Addington (South Beach) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get this out there. I’ve been staring at the charts for Addington (South Beach) for the next couple of weeks, and honestly, it’s a bit of a rough stretch. But let me break it down for you day by day.

Overall Pattern

The next 16 days are looking pretty bleak for decent waves at Addington. The swell direction is all over the place, and the winds are mostly gonna be junk. We’ve got some size early on, but the conditions are going to make it a mess. The middle of the period looks small and inconsistent, and the back half is mostly blown out by strong onshores. There are a few brief windows, but you’re going to have to be picky and quick.

The Full Breakdown

We start off with a pulse of southwest swell on Monday, August 10th. Wave heights are up around 10ft to 11.5ft, but the wind is howling from the SSW. Morning is cross-off but with a near gale, making it hard to paddle into. The afternoon turns more offshore, but it’s still a strong breeze. The energy is very strong, with combined energy readings of 1711 and 2142. This is big, raw, and probably too much for a beginner. The 9-10 second period is decent, but the wind is going to make it a battle.

Tuesday, August 11th, the swell drops a bit to 7.2ft in the morning, and we get a fresh offshore breeze from the SW. This is cleaner, but the period drops to 8 seconds, and the energy is more moderate at 881. It’s surfable, but nothing special. The afternoon gets smaller again, 5.6ft, and the wind goes cross-off, but the energy is still moderate. It looks like it’s fading.

Wednesday, August 12th sees the swell bump back up to 8.2ft, but the wind swings around to the SE, making it cross-shore and choppy. Rain showers don’t help. The energy is up again, 1210 in the morning, but the conditions are just poor. Not worth it.

Thursday, August 13th, the swell settles to 5.2ft, and we finally get a light W wind in the morning, which is cross-off. The energy is weak to moderate at 484. The comment says "expect good surf conditions," but the score is low. It might be the cleanest of the bunch, but there’s not much power behind it. The period is short at 8 seconds.

Friday, August 14th, the morning is clear but the wind is light onshore from the ENE. Swell is 5.2ft with a 10-second period, but the onshore wind is going to create ripples and kill it. Not good. The afternoon gets windier, and it’s a washout.

Saturday, August 15th sees the swell pick up again to 7.5ft, with a longer 12-second period. The energy is very strong at 1608 in the morning. But the wind is onshore from the NE. This is a classic "so much potential, gone to waste" situation. The long period suggests better shape, but the wind will just chop it up.

Sunday, August 16th, the swell is still 5.9ft with an 11-second period, but again, onshore NE winds. It’s just a mess. No good.

The rest of the week, from Monday the 17th through Thursday the 20th, is pretty small. Swell heights hover around 3.9ft to 5.2ft, with periods mostly in the 9-10 second range. The winds are light, but variable. The morning of Thursday, August 20th, has a light SSE cross-off breeze, and the comment says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." That’s about the best you can say. There’s just no energy.

Then we hit the final run. From Friday, August 21st, through Sunday the 24th, the onshore NE winds really crank up, hitting 19-22 mph. The swell is up to 6.9ft to 7.5ft, but it’s all onshore wind, making it a complete blown-out mess. The energy readings are strong, but it’s going to be a washing machine. This looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer.

The last couple of days, Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th, the swell drops back down to 3.9ft-4.3ft, but the wind is still strong onshore. There’s a pulse of SSE long-period swell on the 25th, but the wind ruins it.

The Verdict

To be honest, there’s no real standout here. The best bet is probably Thursday morning, August 13th, with that light cross-off wind and clean conditions, but it’s small. The Tuesday morning, August 11th, with the offshore breeze and 7.2ft swell, is also a possibility, but the short period is a drawback. Don’t get too excited about the big swells early on because the wind will make them a fight. The water is about average for this time of year, 71.1°F, so no worries there.

Keep an eye on the forecasts, because a small change in wind direction could open up a window, but as it stands, this is a couple weeks of mostly poor surf.

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