Water levels on the Mellte and Sychryd in the Brecons are remaining low at the moment, with very little rain in the South Wales region this past week. The water in the land will have started to dry up a little bit, although with the colder weather there is still a fair bit of water being held. If river levels remain at these levels we'll be running all of our Brecon Beacon based outdoor activities this weekend, including Gorge Walking & Canyoning.
With the current water levels, waterfalls are going to be running inconsistently and the plunge pools will be quite shallow in comparison to other times. This means you will potentially adjust how you are entering the water, particularly if there are any large jumps involved. Whilst the water levels of the rivers are currently low you still need to ensure you are wearing all of the required safety equipment for any outdoor activity - these should include things such as helmets, buoyancy aids, wetsuits and good footwear.
Flashing is an ever present concern on the rivers in South Wales, so it is important you are aware of rainfall in the mountain regions if you are involved with any Gorge Walking or Canyoning activities, particularly in the few hours previous to the start of the activity.
The swell is on it's way back this weekend, with Sunday looking to be around 4ft - 5ft in South Wales. Wind is also picking up into the weekend with some fairly strong gusts expected across both days, in a Southerly and Westerly direction.
These conditions could make any Coasteering activity very difficult, so if you are planning to be Coasteering you need to ensure you have a contingency in place - we're able to offer a wide range of activities so you'll never be left with nothing to do! Saturday will be the most likely day for Coasteering, however you need to judge the wind and swell on the day, and if there are any doubts at all, do not run the activity.
If the conditions are not right for Coasteering, we'll be heading into the Brecon Beacons and taking on some Canyoning, which has all the high jumps and traversing without the coastal conditions to contend with.
Sunday in particular is looking hopeful for some nice surfing conditions. A 4ft - 5ft swell should allow you enjoy yourself without being overwhelming for reasonably experienced surfers.
There could be some strong Southerly and Westerly winds, so heading for some East facing bays, such as Caswell Bay or Oxwich Bay in Swansea or Rest Bay in Porthcawl will provide you with a little protection from the wind.
Those interested in learning to surf should also be able to get out, so long as you are with qualified instructors / lifeguards and find some nice sized waves to practice your skills on.
Another packed weekend of outdoor activities awaits us. Still lot's of Hen Parties and Stag Do's from the Cardiff and Swansea areas visiting us in the Brecon Beacons. We'll be running both our Gorge Walking and Canyoning activities across both days.
We will also be running some more training courses, for both our customers and guides / instructors. These include various levels of the RLSS Water Safety course, a nationally recognised course for managing safety during water based activities and the Emergency First Responder course that teaches the participants key life saving skills.
