald photographer Darren Pateman) got of the Pasha Bulker being hit by a wave and was bent almost over the rocks at the Cowrie Hole. "I thought that's where it is going to end up. But it kept going in reverse towards Nobbys at a rate of knots. "This wave just swamped it and all you could see was a bit of the funnel and a little bit of the bow and then it disappeared in the murk towards Nobbys.'' The ship ultimately ran aground on Nobbys Beach as its crew sheltered together inside the swaying 225-metre vessel, before they were rescued from the deck by a pair of Westpac Rescue Helicopters. Notably among them, crewman Greg Ramplin, who could be seen descending into the tempest's teeth countless times to winch the crew to safety, and veteran lifeguard Warren Smith who leapt on board a jet ski with a few fellow surf life savers to brave the ocean and patrol from the water. After 90 minutes, the extraordinary rescue - which continues to be lauded as one of the great maritime operations - was over. Ramplin collapsed, utterly spent, on the sodden turf outside the surf club. The dramatic events of June 8 preceded more than a year of investigation and scrutiny by the national transport watchdog, which finally found the bulk of blame for the grounding rested on the ship's master, who either failed or didn't properly understand how to ballast the ship for bad weather. The investigation, which prompted significant changes to the Port of Newcastle's arrival and vessel queuing protocols, found that most of the 27 ships, including the Pasha Bulker, that had tried to ride out the storm in the port's coal queue dragged anchors in the gale before the Pasha's master attempted to haul anchor and adjust the ship's course ultimately leading to the grounding just after 9am. "A number of masters did not appropriately ballast their ships," investigators concluded in 2008, among a litany of findings and recommendations. "It was also found that the substantial ship queue increased the risks in the anchorage and resulted in another near grounding, a near collision and a number of close-quarters situations at the time." The Japanese-owned ship was renamed Drake for a time, and then Anthea in 2018, and was last reported to be off the coast of Brazil this week en route to the Port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. Ask any local on the street and chances are they'll tell you where they were on June 8, 2007 when the massive 76,000-tonne Pasha Bulker ran aground on Nobbys Beach in a wild tempest of fierce seas, roaring gale winds, and pounding rain. That month is still one of the wettest on record for Newcastle, as nearly half a metre of rain fell over Nobbys Head, eclipsing the Bureau of Meteorology's 161-year average for the month over four times over. The city had woken up to a rotten morning. The beaches were pummelled by a merciless swell, whipped under tearing winds and a pouring rain. Veteran newsman Greg Wendt was waiting in the gale for his morning coffee at the Merewether Surf Club when he caught word of a ship might have been in trouble off the coast. As he made his way into work at the Newcastle Herald offices, the phones were ringing off the hook. The Pasha Bulker had been fighting her way up the coast, battered by a 10-metre swell. The ship was unloaded and sitting high in the water, and her captain was fighting hard to get the propeller to find purchase. By the time Wendt arrived on the waterside with photographer David Wicks, the untethered ship was floundering. "The captain of the ship was trying to reverse it and then jerk the bow into the teeth of the storm, so he was reversing down towards Nobbys," Wendt reported for the paper on the 10th anniversary of the storm. "There is a great shot that (former Herald photographer Darren Pateman) got of the Pasha Bulker being hit by a wave and was bent almost over the rocks at the Cowrie Hole. "I thought that's where it is going to end up. But it kept going in reverse towards Nobbys at a rate of knots. "This wave just swamped it and all you could see was a bit of the funnel and a little bit of the bow and then it disappeared in the murk towards Nobbys.'' The ship ultimately ran aground on Nobbys Beach as its crew sheltered together inside the swaying 225-metre vessel, before they were rescued from the deck by a pair of Westpac Rescue Helicopters. Notably among them, crewman Greg Ramplin, who could be seen descending into the tempest's teeth countless times to winch the crew to safety, and veteran lifeguard Warren Smith who leapt on board a jet ski with a few fellow surf life savers to brave the ocean and patrol from the water. After 90 minutes, the extraordinary rescue - which continues to be lauded as one of the great maritime operations - was over. Ramplin collapsed, utterly spent, on the sodden turf outside the surf club. The dramatic events of June 8 preceded more than a year of investigation and scrutiny by