Wave warriors, Alex Tibbitts - 2nd January 2008
(Credit: The Sydney Morning Herald)

Most Sydney beaches were closed for a second day as huge waves continued to pound the coast yesterday.

It was perfect beach weather for the first day of the year but the low-pressure cell that has battered south-east Queensland continued to affect the NSW coast. Most of the state's beaches north of Sydney were closed as the three-metre waves rolled in.

Of Sydney's city beaches, only Bondi, Coogee and the protected Clovelly were opened, according to Surf Life Saving NSW, leaving surfers to try to master the treacherous conditions at Tamarama and Maroubra. Wanda and Elouera were open in the south, while the only northern beaches patrolled were Freshwater, North Curl Curl, Mona Vale, Bungan and Newport.

Between Broken Bay and the Queensland border only 24 beaches were able to open.

"In Sydney, waves have been up to three metres at their peak," the Surf Life Saving NSW spokesman, Brett Moore, said yesterday. "On the North Coast waves have been a little over three metres but with more consistent, bigger, regular sets.

"At Bondi today you'd think it was not too bad but then one massive set would roll in."

Mr Moore said the big seas were expected to continue for the rest of the week but more beaches would be opened.

Few problems had been caused by beachgoers not obeying lifeguards, he said.

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Bondi Beach