Severe weather lashed parts ot he Illawarra last Wednesday and Thursday, churning up the ocean. Though once the storms subsided and the sun began poking through the clouds, the choppy waves began looking cleaner with barrel rides for all from Friday.

"An east swell like this doesn't come around very often so all of the beaches lit up," said Eden Pogonoski who was at Wollongong's City Beach on Saturday.

"The swell dropped slightly throughout [Saturday] but it was definitely still pulsing."

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Strong rips and currents meant ocean play was not for the faint-hearted and the surf photographer opted to capture the waves from the sand in the morning, but jumped in after lunchtime which was "definitely a big adrenaline rush".

"To be honest it was my first time in the water for a few weeks so I was a little rusty," Mr Pogonoski admitted.

"A few set waves on the head and you feel like you're in a washing machine."

The sunny and dry weather will fade to grey this week as the chance of showers return after Monday, coupled with temperatures in the high teens and low-20s, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

But for those keen for great waves, the Bureau is predicting the easterly swell to remain until Saturday, with Thursday looking to have the largest waves of the week in excess of seven feet at some beaches.

Swimmers should be advised the Surf Life Saving season has now ended and there will only be patrolled beaches with flags where council lifeguards are present (such as Wollongong's North Beach).

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