the national transport watchdog, which finally found the bulk of blame for the grounding rested on the ship's master, who either failed or didn't properly understand how to ballast the ship for bad weather. The investigation, which prompted significant changes to the Port of Newcastle's arrival and vessel queuing protocols, found that most of the 27 ships, including the Pasha Bulker, that had tried to ride out the storm in the port's coal queue dragged anchors in the gale before the Pasha's master attempted to haul anchor and adjust the ship's course ultimately leading to the grounding just after 9am. "A number of masters did not appropriately ballast their ships," investigators concluded in 2008, among a litany of findings and recommendations. "It was also found that the substantial ship queue increased the risks in the anchorage and resulted in another near grounding, a near collision and a number of close-quarters situations at the time." The Japanese-owned ship was renamed Drake for a time, and then Anthea in 2018, and was last reported to be off the coast of Brazil this week en route to the Port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. Ask any local on the street and chances are they'll tell you where they were on June 8, 2007 when the massive 76,000-tonne Pasha Bulker ran aground on Nobbys Beach in a wild tempest of fierce seas, roaring gale winds, and pounding rain. That month is still one of the wettest on record for Newcastle, as nearly half a metre of rain fell over Nobbys Head, eclipsing the Bureau of Meteorology's 161-year average for the month over four times over. The city had woken up to a rotten morning. The beaches were pummelled by a merciless swell, whipped under tearing winds and a pouring rain. Veteran newsman Greg Wendt was waiting in the gale for his morning coffee at the Merewether Surf Club when he caught word of a ship might have been in trouble off the coast. As he made his way into work at the Newcastle Herald offices, the phones were ringing off the hook. The Pasha Bulker had been fighting her way up the coast, battered by a 10-metre swell. The ship was unloaded and sitting high in the water, and her captain was fighting hard to get the propeller to find purchase. By the time Wendt arrived on the waterside with photographer David Wicks, the untethered ship was floundering. "The captain of the ship was trying to reverse it and then jerk the bow into the teeth of the storm, so he was reversing down towards Nobbys," Wendt reported for the paper on the 10th anniversary of the storm. "There is a great shot that (former Herald photographer Darren Pateman) got of the Pasha Bulker being hit by a wave and was bent almost over the rocks at the Cowrie Hole. "I thought that's where it is going to end up. But it kept going in reverse towards Nobbys at a rate of knots. "This wave just swamped it and all you could see was a bit of the funnel and a little bit of the bow and then it disappeared in the murk towards Nobbys.'' The ship ultimately ran aground on Nobbys Beach as its crew sheltered together inside the swaying 225-metre vessel, before they were rescued from the deck by a pair of Westpac Rescue Helicopters. Notably among them, crewman Greg Ramplin, who could be seen descending into the tempest's teeth countless times to winch the crew to safety, and veteran lifeguard Warren Smith who leapt on board a jet ski with a few fellow surf life savers to brave the ocean and patrol from the water. After 90 minutes, the extraordinary rescue - which continues to be lauded as one of the great maritime operations - was over. Ramplin collapsed, utterly spent, on the sodden turf outside the surf club. The dramatic events of June 8 preceded more than a year of investigation and scrutiny by the national transport watchdog, which finally found the bulk of blame for the grounding rested on the ship's master, who either failed or didn't properly understand how to ballast the ship for bad weather. The investigation, which prompted significant changes to the Port of Newcastle's arrival and vessel queuing protocols, found that most of the 27 ships, including the Pasha Bulker, that had tried to ride out the storm in the port's coal queue dragged anchors in the gale before the Pasha's master attempted to haul anchor and adjust the ship's course ultimately leading to the grounding just after 9am. "A number of masters did not appropriately ballast their ships," investigators concluded in 2008, among a litany of findings and recommendations. "It was also found that the substantial ship queue increased the risks in the anchorage and resulted in another near grounding, a near collision and a number of close-quarters situations at the time." The Japanese-owned ship was renamed Drake for a time, and then Anthea in 2018, and was last reported to be off the coast of Brazil this week en route to the Port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.
