Surfers took full advantage of the favourable surf conditions on the weekend at Nightcliff.

Surfers rode out ‘once a year’ conditions at Nightcliff Beach on Saturday afternoon, catching gnarly waves and shakkas all around.

MORE than a dozen surfers at a time were out on their surfboards and taking advantage of Cyclone Anika and her magnificent conditions to catch a wave at Nightcliff Beach on Saturday afternoon.

The most favourable time of the day was at high tide at 2.42pm where the swell was about one metre with light winds which blew north-easterly at nine knots.

Darwin local Jason Cairns capitalised on the rare Top End surfing conditions and caught a few gnarly waves during the peak conditions.

Jason Cairns caught some gnarly waves at the Nightcliff foreshore on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Floss Adams.

When Mr Cairns discovered what was a Darwin Surfers Paradise at Nightcliff Beach he thought, ‘great, we got it again, this is good’.

“I’ve been able to get out and surf three times this wet season now, which is actually pretty good, normally it’s only once a year,” Mr Cairns said.

“You’ve gotta take advantage of these windows.”

A surfer takes on the cyclone Anika swell on the Nightcliff Beach on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Floss Adams.

Mr Cairns said the conditions was “one of the best” he had ever experienced on the Nightcliff foreshore.

“Really, really good, a lot cleaner than normal, like whereas normally it’s kind of like waves going everywhere,” he said.

The Nightcliff foreshore turned into a Surfers Paradise on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Floss Adams.

“This is like definitive rollers coming in, it’s been really really good. “You never come out of the water sad, it’s impossible to really, something about that salt water.”

Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist Moses Raico said as the tropical cyclone moved across land to the West, the wind would begin to gradually ease across the Top End coastal waters.

Originally published as Surfers took full advantage of the favourable surf conditions on the weekend at Nightcliff.