Aberavon Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get real about Aberavon. It’s a bleak stretch ahead, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. The whole 16-day window is basically a write-off for decent surf. There’s just nothing happening that’s worth paddling out for, and the data backs that up – we’ve got a long stretch of poor surf conditions with scores that are all zeros.

Right now, starting Friday the 14th, we’ve got a tiny 2 ft swell from the WSW with a short 9-second period, and the wind is a cross-onshore breeze from the WSW at 12 mph. The water is a very unusual 69°, which is a massive 8° warmer than the long-term average for this time of year. The combined wave energy is only 118 (weak), and it’s just choppy and messy.

The next few days follow the same pattern. Swell stays small, often under 2 ft, with short periods. The wind rarely plays ball. There’s a brief moment Saturday morning the 15th with a cross-offshore breeze from the north at 9 mph, but the swell is only 1 ft with a period of 8 seconds – barely a ripple. Sunday morning the 16th is glassy with a WNW wind at 3 mph, but the swell is just 1 ft. It’s clean but utterly flat.

We get a tiny bump in size around Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th, with swell hitting 4 ft and 5 ft respectively, but the period is still short (6 seconds), and the wind is cross-shore or cross-onshore, making it lumpy and choppy. The combined energy on Wednesday afternoon hits 182 (moderate), but that’s about it for energy. The quality is still poor.

From the 21st through the 24th, it’s back to tiny, weak swells. The 23rd has a 0.3 ft swell with a 14-second period – that’s a long period groundswell, but there’s no height to it. The combined energy is a pathetic 9. The wind is offshore on the 22nd and 23rd, but it’s on a flat ocean.

Finally, on Tuesday the 25th, we get a tiny glimmer. The afternoon shows a 3 ft swell from the WSW with an 8-second period, and glassy conditions from a light NNW wind at 3 mph. The combined energy is 105 (moderate). The score is a 1/10, and the comment says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” It’s the only time in the entire forecast that the score isn’t zero. But honestly, for a determined soul on a longboard, it’s the only window. The swell direction is WSW, which is okay for the Aberavon (beach/reef/pier) setup, but nothing to write home about.

After that, the last few days of August and into the 29th show some small swell pulses, but the wind is onshore, cross-onshore, or just not favorable. The 28th has a 5 ft swell from the WSW with a 8-second period, but the wind is a cross-shore 16 mph from the WNW, making it a messy, cross-chop situation. The combined energy is 214 (moderate), but the quality is poor.

So, bottom line: there’s no standout session. The only thing worth a mention is that Tuesday afternoon the 25th, with glassy conditions and a tiny bit of swell. It’s not good, but it’s the best of a very bad bunch. For everyone else, save your energy and wait for a change in the forecast. This is a rare blank run for the area, but it happens.

Rusty.

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