ADs/Doubles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you—looking at ADs/Doubles, and honestly, it’s a tough run. We’ve got a solid 16-day window on the cards, but the surf quality is just not playing ball for a good chunk of it. The first real swell shows up, but it’s wrapped in wind that’s all wrong, so don’t get your hopes up for the first few days.

Starting off on Friday, the 14th of August, we see a solid 8ft to 8ft ENE swell rolling in, period around 8 seconds, so it’s a bit short and fat. The combined energy is strong—1051 to 1219—so there’s plenty of push, but the wind is a fresh to strong cross-shore, 22 to 25 mph, creating lumpy cross-chop and messy conditions. It’s a no-go for a decent paddle.

Saturday, the 15th, the swell jumps to 12ft from the E/ENE with a 9-second period. Energy is very strong, hitting 2140 to 2360. That’s too big for beginners—definitely expert territory—and the wind is still a near gale at 31 mph, cross-shore, making it wild and choppy. Not your day.

Sunday, the 16th, holds onto that 12ft swell, energy peaking at 2467, but the wind goes cross-onshore, E/ESE at 12 to 25 mph, with risk of thunderstorms. The afternoon drops to 8ft, but it’s still marginal at best, with a score of 1 out of 10. Honestly, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Monday the 17th through to the end of the first week, the swell drops to 5ft to 6ft, period around 7 to 8 seconds, with fresh cross-onshore winds at 19 mph. Energy falls to moderate levels, 367 to 846, but the chop and lumpy conditions keep things ugly. No standouts here.

Into the second week, from Thursday the 20th, we get a weird shift—a long-period 18-second groundswell from the SSW at just 2ft, but the energy is still weak at 362 to 435. That’s a long period swell, so it’ll be prone to breaking straight at a beach break like ADs/Doubles, and the cross-shore wind at 12 to 16 mph is no help. Not worth the paddle.

From Friday the 21st to Sunday the 23rd, we see small ENE swells, 3ft to 3ft, with 8-9 second periods, weak energy (82 to 226), and moderate cross-onshore winds. It’s flat and choppy.

Then a bigger run starts on Thursday the 27th of August—8ft ENE swell, 8-second period, energy back to 1055, strong cross-shore winds at 25 mph. Friday the 28th holds 8ft, period up to 10 seconds, energy 1339, and it’s the only day with a marginal score of 1 out of 10. But the wind is still fresh to strong cross-shore, 22 to 25 mph, so it’s lumpy. The swell direction is ENE, and the optimum direction for ADs/Doubles is ESE, so it’s off-angle. Not a true standout.

Saturday the 29th, the swell drops to 6ft, energy 764, but the wind is still fresh cross-shore.

So, if I had to call it, the best on offer—and I use that word loosely—is Friday the 28th of August, when you’ve got a bit more energy and a slightly longer period, but only if you can handle the lumpy cross-shore mess. Otherwise, this is a 16-day stretch where you’re better off checking the forecast again in a week. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Stay patient, mates. Rusty signing off.

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