Addington (South Beach) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s look at what’s coming up for Addington (South Beach). First thing, there ain’t any surf worth paddling into until Thursday morning. That’s a solid couple of days of flat or junk conditions – Tuesday and Wednesday are total washouts with weak onshore slop, so don’t even bother checking the bank. Keep the board in the truck.

Thursday morning the 9th, the swell starts to show a little pulse out of the south, but it’s only 2 feet and the conditions are just ordinary – light cross-off wind, but the energy is weak. Not worth getting wet unless you’re desperate. Thursday afternoon’s a different story: 4 feet south swell, 14-second period, light cross-off breeze. That’s clean, and the combined energy gets into moderate territory. You’ll get some fun little runners, but this is still just the warm-up.

Friday the 10th is the standout. Morning has 6 feet south swell at 16 seconds – that’s proper groundswell with good energy. Light cross-off wind, clean conditions. This is when Addington starts talking. By the afternoon it’s 7 feet south swell, period at 15 seconds, combined energy strong. Conditions stay clean with a light SSE cross-off. This is for experienced surfers only though – over 5 feet, pushing 8 feet. The long period will make the sets fat and powerful, but sheltered spot here, so the south swell wraps in nicely. Crowds are sometimes an issue, but with this quality, expect a few locals out. The water’s about average for the time of year, nothing weird.

Saturday the 11th has leftover 5 feet south swell in the morning, dropping to 5 feet in the afternoon, periods still decent at 12-13 seconds. Clean, light winds. Not as punchy as Friday, but still good for a session – moderate energy. Sunday the 12th drops off to 3 feet and the conditions get cloudier with a building offshore wind in the afternoon. Still surfable, but ordinary.

Then there’s a bit of a lull. Monday the 13th sees a shift: swell comes from the ESE at 6 feet, but period drops to 9 seconds – that’s shorter period windswell, and the combined energy is moderate. Offshore winds in the morning keep it clean, but don’t expect the same juice as Friday. Tuesday the 14th hangs around 5-5 feet from the ESE, still short period, clean – ordinary but rideable.

Wednesday the 15th morning has a glassy 4 feet south swell, 9-second period, and moderate energy. That’s a sneaky good session if you’re keen, but by afternoon the wind swings onshore and kills it.

From Thursday the 16th on, it gets messy. Thursday morning has strong SSW winds up to 16 mph, and by afternoon the swell jumps to 8 feet from the SSW at 11 seconds, but conditions are marginal with a fresh cross-off breeze. This is more of a kite-surfing setup – big, choppy, not clean for a paddle surfer. The energy is strong, but the quality’s just not there.

Friday the 17th through Sunday the 20th is mostly poor – onshore winds, weak or tangled swell, small periods. A few of those days have long-period SE swell (14 seconds) but the wind is straight onshore, so the waves are junky and closed out. Not worth it.

Monday the 21st shows a pulse of 7 feet ENE swell at 7 seconds – that’s short-period windswell, and with light onshore wind, it’s going to be a messy bump. Marginal at best. Tuesday the 22nd has a strong SSW wind of 19 mph and 7 feet ENE swell – that’s blown-out junk for the experts only, and even then, it’s not pretty.

So bottom line: the best on offer is Friday the 10th – that’s the one to circle. Thursday afternoon and Wednesday morning are solid secondary options. After that, it’s a lot of mediocrity and wind. If you’re a beginner, stay away from the Friday afternoon session – that’s too big for you.

Stay tuned, forecasts change. This ain’t a total bust, but you’ve got to pick your window.

- Rusty

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