Selfie ban: Cyclone watchers are urged not to take pictures of wild storms as the Queensland coast is battered by Oma
- Cyclone watchers have been warned against selfies in treacherous Cyclone Oma
- Authorities have warned locals fearing they could end up in dangerous situation
- Amateur photographers continue to gather to capture the terrifying conditions
Cyclone watchers have been warned against selfies, as authorities plead with people not to take pictures during the while storms battering Queensland.
Tropical Cyclone Oma has continued its steady course close to Australia's east coast, lashing south-east Queensland and far northern New South Wales.
But in the midst of its gale-force winds, storm chasers have been urged to avoid 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.
Cyclone watchers have been warned against selfies, as authorities plead with people not to take pictures during the while storms battering Queensland
Tropical Cyclone Oma has continued its steady course close to Australia's east coast, lashing south-east Queensland and far northern New South Wales
But in the midst of its gale-force winds, storm chasers have been urged to avoid indulging in a memorable selfie
'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.'
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The thoroughly modern plea comes as Queensland's most famous beaches face their worst erosion threat in decades due to ferocious winds and huge waves.
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.
'The last thing we need to be doing is coordinating a rescue because someone has been washed off a rock wall or the seaway,' said local authorities
Lifeguards have closed all beaches on the Gold Coast, with wave heights expected to reach six metres on Friday
'[It will turn] towards the north-west on the weekend. What happens beyond this remains difficult to figure out,' Weatherzone's Ben Domensino said.
Lifeguards have closed all beaches on the Gold Coast, with wave heights expected to reach six metres on Friday.
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.
There are more than a dozen possible paths the system could take, with Brisbane and the Gold Coast potentially right in the firing line
'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.'
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.
The dangerous conditions and warnings to stay out of the water haven't fazed surfers, who were pictured tackling incredible waves on Thursday.
The Bureau of Meteorology warned south-east Queensland residents to be aware of current warnings amid the dangerous conditions.
People in the cyclone watch zone have been urged to think about what preparations they might need to make as the cyclone threat continues to increase.
