Day one action at the main events of Surfest was called off on Monday as high south-easterly winds battered Merewether beach.
A call on the start of the week-long men's and women's 5000-point World Surf League qualifying series contests was initially delayed until 11am.
However, with winds in excess of 40km/h predicted to continue until at least 2pm before easing slightly, organisers decided to call off day one.
A 3.30pm Legends Expression Session featuring Pam Burridge, Jodie Cooper, Pauline Menczer and Rebecca Woods was still going ahead.
The Bureau of Meteorology forecast cloudy conditions on Monday with a high chance of showers and strong winds southerly 25km/h to 40km/h to turn southeasterly to 15km/h to 25 km/h in the evening.
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