Two thrill-seeking surfers have exchanged blows in the water after they fought over an enormous wave brought on from Cyclone Oma.
Video footage showed the two men sharing a huge wave along a beach at Kirra in the Gold Coast on Friday.
After their surfboards nearly crossed paths, the wave took the pair of surfers under the water.
Video footage showed the two men sharing a huge wave along a beach at Kirra in the Gold Coast on Friday
As they came back to the surface, one of the men went to throw a punch at the other one, the 9 News footage shows.
Under a volley of punches, the man sinks back and even has to duck his head back under the water to avoid the blows.
The scuffle in the water comes even though residents along parts of the Queensland and NSW coasts have been warned to stay away from beaches as gale force winds whip up metre high waves.
Already waves off the Sunshine Coast have been measured as high as 13 metres.
The wild weather is feared to hold up throughout the week due to Cyclone Oma.
Two thrill-seeking surfers have exchanged blows in the water after they fought over an enormous wave brought on from Cyclone Oma
At this stage the cyclone has been downgraded to a category one system and is not expected to make landfall.
Most computer models suggest Oma will get within 500km of south-east Queensland by Saturday, but the storm, dubbed ‘Omageddon’ on social media, remains highly unpredictable.
‘[It will turn] towards the north-west on the weekend. What happens beyond this remains difficult to figure out,’ Weatherzone’s Ben Domensino said.
The Bureau of Meteorology has cancelled tropical cyclone flood watches, but will continue to track its movements.
‘We will certainly continue to keep a close eye on this cyclone, until it no longer poses a threat,’ BoM Queensland state manager Bruce Gunn said.
Despite the weaker state of the weather system, beaches along parts of the Queensland and and far northern NSW coasts have been closed (pictured, crowds watch huge waves and surfers at Snapper Rocks on Thursday)
A hazardous surf warning is in place from the Capricornia Coast right down to the New South Wales border 750km away, with huge swells of up to eight metres and abnormally high tides set to pummel the coast in the coming days (pictured, sand is blown while women take photographs at a beach on the Gold Coast)
Despite the weaker state of the weather system, beaches along parts of the Queensland and and far northern NSW coasts have been closed.
A hazardous surf warning is in place from the Capricornia Coast right down to the New South Wales border 750km away, with huge swells of up to eight metres and abnormally high tides set to pummel the coast in the coming days.
Surf forecaster Ben Macartney said king tides and the relentless thrashing of Queensland’s coast will spark the worst erosion in recent memory.
‘It’s phenomenal really. We are looking at an exceptional swell event,’ Mr Macartney told The Courier Mail.
‘It’s going to get more chaotic and there will be a lot of water movement and damage to the coastline. It is easily our most severe erosion event in decades.’
While the freak weather is enough to keep most people in doors, storm chasers have been urged to avoid going outside and indulging in a memorable selfie.
Local Disaster Management chair Tom Tate warned amateur photographers who continue to gather at sand banks and rock walls along the coast to capture the terrifying conditions.
Surf forecaster Ben Macartney said king tides and the relentless thrashing of Queensland’s coast will spark the worst erosion in recent memory (pictured, a woman contends with gale force winds as she tries to hold her hair down on a beach at the Gold Coast)
Local Disaster Management chair Tom Tate warned amateur photographers who continue to gather at sand banks and rock walls along the coast to capture the terrifying conditions (pictured, man struggles to stay on his feet as wind rips through a beach at the Gold Coast)
‘Our emergency services staff, including City officers and the State Government, are making early preparations for any impact Cyclone Oma may have on our coastline,’ he said.
‘The last thing we need to be doing is coordinating a rescue because someone has been washed off a rock wall or the seaway. The message is simple: stay away.
‘Don’t put your life at risk, and the lives of the rescuers, just because you wanted to get a selfie of the waves off our coast. It isn’t worth it.’
Cruise firm operators have also had to re-route ships to alter schedules.
Passengers on P&O’s Pacific Dawn were supposed to arrive in Brisbane on Saturday, but are now waiting in sunny New Caledonia until the weather eases up.
They experienced rough seas for the first three days of their cruise, which Ms Murnane said resulted in lots of sick people and a few injuries.
‘We have noticed a fair few people getting off the boat today with their suitcases. So I’m assuming they are flying home,’ passenger Nakayla Murnane said.
Passengers on P&O’s Pacific Dawn (pictured) were supposed to arrive in Brisbane on Saturday, but are now waiting in sunny New Caledonia until the weather eases up (pictured the Pacific Dawn)
The Pacific Dawn was originally unable to dock in Noumea as per their itinerary, but due to the wild weather they’re now spending 11 hours in the New Caledonia capital
A cruise ship has been left stranded and passengers will have to stay another night at sea to avoid wild weather
The Pacific Dawn was originally unable to dock in Noumea as per their itinerary, but due to the wild weather they’re now spending 11 hours in the New Caledonia capital.
Ms Murnane said the ship’s captain was taking the necessary precautions and keeping all those onboard updated.
‘We’re experiencing five metre swells just outside of New Caledonia,’ Ms Murnane said.
‘Right now we are docked in Noumea until tonight. We haven’t had a captain update since yesterday afternoon.’
Ms Murnane said passengers have been told the earliest they will arrive in Brisbane in Tuesday, extending their trip by three days.
‘P&O have become accommodating, have given the boat free internet to contact insurances and family,’ the mother-of-two said.
‘They have extended all drink packages free of charge and they have told us that any claims our insurance won’t cover they will try and assist with the costs.’