Beach Number:

nsw095

Includes Beaches:

Emerald

State/Region:

NSW - Emerald Beach

Post Code:

2456

General Beach Hazard Rating:

6/10 (Moderately hazardous)

Beach

Emerald Beach (NSW 95) takes its name from the residential subdivision located in lee of the southern Dammerels Head. The beach is 800 m long and faces east-southeast, curving south between Diggers Point and Dammerels Head. Access is provided at the southern end where a park, picnic area and amenities back the beach, and from Diggers Point at the north end. This is a popular, patrolled beach lying just off the Pacific Highway. However swimmers still need to exercise caution. The beach receives some protection from Dammerels Head, however its east-southeast orientation, the two headlands and a reef toward the southern end result in four permanent rips against the headland and rocks, in addition to shifting beach rips. Therefore stay in the southern patrolled area in front of the park.

Swimming

Fiddamans and Emerald are both rip-dominated, with the patrolled southern end of Emerald the best place to swim. Shelly has lower waves but is unpatrolled.

Surfing

Fiddamans and Emerald are both well exposed to southerly waves and offer beach breaks, together with a southern lefthand reef break at Emerald.

Fishing

The three beaches offer a number of deep permanent gutters against each headland and persistent gutters up the exposed beaches, as well as rock fishing.

General

At Bare Bluff the shoreline turns and trends to the southeast to Dammerels Head, with the next three beaches (NSW 94-96) occupying the 2.5 km of coast, each separated by prominent headlands.