Addington (South Beach) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a bit of a mixed bag coming up for Addington (South Beach) over the next couple of weeks. The good news is there’s some decent surf to be had, but you’ll need to pick your windows carefully.

Let’s start with the pattern. The first proper session looks like Sunday afternoon, the 23rd of August. We’ve got a solid 6ft swell out of the south, with a 10-second period and a combined energy of 616 – that’s moderate, but the water temp is 70°, which is about normal for this time of year. The wind is a gentle cross-offshore from the SSE at 9 mph, so the waves should be clean. Not a standout, but a nice way to ease into the week.

Monday the 24th is a write-off – onshore wind and poor conditions, so give it a miss. Tuesday the 25th has a small 2ft swell from the SSW, but the period is a whopping 16 seconds on the morning session, and 15 seconds in the afternoon. That’s proper groundswell, and with a light cross-off breeze, the waves will be clean, but the size is tiny. Combined energy is 317 in the morning and 460 in the afternoon – weak to moderate. For a beginner-friendly spot, this is about as mellow as it gets, but don’t expect much push.

Wednesday the 26th is where things start to heat up. The morning session has a 3ft SSW swell with an 18-second period – very long period, so expect long waits between sets but good shape. Combined energy is 520, still moderate. The afternoon though, that’s the standout of the first week. Swell jumps to 5ft from the south, still with that 18-second period, and the wind swings offshore from the SSW at 9 mph. Combined energy hits 1383 – strong. That’s going to produce clean, well-formed waves. For a sheltered spot like Addington, that’s about as good as it gets. Best on offer in the first week.

Thursday the 27th through to the end of August is pretty grim. Strong onshore winds from the NE, with gusts up to 28 mph, and the swell gets messy and lumpy. Swell heights climb to 12ft by Sunday the 30th, but with onshore wind and short 9-second periods, it’s a churned-up mess. Combined energy gets up to 1864, but that’s just raw power with no finesse. This setup would be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Monday the 31st of August sees a bit of a reset. The morning has a 7ft S swell with an 8-second period – short period, a bit lumpy – but the afternoon improves: 5ft from the south, 8 seconds, with a cross-off breeze from the SE at 9 mph. Combined energy is 559, moderate. It’s surfable, but nothing special.

Then we hit a long gap. From Tuesday the 1st of September right through to Saturday the 5th, conditions are poor. Onshore or cross-shore winds, small weak swells, and generally not worth paddling out. There’s a brief glimmer on Saturday morning the 5th with a 3ft S swell and 8-second period, light cross-off wind, but the score is low – very ordinary.

Now, the second week brings a promising but less certain window. Sunday the 6th of September morning has a 6ft S swell with a 17-second period – that’s proper long-period groundswell – and combined energy of 1750, which is strong. But the wind is a moderate cross-off from the south at 12 mph, so it’ll be clean enough. The afternoon drops to 5ft with 15-second period, but the wind picks up to 19 mph from the SSW. Still cross-off, but it’ll be bumpy.

Monday the 7th of September looks like the best of the second week. The morning session has a 4ft S swell with a 13-second period, and the wind is offshore from the SSW at 9 mph. Combined energy is 716 – moderate. The afternoon is similar, 4ft, 13 seconds, with a light cross-off breeze from the south at 6 mph. Clean, gentle conditions. For a sheltered spot like Addington, this is a solid option, though the swell is a bit smaller than the Wednesday afternoon earlier in the forecast. Still, it’s the best on offer for that second week.

So, to sum it up: the standout is Wednesday the 26th of August afternoon – 5ft south swell, 18-second period, offshore wind, strong energy. That’s your best bet. The second week’s highlight is Monday the 7th of September morning, with 4ft south swell, 13-second period, and offshore wind. Crowds are possible at Addington, so get in early. The long gaps in between are frustrating, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.

Rusty.

Read more