Australia Weather News

Opportunistic surfers have taken advantage of rare conditions whipped up by a passing cyclone off northern Western Australia.

Tropical Cyclone Sean peaked at category four strength as it tracked adjacent to the WA coast last week.

The system, which remained offshore, dropped more than 270 millimetres of rain in the Pilbara city of Karratha and created tidal surges along the coast.

While the surges worried emergency officials, they also presented a rare opportunity for the region's surfers, who are often left to rely on storm systems for decent swell.

In Carnarvon, 900 kilometres north of Perth, residents flocked to Pelican Point to enjoy the waves.

Local surfing club president Pom Hibbert said surfers were on the beach from early morning as the cyclone passed by, eager to capitalise on the opportunity.

"It's a real novelty for us," Mr Hibbert said.

"It's not very often that it happens out here. This is probably only my third time that I've surfed it."

Carnarvon surfers often must drive more than an hour along 4WD tracks to reach reliable breaks at Red Bluff and Gnaraloo Station.

Mr Hibbert said the excitement of surfing so close to home outweighed any nerves about exposing himself to the strong winds.

"I know one of the previous [cyclones] we had a big river [overflow] too," he said. 

"That was a bit dangerous because we had lots of trees and stuff in the breaks."

A rare photo opportunity

The normally flat waters at Dampier, 1,500 kilometres north of Perth, were also transformed as Cyclone Sean passed. 

Local photographer Heather Osborne was brainstorming ideas for interesting cyclone shots when she remembered a story about a small island in Dampier harbour.

"I had heard a little bit of a break comes up at Sam's Island when there's a cyclone," Ms Osborne said.

"So I was monitoring Facebook during the cyclone... and I saw there was some people out there surfing. So I grabbed my telephoto lens and went for a look.

"It's the first time I've ever seen people out surfing out there."

Seasonal forecasts suggest there could be more opportunities to come for Pilbara surfers to catch some good breaks.

The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted the north-western sub-region, which includes the Pilbara coast, will likely experience four more cyclones from now until April 30.