Airports Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s shaking for the next couple of weeks.

We’ve got a bit of a slow start, but the wait is worth it. The first real action kicks off on Friday, September 4th, with a solid pulse of swell. The standout early on will be Airports, a reef break that’s fairly consistent and exposed to the south-west. The water is sitting at a warm 85.3°, about 1.1° warmer than normal for this time of year, so it’s not a big anomaly, just a touch on the cosy side.

Friday afternoon, September 4th, we’ve got a 5.2ft swell from the SSE, with a period of 10 seconds. The wind is glassy – dead calm from the ESE at 3 mph. That’s perfection. The combined energy is moderate at 552. This is a proper session for the intermediate crew. Clean, groomed, and ready to go.

The next little window is Saturday, September 5th. The swell drops to 4.3ft from the SSE, still with a 10-second period, but the wind turns cross-offshore from the east at 6 mph. The combined energy is still moderate, around 373-381. The surf is good, but not the star of the show.

Sunday, September 6th, is a bit of a letdown. The swell is down to 3.6ft, period drops to 9 seconds, and the wind is cross-shore. The combined energy is weak to moderate (232-378). It’s marginal, with questionable tide conditions. Not worth paddling out for.

Then the magic arrives. Wednesday, September 9th, is the real standout. The morning is glassy with a 2.6ft swell from the SSW, but the period is 17 seconds – that’s a long-period groundswell. The combined energy is a solid 699. The afternoon is even better: the wind is completely calm (0 mph), glassy, and the swell jumps to 3.9ft from the SSW with a 16-second period. The combined energy gets strong at 1014. This is excellent surf for experienced surfers. The long period means the waves will have real shape, and the reef at Airports will handle that beautifully. The only small caveat is that a long-period swell can sometimes make the sets come in bunches, but the calm conditions will make it easy to get out.

Thursday, September 10th, the morning is the pick. Glassy wind from the west at 3 mph, 4.9ft swell from the SSW with a 15-second period, and the combined energy is very strong at 1673. This is another excellent session for experienced surfers. The afternoon turns a bit cross-onshore, so the morning is the call.

After that, the week gets a bit rough. From Friday, September 11th, through to the end of the run, the wind shifts onshore and the swell gets messy. The weekend of the 12th and 13th sees onshore winds from the SW at 9-12 mph, with swell hanging around 4.6ft to 6.6ft from the SSW. The combined energy is strong (1323-3663), but the wind is onshore, making it choppy and marginal. The break is a reef, so it’s not ideal for kite surfing, but it’s not a good paddle either.

The second week, from the 14th to the 19th of September, is a tough read. The swell sticks around, but the wind is almost always onshore or cross-onshore from the SW or S. The periods stay long, often 15-19 seconds, and the combined energy is moderate to strong (932-1639), but the quality is poor. The best chance might be Saturday, September 19th, with a lighter 6 mph breeze from the south and a 3.3ft swell from the S with a 19-second period, but it’s still cross-onshore. The confidence is low for clean surf.

So, the bottom line: Friday, September 4th afternoon and Wednesday, September 9th are the true standouts. Friday gets the nod for the best overall quality – glassy, clean, and moderate swell. Wednesday is the expert’s session with the long-period groundswell. If you can only get one session, make it Friday.

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