by msw » Thu 24 Jun, 2021 11:59 pm
I've paddled sea kayaks from Cockle Creek into New River Lagoon twice. I had been looking out for a big high-pressure system over the state for a while to enable it - and waiting for the swells to be as small as possible because Prion Beach seems to get bigger surf than the surrounding beaches. I've landed at Rocky Boat Inlet and Little Deadmans Bay when it was way too big to land at Prion Beach. You might get into Prion Beach - but you need to be able to leave again.
On my second visit, I surfed up into the river ok but the weather turned while I was at PB and I was stuck waiting at the Prion Beach camp for a further few days until I was lucky enough to get out through the big surf again. On the previous days I'd tried to get out and was hammered in the surf when I was nearly out on a few occasions & the damaged kayak was washed back to the beach and I was swimming in for quite a while. It wasn't fun.
It takes a lot of waiting & luck to get conditions that allow you to get into the lagoon & back out again safely.
If you are in a boat, the most appropriate craft would be a surf life saving IRB (ducky) to deal with the surf - but it's a fair trip from Cockle Creek.
best wishes
matt.