Cyclone Alfred’s impending arrival may have been delayed, but the coast is already feeling his fury. Despite the warnings to stay inside, thousands of Gold Coasters headed to the beach to get glimpse of what could be a once-in-a-lifetime swell. Authorities are now threatening huge fines for people who refuse to get out of the ocean.
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00:00Sunshine beat down on a striking Gold Coast morning, masking the imminent danger inching
00:07towards the mainland.
00:08All this chaos, but yet we're just waiting in trepidation to see what actually comes
00:14of it.
00:15With no school and no work, massive crowds were drawn to witness Mother Nature at her
00:19most ferocious.
00:20I've been here about 15 years and never seen it like this, it's crazy.
00:24It's rough, it looks angry, yeah, it's another level.
00:30Families lapping up the outdoor freedom.
00:32It's hard with two three-year-olds to just stay at home all day, so here we are.
00:37Before the window closes and it's time to bunker down.
00:40Make the most of it before we're stuck inside for the next three days.
00:43While breathtaking for spectators, the power surging beneath is not to be underestimated.
00:52I'm just staggered that people would be so stupid.
00:56By afternoon the rain had set in and conditions are only expected to get more dangerous as
01:02tropical cyclone Alfred bears down.
01:04So our threat will start to begin from tonight, escalate into tomorrow, into Saturday and
01:10likely not ease until late Saturday evening or into Sunday.
01:14While authorities recognise this massive swell is exciting to witness, it's now too dangerous
01:19to be near the ocean.
01:21Authorities say because the city is under a disaster declaration, they have the power
01:25to hand out $16,000 fines to anyone caught acting recklessly.
01:29We've had situations where sand has given away, the beach has given away, while people
01:34are walking on it.
01:35You've all seen the footage, it is dangerous.
01:38Those big seas led this cruise ship to delay its arrival into Brisbane.
01:41A decision was made to actually extend the cruise by another three days.
01:47We are concerned about what we'll find when we get home.
01:50A sentiment being echoed across the region.