Wild waves thrashing the NSW coast have eased and some beaches have reopened after fears of further coastal erosion.
High tide peaked this morning at about 9:30am, without a repeat of the coastal chaos experienced on Saturday avoided.
A damaging surf alert — meaning waves would reach more than five metres — was cancelled at 8am.
Senior meteorologist Neale Fraser said a hazardous surf warning remained, which meant powerful waves were still present.
"The winds have eased. The surf is still strong but not as bad as we expected it would be today," Mr Fraser said.
Bondi Beach and Coogee Beach have reopened, but many remain closed along the coast including Tamarama, Bronte and Maroubra beaches.
Mr Fraser said to "enjoy the next few days" with the sun emerging after recent storms.
"The sun will shine Monday and Tuesday, with late showers in the late afternoon and evening on Tuesday. Enjoy the next few days as it's a brief break," he said.
"Unfortunately, there will be wet weather the rest of the week."
Swells of up to 10 metres recorded by the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), coupled with large high tides, closed the majority of beaches on Saturday, leading to multiple rescues.
Wind gusts of up to 30 to 50 kilometres an hour also accompanied yesterday's "wild" conditions.
Surf Life Saving NSW Chief Executive Officer Steven Pearce, said they had a busy day.
"We've had our lifesaver rescue helicopter activated multiple times today on search and rescue missions with surfers in distress, reports of children being swept out to sea," Mr Pearce said.
"Fortunately, local surf clubs have been able to rescue those children."
In Sydney's eastern suburbs, the sea made its way past the promenade at popular Bondi and Bronte beaches, damaging their seawalls and ocean pools.
Waverley Council Mayor Paula Masselos said the waves were huge.
"It really just shows the incredible power of nature at the moment," Ms Masselos said.
"We were seeing footage of the waves or the water coming right up onto the promenade and even onto the street near the little cafe there.
"The photos that I'm actually seeing at the moment have shown the retaining wall that goes into Bronte Park has been completely destroyed and there's sand right up to the kiosk."
As predicted, the Northern Beaches were particularly impacted by coastal erosion.
"Along the Northern Beaches we've seen a lot of coastal erosion along there, at Collaroy where the new seawall has been installed, seems to be holding up very well," he said.
"But the water is hard up against there as well. Every beach along the New South Wales coast has significant coast erosion, from Bondi to Manly, Cronulla and up along the Mid North Coast."
Waves in excess of 10 metres were recorded off the coast of Manly amid reports of boats breaking their mooring overnight due to the strong swell.
Bateman's Bay in the South Coast registered waves of more than 13 metres.
At Redhead Beach in Lake Macquarie, waves described by locals as "rogue" crashed beyond the surf club, forcing lifesavers to sandbag the club.
