MASSIVE swells that inundated Newcastle Ocean Baths left tradespeople scratching their heads when they arrived to a swamped work site on Wednesday morning.
A City of Newcastle (CN) spokeswoman said it's not the first time the baths have filled with water during the first stage of the $14.5 million upgrades.
"The penstock gates will be opened to allow the water to drain out," she said.
"The swell event has not damaged the works already completed or delayed the overall time frame.
"Working in a coastal environment, our contractor for this project monitors weather forecasts and schedules work accordingly, with work to continue on other areas of the baths not impacted."
Waves were so strong they swept a fisherman off the rocks at Cowrie Hole on Wednesday morning, who luckily wasn't injured in the fall.
The Newcastle Ocean Baths were closed around March, last year, for stage one works aimed to improve the safety, water quality and accessibility of the much-loved swimming spot.
The works hit a snag in November when the original walls needed to be replaced due to structural issues at a cost of almost $1.3 million.
The CN spokeswoman said there would be no financial impact on the project as a result of the big swells dumping water in the ocean baths.
The pool itself is almost finished, while work continues to restore the heritage bleachers and construct the new deck.
Recent milestones on the project include the installation of precast panels in the wet well area to support the new pumps and the installation of the supporting pump infrastructure.
The pumps have arrived and are set to be installed during winter, ready for the renewed baths to open in the coming summer season.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Join the discussion in the comment section below.
Find out how to register or become a subscriber here.
